Honda Ridgeline Extended Warranty: Cost, Coverage and Plans

Honda Ridgeline extended warranty coverage

An extended auto warranty is an optional, paid extension of the factory warranty your Ridgeline comes with. For context, Honda Ridgelines come with the following warranties from the factory:

• A three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty
• A five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty

Factory warranties follow the vehicle, not the owner. So if you buy a 2-year-old truck with 20,000 miles on it, you still have one year or 16,000 miles worth of factory bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage remaining.

For an extended warranty on your Honda Ridgeline, you have two options:

1. Buy the official Honda extended warranty, called Honda Care.
2. Buy a plan from a third-party extended warranty company, which allows you to take your truck to any ASE-certified mechanic for repairs.

A ConsumerAffairs investigation found that only 41% of American drivers surveyed had enough cash to cover a $1,000 repair bill, and 13% of respondents had no way to handle a repair bill that large, even with credit.

In either case, you’ll generally get the most value by purchasing whichever plan offers comprehensive, exclusionary protection (often called bumper-to-bumper or Platinum). These plans cover 90% or more of the parts on your vehicle. Less comprehensive Gold, Silver and powertrain plans may be cheaper, but they tend to cover fewer parts per dollar.

Auto warranties don't cover damage or accidents, and repairs generally aren't covered if you don't properly maintain the vehicle or you make aftermarket modifications. They only pay for repairs and replacements of specifically covered parts that fail from normal wear and tear.

In general, here are the differences between what a bumper-to-bumper warranty and a powertrain warranty cover:

Some extended auto warranty plans fall somewhere between bumper-to-bumper and powertrain coverage.

» LEARN: What to know about manufacturers’ extended warranties

How much does a Honda Ridgeline extended warranty cost?

We were quoted $936.07 a year from olive for three years of bumper-to-bumper coverage for a 2021 Honda Ridgeline registered in Austin, Texas, with 40,000 miles. From Endurance, the quote for similar coverage was $1,028.16 annually for 30 months of coverage for the same vehicle with the same mileage. Both quotes assumed a $100 deductible. Note that both of these are third-party extended auto warranty companies.

The “official” Honda extended warranty is called Honda Care, and it may cost less than a third-party option. Be sure to get a quote from your local Honda dealer to compare your options.

In general, quotes for extended auto warranties vary based on coverage, vehicle, deductible, location and other factors. A 2022 Ridgeline with zero miles typically has cheaper extended warranty options than a 2020 model with 50,000 miles, for example.

Compare quotes from multiple providers to be sure that you're getting a good deal on an extended warranty.

For context, the average cost of an extended warranty is around $1,000 per year of coverage. The quotes we collected for our hypothetical 2021 Honda Ridgeline aligned pretty closely with this average.

Our quotes were for a base model vehicle, but a more expensive trim can raise the price of your plan. For a lower price, you can opt for a powertrain plan or one that covers less than a bumper-to-bumper warranty. Just be aware that coverage limits can lead to a frustrating situation in which you're left paying out of pocket for repairs.

Keep in mind that some extended auto warranties start from the original owner's purchase date of the vehicle. So if the factory warranty lasts for four years and 50,000 miles, a six-year/100,000-mile plan may only provide two additional years or 50,000 additional miles of coverage.

» LEARN: How to choose an extended car warranty

Honda Care extended warranty plan details

Rather than offering a variety of coverage tiers, with higher-priced plans equalling more vehicle parts covered, the difference in Honda’s extended warranty plan, Honda Care, is that plans are available for different phases of a vehicle’s life. It does, however, offer a powertrain-level plan for pre-owned and certified used vehicles only.

Coverage tiers

You can purchase a Honda Care plan for your Ridgeline in any of these categories:

• New vehicle coverage
• Pre-owned vehicle coverage
• Certified additional coverage
• Certified used additional coverage
• Certified used powertrain coverage
• Powertrain coverage (pre-owned vehicles only)

Powertrain and certified used powertrain coverage includes the engine, front and rear drive axles, transmission, and applicable seals, gaskets and fluids.

New, pre-owned, certified used and certified additional coverage includes drivetrain components, electronics, the chassis, and heating and cooling systems, as well as accessories such as navigational systems.

Included benefits

If you purchase a Honda Care plan for your Ridgeline, you’ll also have access to these benefits:

• 24-hour roadside assistance: This includes towing services, lockout assistance, tire changes, battery jump-start and fuel delivery service.
• Rental car reimbursement: If your Ridgeline is in the shop for covered repairs, Honda Care may reimburse your rental car expenses up to $35 per day for up to six days.
• Trip interruption coverage: If your Ridgeline experiences a mechanical breakdown and needs a covered repair while you’re more than 100 miles from home, you may qualify for Honda Care’s trip interruption benefit. This covers meals and lodging expenses up to $100 per day for up to three days while your vehicle is being worked on.
• Concierge services: You can use Honda Care for assistance with things such as airline information and hotel reservations.

Honda Ridgeline extended warranty pros and cons

Is a Honda Ridgeline extended warranty worth it?

A Honda Ridgeline extended warranty can certainly be worth it. In general, an extended auto warranty is worth it if any of the following are true:

1. Your vehicle has a bad reputation for reliability.
2. The warranty costs less than you expect to spend on repairs.
3. A big repair bill could hurt you financially.
4. You don’t mind paying for peace of mind.

Honda as a brand has average reliability, with J.D. Power ranking Honda 12th out of 30 car brands for overall dependability. As for the Ridgeline specifically, RepairPal gave it a 3.5 out of 5.

Many Ridgeline owners say that these vehicles are some of the most reliable little trucks on the market. That said, 4-cylinder and V6 engine failures in some model years mean that a powertrain warranty could be worthwhile, while a bumper-to-bumper warranty may be overkill.

Honda maintenance is generally pretty cheap, but the Ridgeline’s middling reliability means that an extended warranty could still be a good idea. Considering that the cost of a plan may fall below average, it might be worth the peace of mind.

» LEARN: Pros and cons of extended auto warranties