GM Platinum Extended Warranty: Cost, Coverage and Plan

GM Platinum extended warranty overview

When you own or lease a GM vehicle, you receive a manufacturer’s warranty from General Motors.

This provides coverage for several brands, including:

• Chevrolet
• GMC
• Cadillac
• Buick

When the manufacturer’s warranty expires, you’ll be stuck paying out of pocket for pricey repairs and maintenance unless you invest in an extended warranty.

GM’s manufacturer-backed extended warranties are available for vehicles that are still covered under the manufacturer’s bumper-to-bumper limited warranty. New, used, and leased vehicles are all eligible. However, your original warranty must also have at least 30 days and 1,000 miles remaining, or 90 days and 3,000 miles for Cadillacs.

An extended warranty pays repair costs if your vehicle experiences a covered mechanical breakdown. After you file a claim, your repairs will be completed at a licensed repair facility.

GM extended warranty options

GM offers a choice of three official warranty plans: Platinum, Silver and Powertrain. The powertrain warranty covers a few components that are essential to the vehicle’s operation, Silver covers basic systems and components, and Platinum expands upon that coverage with generous protection for nearly the entire vehicle.

As GM’s best extended warranty, the Platinum warranty covers up to 1,500 parts and components in the event of a mechanical breakdown, including:

• Engine
• Transmission
• Drive axle
• Hybrid electrical components
• Front and rear suspension
• Climate control
• Steering
• Electrical systems

GM extended protection plans

Not everything is covered with the Platinum plan, such as maintenance and cosmetic items, but your warranty guide can provide further details about your specific terms and conditions.

In addition to the parts it covers, the Platinum warranty carries these benefits:

• Rental car coverage: If your GM vehicle is in the shop for extended repairs, you can receive rental car reimbursement for up to $40 per day, for a maximum of 10 days.
• 24-hour roadside assistance: Covered services include:
  • Towing
  • Battery service
  • Flat tire assistance with vehicle's spare tire
  • Emergency fuel service delivery
  • Emergency oil, fluid or water delivery
  • Lockout assistance
• Trip interruption reimbursement: If your GM vehicle experiences a breakdown 100 miles or more from home that requires an overnight stay, you can be reimbursed up to $200 per day for a maximum of five days, or $1,000 total. This coverage is not available in New York.

The Platinum warranty lasts up to eight years or 150,000 miles, and you can choose from three deductible options: $0, $100 and $250. GM Protection Plans are not available in California, Maine or Minnesota. 

GM Platinum extended warranty exclusions

As with other warranties, some exclusions apply. Examples of issues not covered by the Platinum plan include damages caused by:

• Accidents, collisions, vandalism or weather
• Lack of maintenance
• Pre-existing conditions
• Repair/replacement of hybrid batteries, electric batteries and battery cables

For more details, ask your local GM dealership or check a sample contract.

Add-on warranty coverage

GM offers the opportunity to customize your protection plans with several types of additional, optional coverage.

Pre-Paid Maintenance

Pre-Paid Maintenance covers costs associated with your vehicle's recommended maintenance. EV Pre-Paid Maintenance is available for electric vehicles.

This covers a few services:

• Engine oil/oil filter replacement
• Tire rotation
• Multi-point vehicle inspection

For expanded coverage, you can opt for Pre-Paid Maintenance Plus. This includes everything under the Pre-Paid Maintenance Plan, plus replacement of items such as cabin air filters, engine air filters, brake fluid and windshield wiper blades.

Tire & Wheel Protection

The Tire & Wheel Protection package protects your tires and wheels from structural damage.

If you incur damage from a covered road hazard, Tire & Wheel Protection will cover the cost of necessary repairs. This includes mounting, balancing and valve stems, as well as environmental fees and taxes. Towing is also included.

Alternatively, you may upgrade to Tire & Wheel Protection Plus. In addition to fixing your tires and wheels, this plan covers minor repairs for cosmetic damage.

