Infiniti extended warranty: cost, coverage and plans

Infiniti extended warranty coverage

Infiniti’s official extended warranty (aka vehicle service contract) is called the Infiniti Elite Extended Protection Plan. This plan offers bumper-to-bumper coverage for up to eight years or 120,000 miles from your vehicle’s in-service date (the date it was purchased by its first owner, not the warranty purchase date).

Many automakers measure extended warranty terms from when the vehicle was new, which can make a warranty seem longer than it really is.

Elite Extended Protection Plans build off of Infiniti’s existing factory warranty, which provides a four-year/60,000-mile basic (aka bumper-to-bumper warranty and a six-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranty.

So if you purchase an eight-year/120,000-mile Elite Extended Protection Plan, you’re essentially getting an extra four years or 60,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper warranty protection beyond your factory warranty. (Bumper-to-bumper plans, sometimes called exclusionary plans, cover everything on your vehicle but a handful of exceptions, like cosmetics, wear-and-tear parts, various gaskets and hoses and a few other components.)

Infiniti Elite Extended Protection Plans let you choose between a $0 or $100 deductible, but you can only purchase them from a dealership.

According to multiple dealers we spoke with, most Infiniti vehicles will be eligible for an Elite Extended Protection Plan as long as they’re under 8 years old and have under 120,000 miles on the odometer. Just know that plans for Infiniti vehicles with no basic factory warranty coverage remaining may cost significantly more. However, if the vehicle is certified pre-owned (CPO), it may be eligible for a CPO Wrap policy, which essentially upgrades the CPO Limited warranty to an Elite Extended Protection Plan.

As you read on, keep in mind that warranties almost never cover damage, neglect, abuse or misuse. They strictly protect you from factory defects, such as manufacturing issues. In general, any repairs needed due to an outside cause, like weather damage or delayed maintenance, will not be covered by a warranty.

Having significant savings might provide a buffer against worries about a hefty repair bill, but for those without, it could be financially devastating. A recent investigation by ConsumerAffairs found that most surveyed drivers couldn't afford to pay cash for a $1,000 repair bill, and 13% of respondents lacked the means to handle an expense that large, even with credit.

» LEARN: What does a car warranty cover?

Infiniti extended warranty benefits

In addition to covering repair bills, Infiniti Elite Extended Protection Plans come with the following extra benefits:

• 24/7 roadside assistance, including battery jump-starts, flat tire changes (with your inflated spare), fuel delivery and lockout assistance
• Long-distance towing of up to 250 miles to the nearest Infiniti dealership
• Alternate transportation assistance, which can pay up to $50 per day ($250 per breakdown) to help cover the cost of transportation (e.g., Lyft, Uber, rental car)
• Trip interruption benefits of up to $500 to cover meals, lodging and transportation if your Infiniti experiences a covered breakdown 100-plus miles from home
• Reunite Service, which will ship your repaired Infiniti via flatbed truck back to your home if your vehicle breaks down over 100 miles away

(Trip interruption benefits and Reunite Service have a combined maximum value of $500 per incident.)

These are unique and generous benefits compared to most other factory-backed extended auto warranties. Up to 250 miles of towing is nice, although it would be even nicer if you could tow your vehicle to the dealer of your choice. Still, Reunite Service — which we’ve never seen before as a warranty benefit — can save you from having to go back to a dealer that’s far away to pick up your car.

Infiniti extended warranty cost

As we mentioned earlier, you have to call a local dealer and speak directly with a finance manager to get a quote or purchase an Elite Extended Protection Plan. So, that’s what we did to help you understand how much one of Infiniti’s extended warranties might cost you.

Infiniti’s Elite Extended Protection Plan costs

Here’s what our local dealer quoted us on plans with a $100 deductible, not including tax.

On average, our quoted prices for six-year plans were around $3,000, and our quotes for eight-year plans were around $4,500. (For context, the average extended auto warranty costs around $1,000 per year of coverage.) So, if you pay $4,500 for four additional years of coverage beyond your factory bumper-to-bumper warranty, that’s $1,125 per year of additional coverage.

That’s pretty high, even for a luxury vehicle. But before we determine whether it’s still worth it, let’s look at the contractual details.

» MORE: Where can you use an extended auto warranty?

Infiniti extended warranty terms and conditions

The terms of an Infiniti Elite Extended Protection Plan are pretty standard for an extended auto warranty. We didn’t find any “gotchas,” but there are still some key terms and responsibilities we explained below that you’ll want to be aware of. (Remember, these are just the highlights. It’s always best to read a contract carefully before signing.)

