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GMC extended warranty: cost, coverage and plans

Good coverage and nice benefits, but you may find similar plans for less

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    GMC doesn’t have a great track record for build quality, which is why you might want to consider an extended warranty as a way to protect yourself from pricey repairs if you own one.

    GMC even offers its own line of extended warranty plans, but are they worth considering? We’ll go over what they cover, what they cost and whether they’re worth it versus paying for repairs on your own.


    Key insights

    • GMC’s official extended warranties are called GMC Protection Plans.
    • Quoted prices for our sample vehicles ranged anywhere from $3,400 to over $6,800, well above the industry average.
    • The data suggests that repairs on GMC vehicles cost slightly more than average but not enough to justify paying $4,000 or more for an extended warranty.
    • Third-party warranty companies quoted us between 5% and 50% less than GMC for similar coverage and may be the better option if you plan to own your GMC long-term.

    GMC extended warranty coverage

    GMC’s official extended warranties are called GMC Protection Plans. These plans are designed to extend your existing GMC factory warranties, which include three years or 36,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and five years or 60,000 miles of powertrain coverage.

    That means your extended warranty will cover the cost of repairing or replacing specified components that break or malfunction as a result of normal use. (If you want to protect yourself against repair bills after an accident, theft or vandalism, you should look into comprehensive auto insurance.)

    You can technically purchase a GMC Protection Plan at any point before your GMC vehicle hits eight years old or 100,000 miles on the odometer, but the cost of coverage rises as you wait.

    » LEARN: What does a car warranty cover?

    GMC extended warranty terms and conditions

    We read the sample contract for a GMC Protection Plan, and overall, GMC doesn’t seem to be hiding any atypical “gotchas” in its terms and conditions. We’ve broken down the more important terms and conditions below, but it’s always a good idea to read your contract before you sign so you know what’s expected of you and what you’re getting.

    To keep your warranty active, GMC requires you to perform all recommended maintenance (oil changes, alignments, etc.) as outlined in your owner’s manual. Warranty providers often deny claims if you can’t provide documentation of regular maintenance, so keep your receipts.
    As with almost all extended warranties, your GMC Protection Plan will not cover breakdowns or issues that occurred before the warranty period. For used GMCs out of factory warranty coverage, there’s a 30-day/1000-mile waiting period when claims will not be accepted, either.

    You’ll also want to get your GMC inspected by the dealer who sells you the warranty, which should cost around $200, so you’ll have proof of what was — and wasn’t — an issue with your vehicle before you purchased your extended warranty.

    Standard exclusions for most warranties apply, which means your GMC Protection Plan won’t cover:
    • Wear-and-tear items meant to wear out over time, like brake pads and clutches
    • Breakdowns caused by negligence, abuse or neglect
    • Breakdowns caused by missed maintenance intervals or low fluids
    • Aesthetic items, like carpet or paint
    • Aftermarket parts or issues caused by aftermarket parts

    For Powertrain and Silver plans, only the components specifically listed in your warranty terms and conditions are covered. For Platinum plans, all components except those listed as exclusions are covered.

    Notable exclusions from the Platinum plan include the entire clutch assembly, any infotainment repair exceeding $3,000, and various sensors and solenoids. If you’re not sure whether something will be covered or not under your warranty, ask GMC and get the answer in writing.

    If you sell your GMC, you can transfer your remaining Protection Plan coverage by contacting GMC within 30 days and paying a $75 fee.
    You can cancel your GMC Protection Plan within 60 days of purchase for a full refund, provided you haven’t yet submitted a claim. If you have submitted a claim or it's been 60 days or longer, you can still cancel for a prorated refund minus a $50 administration fee.

    GMC extended warranty benefits

    In addition to parts coverage, all GMC Protection Plans come with the following benefits:

    • Disappearing deductibles, which can waive your $100 deductible if you get your warranty repair work done at the same GMC dealer that sold you the warranty
    • Roadside assistance, including up to $100 for towing (per occurrence), battery service, flat tire assistance, emergency fuel and fluid delivery, and lockout assistance
    • Rental car coverage of up to $40 per day for 10 days while your GMC vehicle is in the shop for a covered repair
    • Trip interruption coverage of up to $200 per day for up to five days to help cover emergency travel expenses (meals, lodging, taxis, etc.) if your GMC vehicle has a covered breakdown more than 100 miles from home.

    Overall, these are above-average benefits for an automaker’s extended warranty. Some brands only cover $35 per day for a rental car and $50 per day for trip interruptions (if they even cover them at all), so GMC’s limits are generous by comparison.

    It’s worth noting that your $100 towing benefit only applies if your breakdown is covered by your warranty plan, though.

    GMC extended warranty plans

    GMC Protection Plans come with three coverage options: Powertrain, Silver and Platinum.

    The Platinum plan is essentially an extended bumper-to-bumper warranty. It’s also an “exclusionary” warranty, meaning it’ll cover all parts except those specifically outlined in the terms and conditions.

    Here’s a breakdown of what each GMC Protection Plan covers, courtesy of GMC itself:

    Component groupPowertrainSilverPlatinum
    Engine
    Transmission
    Drive axle
    Hybrid/electric components
    Front suspension
    Rear suspension
    Climate control
    Electrical
    Steering
    Brakes
    High-tech systems
    Audio
    Navigation

    According to RepairPal, some of the most common issues with GMC vehicles have to do with the engine, transmission and electrical system. Some of these issues may be covered by the Silver plan, but even so, most GMC Protection Plan customers still end up choosing Platinum.