Tire and wheel coverage is available for up to seven years for new, pre-owned and leased vehicles, with no mileage limitations to qualify. Damage from some everyday hazards, such as nails, glass, rocks and potholes, is covered, though there are a few exclusions, such as construction zone-related damages.

There is no deductible, and no limit on the number of occurrences. The plan is also transferable or cancelable, depending on your needs.

Tire Protection

Tire Protection is an optional add-on you can buy at the time of vehicle purchase. It covers the repair and replacement of your tires and wheels if they are structurally damaged by a covered road hazard. Towing assistance is also included. Terms up to three years are available.

GAP coverage

GAP coverage can offer valuable protection if your vehicle is ever damaged to the point that it’s declared a total loss.

Your car’s market value may have decreased over the years, but that doesn’t affect the amount you owe. If there’s a gap between the market value of your GM vehicle and what you still owe on the car, your GAP coverage will pick up the difference, including your deductible.

GAP Plus expands upon the standard GAP coverage. It adds a $1,000 credit toward the cost of a replacement vehicle when you buy from your original dealer.

Terms for both programs last up to eight years, and you can cancel at any time. No maximum finance amount applies, and both new and pre-owned vehicles are eligible, but you must purchase coverage at the time you purchase the vehicle.

Advanced Protection

Advanced Protection helps you pay for some normal wear and tear, with the added benefit of mechanical coverage.

This optional GM protection plan covers parts and labor on more than 1,500 components, including:

• Battery
• Brake pads
• Light bulbs
• Windshield wipers
• Fuses
• Wheel alignment

You can add brake rotor coverage and mechanical repair coverage by upgrading to Advanced Protection Plus.

Complimentary diagnostics and fluid replacement are included with each service. Additional benefits include emergency roadside assistance with trip interruption coverage and rental car reimbursement.

Terms last up to six years or 72,000 miles, whichever comes first. No deductible applies to covered repairs.

XS Wear Lease Protection

If you lease your vehicle, XS Wear Lease Protection can help ensure that it’s ready to turn in at the end of your lease. This plan covers costs for common wear and tear, excess mileage, covered missing parts and excess wear charges, such as:

• Interior stains and burns
• Tire wear
• Audio equipment
• Dents and dings
• Paint wear
• Glass chips

There is no deductible, and coverage is available for leases lasting between 12 and 72 months.

Multi-Coverage Protection

You can use Multi-Coverage Protection to reduce out-of-pocket costs while customizing coverage to your needs. Choose from a combination of products designed to protect your GM, detailed in the table below.

Terms are available for up to seven years/unlimited miles. If you purchase a multi-coverage plan, you must do so when you buy your vehicle.

GM Platinum warranty pricing

The table below shows some common costs for a GM Platinum extended warranty on a variety of vehicles.

Some dealerships may offer 0% financing through GM Financial for up to 12 months if your vehicle has less than 24,000 miles. However, a 20% down payment is typically required.

Your local dealership can provide more details based on your vehicle and your state.

GM Platinum warranty transfer or cancellation

You may be able to transfer or cancel your GM Platinum extended warranty, depending on the situation.

If you sell your vehicle, you can transfer your warranty to another private party. Transfers must be completed within 30 days of resale or lease assumption. A $50 fee may apply.

If the new buyer does not want the warranty, you have the option to cancel your warranty. For a full refund, you must cancel within 30 days and have no claims filed. Otherwise, a prorated refund may be issued.

Is GM Platinum worth it?

To determine whether a GM Platinum extended warranty is worth it for you, you may want to compare the warranty cost against the cost of common repairs for your vehicle.

Read online reviews from ConsumerAffairs and other reputable third-party platforms to see if there are problems common among the make and model of your vehicle. If these issues are major and expensive, you could save significantly on repair costs over the long term by purchasing an extended warranty. However, there’s no guarantee that you would ever actually need to file a warranty claim, and a GM Platinum plan requires an upfront investment that some budgets may not be able to absorb.

Before deciding, talk to your local dealer for detailed pricing, as well as terms and conditions, to see whether a GM Platinum extended warranty is right for you.

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