Lincoln extended warranty: cost, coverage and plans

Lincoln extended warranty coverage

Lincoln’s official extended warranty plans are called Lincoln Protect Extended Service Plans.

Although these kinds of plans are more accurately known as vehicle service contracts, they’re commonly referred to as extended warranties because they’re designed to mimic your Lincoln’s factory warranty coverage. (Lincolns come from the factory with four years/50,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and six years/70,000 miles of coverage for your powertrain.)

Most Lincoln vehicles under 6 years old and with less than 70,000 miles on the odometer (i.e., those still under the factory powertrain warranty) will be eligible. You can get quotes for and purchase these plans online, meaning you can avoid working with your local dealer and any potential fees they may add.

» LEARN: What does a car warranty cover?

Lincoln extended warranty plans

Lincoln Protect Extended Service Plans come in four levels of coverage: PremiumCARE, ExtraCARE, BaseCARE and PowertrainCARE.

“PremiumCARE is essentially a direct extension of your factory bumper-to-bumper warranty,” one rep with Lincoln Protect told us. That means if something breaks on your Lincoln due to a factory defect, PremiumCARE will very likely cover it. The same can’t be said for the other plans, though.

You can see a more detailed comparison of the component groups each plan covers in the table below. You may have to scroll on the chart to see the whole thing, though.

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

Lincoln extended warranty benefits

Lincoln Protect Extended Service Plans offer some of the best additional benefits we’ve ever seen on an extended warranty:

• 24/7 roadside assistance, including tire changes, lockout assistance, fuel deliveries and jump-starts
• Towing assistance of up to $100 per occurrence during a covered breakdown
• Emergency travel expenses of up to $200 per day for up to five days per occurrence
• Destination assistance of up to $75 per term that covers taxi rides or other forms of transportation while your Lincoln is in the shop for a covered repair
• Rental vehicle benefits of up to $60 per day for up to 10 days for most vehicle owners ($72 per day for Aviator, MKT and Navigator owners)
• Key services if you need to replace or reprogram your lost or damaged key fob

Most other warranty benefits stop at $35 per day for a rental car, and they also don’t cover key fob replacement, so kudos to Lincoln for taking extra care of its warranty holders.

Lincoln extended warranty cost

For context, the average extended warranty costs around $1,000 per year of coverage. Let’s see how Lincoln Protect Extended Service Plans compare.

Make sure to double-check when your extended warranty actually starts and ends before you sign on the dotted line.

One thing to keep in mind is that the terms for newer vehicles still under Lincoln’s factory Limited (bumper-to-bumper) warranty start from the vehicle’s in-service date. This means that a “seven-year/100,000-mile” PremiumCARE plan on the 2023 Lincoln Navigator really only provides three years of coverage after the factory Limited warranty expires.

However, for an older Lincoln that’s no longer under the factory Limited warranty, such as the 2017 MKT we got quotes for below, Lincoln’s extended warranty terms start from the plan purchase date — not the in-service date. So, a “five-year/60,000-mile” Lincoln Protect Extended Service Plan on a vehicle that old really would provide a full five years or 60,000 miles of coverage starting from the day you purchase the warranty.

» MORE: Pros and cons of extended auto warranties

Lincoln Protect Extended Service Plan costs

All of the details below were quoted using a $100 deductible. You may have to scroll to see the full chart.

Based on these quotes, Lincoln plans seem to cost around $1,000 per year of added coverage, but the price range can vary pretty widely based on which model you drive.

For example, PremiumCARE on a Navigator costs approximately $1,500 per year of added coverage, but the same coverage for a 2020 Aviator costs about $2,200 per added year. Strangely, coverage for an out-of-warranty MKT was just $638 per year.

Lincoln extended warranty terms and conditions

Ford and Lincoln’s terms and conditions are pretty standard for the industry. We’ve included some of the highlights below, but it’s still always best to read a contract carefully before signing.

• Maintenance: Like with almost all vehicle service contracts, you should stick to the recommended maintenance intervals listed in your owners manual — and keep your receipts — to prevent claims from being denied. If you can’t provide proof that you kept up with regular oil changes, for example, Lincoln may deny your claim for an engine repair.
• Preexisting conditions: Lincoln’s sample contract includes large, bold font telling you that “all repairs that are required due to a condition that existed prior” aren’t covered. That also means that Lincoln might deny any issues you can’t prove are totally new, which is why we usually recommend getting a dealer inspection report (about $150) to establish a record of what your vehicle was like when you signed up for coverage.
• Transferability: If you sell your Lincoln, you can transfer your remaining warranty coverage to the new owner by filing some paperwork and paying a $75 fee within 180 days of the sale.
• Exclusions: Lincoln will not cover any aftermarket parts or failures caused by aftermarket parts. PremiumCARE customers will also want to check the “EXCLUSIONS” section of their warranty agreements to see a specific list of parts that won’t be covered under their bumper-to-bumper plans.
• Cancellation and refunds: You can cancel your Lincoln Protect Extended Service Plan for a full refund within 30 days of signing up, provided you haven’t filed a claim yet. If you have filed a claim or simply waited longer than 30 days to cancel, your refund will be prorated.

Overall, we didn’t find any “gotchas” that raised red flags for us. Just be sure to keep up with the recommended maintenance for your vehicle, and consider getting a dealer inspection report so you can prove later on which issues were not preexisting.

Is a Lincoln extended warranty worth it?