    GMC extended warranty cost

    GMC doesn’t offer a way to purchase GMC Protection Plans online. That means you have to purchase them from a local dealer, and since some dealers charge high markups (even on warranties), you won’t know if you’ve found a good deal until you’ve called multiple dealers for competing quotes.

    GMC Protection Plan costs

    The good news is that’s exactly what we did, and here are the best offers we received.

    VehicleCoverageTermCost
    2021 Acadia with 15,000 miles Silver 7 years or 100,000 miles $3,400
    2021 Acadia with 15,000 miles Platinum 7 years or 100,000 miles $3,800
    2023 Sierra 2500HD with 500 miles Platinum 7 years or 70,000 miles $3,700
    2023 Sierra 2500HD with 500 miles Platinum 7 years or 100,000 miles $4,000
    2018 Yukon with 45,000 miles Platinum 6 years or 60,000 miles $6,800
    Most automakers’ extended auto warranty terms start from the date the vehicle is purchased by its first owner, even if you’re buying the warranty later.

    For context, the average extended auto warranty costs around $2,500 and rarely exceeds $4,000. That means GMC Protection Plans are considerably more expensive than average. Even the seven-year/70,000-mile warranty on our brand-new Sierra was quoted as $3,700, which is a lot for a plan that only really extends the factory warranty by four years or 34,000 miles.

    These are similar prices to what we were quoted by BMW for its extended warranties, and BMWs cost 50% more than the average vehicle to maintain and repair, according to RepairPal. Maintenance and repairs on GMC vehicles, by comparison, are only 15% more expensive than average.

    The fact that it costs nearly 10% of an Acadia’s MSRP to cover its parts for a few more years begs a simple question: Why are GMC Protection Plans so expensive? The answer could lie in GMC’s reliability ratings.

    Is a GMC extended warranty worth it?

    As a general rule, an auto extended warranty is more likely to be worth the cost if any of the following are true:

    • You drive a historically unreliable car.
    • You can’t afford an unexpected repair bill, but you can budget ahead for a warranty payment.
    • The cost of the warranty is less than what you expect to spend on repairs.
    • You really don’t mind paying extra for peace of mind, even if you never file a claim.

    In terms of reliability, J.D. Power ranked GMC 14th out of 33 carmakers in 2023, and Consumer Reports ranked it 21st out of 24 brands in 2022. Considering that the latter outlet includes a wider range of model years in its rankings, these rankings suggest that GMCs don’t age particularly well and begin having most of their problems once they’ve run out of factory warranty coverage.

    We’ve seen evidence of this in consumer reviews: Brian, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer from Indiana, wrote, “Shifting assembly is junk. Most go bad before the 36k warranty ... Mine went bad at literally 37,229.”

    Reports of poor reliability normally weigh in favor of an extended warranty being worth it, but given the relatively high costs of GMC Protection Plans, you might still be better paying for repairs out of pocket.

    RepairPal data shows that GMCs cost an average of $744 a year to repair and maintain. That’s just 15% above average ($652 per year) and probably not enough to justify purchasing a Protection Plan that costs around $1,100 per year of coverage, which is roughly what we were quoted to cover our 2018 Yukon. However, if you can get a better deal on your GMC Protection Plan, like we did for our Sierra and Acadia, you have better odds of your warranty paying for itself.

    Even the more affordable quotes we got for GMC Protection Plans were still above the average cost of an extended warranty, though. That’s why we decided to get quotes from third-party warranty companies for an idea of how GMC Protection Plans stack up against the rest of the market.

    » MORE: Pros and cons of extended auto warranties

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      GMC extended warranty alternatives

      Dedicated extended warranty companies often offer coverage that’s similar to what you can get from your automaker but at a lower cost. However, you shouldn’t expect to get a better deal from every warranty provider you speak with.

      Check out the table below to see what GMC quoted us compared to some quotes we received for Platinum-equivalent seven-year/100,000-mile warranties from third-party warranty providers, rounded to the nearest dollar.

      VehicleGMColiveEndurance
      2021 GMC Acadia $3,800 $3,789 $3,835
      2023 GMC Sierra 2500HD $4,000 $2,560 $3,738
      2018 GMC Yukon $6,800 $8,163 $4,025

      While quotes for our Acadia were almost identical across all three warranty providers, olive4.3 offered a much lower quote than the others for our GMC Sierra 2500HD, and Endurance4.0 was much softer on our aging Yukon.

      That’s why it pays to shop around. Getting multiple quotes from dealers and third-party companies can save you thousands on extended warranty protection and make your purchase a much smarter move. If you’re interested in buying an extended warranty for your GMC, we recommend that you do your research, compare quotes from different warranty providers and read reviews to see what past customers recommend before you buy.

      If you want to learn more, check out our hub for extended car warranty articles.

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      ConsumerAffairs writers primarily rely on government data, industry experts and original research from other reputable publications to inform their work. To learn more about the content on our site, visit our FAQ page. Specific sources for this article include:
      1. RepairPal, “GMC Problems.” Accessed March 6, 2023.
      2. J.D. Power, “Vehicle Dependability Improves Despite Continued Problems with Technology, J.D. Power Finds.” Accessed March 6, 2023.
      3. Consumer Reports, “Who Makes the Most Reliable New Cars?” Accessed March 6, 2023.
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