What’s not covered by an Infiniti extended warranty?

Per usual for an extended auto warranty, an Elite Extended Protection Plan won’t cover repairs needed due to damage, neglect, abuse or misuse. Activities defined as misuse can include track use, nonrated towing or off-road use.

Your Infiniti extended warranty also won’t cover cosmetic items, wear-and-tear items (like brake pads and windshield wiper blades) or any parts not listed in your warranty agreement. (Interestingly, while most exclusionary/bumper-to-bumper policies only list coverage exclusions, Infiniti decided to list all 1,850-plus parts its plans cover.)

Infiniti extended warranty alternatives

We got quotes from Endurance and olive, two third-party extended car warranty companies, to see how their rates compared to what Infiniti quoted us. The following quotes are for roughly equivalent bumper-to-bumper plans with a $100 deductible (tax not included).

Who offered the best rates? Well, it depends on what vehicle you’re trying to get covered. Endurance offered a roughly $100 discount compared with Infiniti for two of our sample vehicles, but its quote was almost $900 more expensive for the third. One of our quotes from olive was more than $300 less than the comparable quote from Infiniti, but the other two were significantly higher. (In fact, olive’s quote for the QX60 was nearly twice as much as Infiniti’s.)

The lesson here is that quotes for extended auto warranties can vary significantly from model to model and from provider to provider. Your best bet for finding a good deal is shopping around and getting quotes from multiple reputable auto warranty companies.

» MORE: How to choose an extended car warranty

Is an Infiniti extended warranty worth it?

When it’s all said and done, an official Infiniti extended warranty isn’t likely to pay for itself, but whether it’s “worth it” depends on what you’re looking for. Let us explain.

You’re more likely to find an extended car warranty worth it if either:

• Your vehicle isn’t very reliable, and you expect that to continue.
• You think your warranty will save you more on repairs than it will cost you upfront.
• You’re fine paying a few thousand dollars for extra peace of mind.
• A surprise repair bill could ruin you financially and cause significant hardship.

We can’t assume where you stand on the last two points, but we can break down the first two in more detail to help you make up your mind.

For starters, reports of Infiniti’s reliability are mixed. J.D. Power ranked the brand 22nd out of 29 automakers in 2024 based on the high number of problems it saw coming from 2021 vehicles.

Consumer Reports ranked the brand higher at 13 out of 30 automakers in 2023 for predicted reliability. Consumer Reports pulls from a wider array of model years, which could imply that Infinitis tend to age well — or that newer Infinitis just have more problems.

Consumer reviews of Infiniti seem to point toward the latter, with some customers citing frequent mechanical and electrical issues with 2019 and newer vehicles. Felicia, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer from Texas, reported that their infotainment system failed three times within six months, and in the end, Infiniti bought back the car.

Sean Kim, an ASE-certified mechanic with 13 years of experience, provided insight on Infiniti’s reliability in an email to ConsumerAffairs. “Due to the historical unreliability of Nissan/Infiniti,” he explains “I always recommend an extended warranty for this vehicle. I have seen powertrain issues with Infinitis from 2004-current becoming more and more common and they are not cheap repairs. Average powertrain repair on Infinitis usually ranges between $1,000-$3,000.”

2019 Data from RepairPal suggests that Infiniti vehicles only cost $638 per year in maintenance and repairs. That’s about $887 when adjusted for inflation — just below the $907 average across all brands. However, concerning reviews like Felicia’s — and a below-average J.D. Power ranking — may indicate that recent Infinitis have build-quality issues, potentially increasing the value of an extended auto warranty.

So, let’s recap the facts:

• Elite Extended Protection Plans cost about $1,125 per year of extra coverage with a $100 deductible.
• RepairPal data says Infinitis cost just $638 ($887 when adjusted for inflation) per year in unplanned repairs and scheduled maintenance, on average.
• Consumer reviews and J.D. Power rankings seem to indicate that Infiniti vehicles may have rising build-quality issues.
• A certified mechanic recommends an extended auto warranty due to the hefty price tags he’s seen on Infiniti repairs.

In the end, $1,125 per year of added coverage is hard to justify for an extended warranty on an Infiniti. However, it may be worth it for peace of mind considering the rising cost of repairs.

» MORE: Pros and cons of extended auto warranties