So, is a Lincoln Protect Extended Service Plan worth the cost? It’s possible, but we’ll give you some extra context so that you can decide for yourself.

Generally speaking, an extended auto warranty is more likely to be worth it if either:

• Your vehicle isn’t particularly reliable.
• You expect to spend less on your warranty than you would on the repairs it could cover.
• You don’t mind paying a few thousand dollars for peace of mind, even if it doesn’t get you ahead financially.
• A big repair bill could cause you significant financial hardship.

Since those last two bullets are personal, we’ll focus on the first two.

To start, Lincoln has reportedly had some struggles with build quality and longevity. In 2024, J.D. Power ranked Lincoln 25th out of 29 automakers for dependability, with 251 problems per 100 vehicles. Consumer Reports ranked Lincoln slightly higher in 2023, placing the brand 23rd out of 30 competitors, which doesn’t seem like a tremendous vote of confidence.

An extended warranty can cover the cost of repairs, but scheduled maintenance is still your responsibility.

It’s worth noting that J.D. Power exclusively drew its data from the 2021 model year, while Consumer Reports drew from a wider range of older models. This could suggest that newer Lincolns are becoming less reliable or simply falling behind the competition.

“Lincoln has experienced a lot of teething issues with their newer vehicles,” automotive expert Brian Medford confirmed in an email to ConsumerAffairs. “While the factory warranty and recalls have helped with many issues, there may be lingering questions about long-term reliability for owners.” That’s why, he said, “an extended warranty can help ease those anxieties when dreaded dashboard warning lights appear."

Data from RepairPal indicates that when things go wrong with Lincoln vehicles, the cost could be high. According to that site’s 2019 data, Lincoln vehicles average $879 each year in unplanned repairs and scheduled maintenance, which when adjusted for inflation is about $1,223 — well above the $907 per year average across all makes. Lincolns visit the shop an average number of times per year, according to this data — but 15% of the time, those repairs cost about $2,000 or more (versus a 12% industry average).

These reports point to a high likelihood that your Lincoln will need expensive repairs as it ages, and consumer reviews of Lincoln vehicles seem to reflect that.

(If you have significant savings, you might not be that worried about getting stuck with a hefty repair bill, but if you don’t, it could spell disaster. According to findings from ConsumerAffairs, most surveyed drivers would struggle to afford a $1,000 repair bill outright, with 13% stating they have no way to deal with such an expense, even with credit.)

Heidi, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer from Texas, wrote: “After 15 months, nine times in the shop and 45 days without my car, my brand new 2019 Navigator has FINALLY been deemed a lemon. … Sadly, I absolutely loved my Navigator. It had all the bells and whistles you could ever want but mechanically the car was junk. … As we went through this process we have discovered several other people that have had the same problem.”

Sandra, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer from Illinois, also had issues with their Lincoln, telling us: “I've had my Lincoln MKC for 4 years now, within the last 6 months, I've started to experience transmission problems. I owned a Lincoln 2009 LS before this car and experience the same type of transmission problems. Love the Lincoln brand and what it brings to the table, but really disappointed in experiencing two failed transmissions on their brand of cars.”

To Lincoln’s credit, reviews on our site also indicate that many Lincoln owners are very happy with their vehicles when all is going smoothly:

In contrast to Heidi’s experience, Britany, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer from Missouri, told us that their Lincoln Navigator “has been a great family vehicle for us. We’ve had it for a few years and it has over 100k miles and it still running great! … I’d definitely recommend this vehicle. We are going to trade off for a new one in about a year or so!”

Likewise, Deanna, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer from California, said good things about their MKC (the same model that Sandra reported having issues with): “I bought my MKC with 23,000 miles on it. Not only is it a beautiful vehicle but it drives like a dream. It has been a solid car with no issues, only standard oil, filter and tire changes.”

Expected repair costs may vary by model, so if you have a less reliable vehicle or one that’s more expensive to fix, you may still find that these warranties are worth the cost.

The reality is that your individual circumstances will be one of the biggest factors in whether you think a Lincoln Protect Extended Service Plan is worth it. If your Lincoln never has an issue, your warranty may be a waste of money, but if it breaks down regularly, you’ll probably be glad to have some extra warranty protection.

Given that RepairPal predicts Lincoln models to average about $1,223 per year in maintenance and repairs, your warranty would likely need to cost less than that to be financially worth it. The quotes we received started at around $640 per year of added coverage (i.e., year not also covered by the factory Limited warranty) and rose to $2,200 per year of extra coverage, not including the $100 deductible per visit to the mechanic. That means, in some cases, paying for repairs out of pocket might make more sense.

However, if you’re still interested in protecting yourself against pricey Lincoln repair bills, let’s see if other warranty companies can offer a better deal.

» MORE: Pros and cons of extended auto warranties

Lincoln extended warranty alternatives

We reached out to two other extended car warranty companies to see if their rates were low enough to make warranty coverage for a Lincoln worth it. (All quotes were retrieved using a similar term, roughly equivalent coverage and a $100 deductible unless otherwise noted.)

These quotes indicate that Lincoln owners may be able to find similar coverage to PremiumCARE for a lower price, but results may vary. Endurance offered better deals than Lincoln on our sample Navigator and Aviator, but its plan for our MKT was considerably more expensive. Meanwhile, olive quoted us more than Lincoln for all three vehicles.

In the end, the wide range of prices in the table above really just highlights how important it is to collect quotes from different providers when you’re shopping for an extended warranty.

» MORE: How to choose an extended car warranty