Ram extended warranty: cost, coverage and plans

The Ram brand may have been popular enough to spin off from Dodge in 2010, but its trucks and vans still suffer from below-average expected reliability. As a result, Ram owners may consider investing in extended auto warranties to protect themselves from repair bills. Ram even has factory-backed extended warranties, but how do they stack up to the competition?

Keep reading to learn what they cover, how much they cost and whether they’re right for you.

Key insights

• Ram’s extended warranties actually come from the parts supplier Mopar, which is why they’re called Mopar Vehicle Protection plans.
• Mopar offers multiple levels of coverage, but the vast majority of buyers choose Maximum Care, its bumper-to-bumper equivalent.
• These plans cost around $700 to $1,000 for each year of coverage they add beyond your factory warranty, which is close enough to your expected repair costs that it’s hard to say whether they’re worth it.
• Ram owners on the fence about investing in coverage might find a better deal with a third-party extended auto warranty provider.

Ram extended warranty coverage

Ram technically doesn’t offer its own extended warranties. The closest thing you’ll get to a “Ram” extended warranty comes from a company called Mopar.

Mopar (a combination of “motor” and ‘parts”) is the official parts supplier for Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, FIAT, Alfa Romeo and Wagoneer. Mopar also shares a parent company with these brands, which is why it’s able to provide manufacturer-backed extended warranties for them, dubbed Mopar Vehicle Protection plans.

Mopar offers a variety of coverage options, including specialty plans for things like cosmetics and wheels, but its traditional extended warranty options are divided into two categories:

• “New” Mopar Vehicle Protection plans are available for Ram vehicles that are still within their Basic (bumper-to-bumper) factory warranty period (three years/36,000 miles). New vehicle plans don’t require a dealer inspection to activate coverage, and they can last anywhere from five years/60,000 miles to eight years/unlimited miles.
• “Pre-owned” Mopar Vehicle Protection plans are available for any Ram vehicle under 10 years old that passes a dealer inspection. Terms can last anywhere from one year/12,000 miles to five years/unlimited miles.

It’s critical to note that terms for new vehicle plans are measured from the vehicle’s in-service date (i.e., the date it was sold to its first owner), while terms for pre-owned vehicle plans are measured from the moment you purchase the plan.

To illustrate, let’s say you buy a five-year/60,000-mile new vehicle plan for your 2023 Ram 2500. Since it’s a new vehicle plan, the timer on your coverage retroactively starts from the in-service date — not the date you buy the warranty. And since your factory warranty has most of your vehicle covered for the first three years/36,000 miles of its life, your “five-year/60,000-mile” extended warranty really only provides two years or 24,000 miles of additional coverage.

However, if you buy a five-year/60,000-mile pre-owned vehicle plan for your older Ram 1500, you actually are getting a full five years or 60,000 miles of extra warranty coverage.

The latter plan may be more expensive, of course, but we wanted to highlight the difference so you didn’t fall into the trap of assuming your extended warranty lasted longer than it really did.

» LEARN: What does a car warranty cover?

Ram extended warranty plans

Both new and pre-owned Mopar Vehicle Protection plans are available in the following three coverage levels: Maximum Care, Added Care Plus and Powertrain Care Plus. Each plan comes with deductible options of $0, $100 or $200 — the higher the deductible, the lower the cost of the plan.

There’s also a fourth option just for pre-owned vehicles, called Added Care, that slots itself between Powertrain Care Plus and Added Care Plus. But, according to multiple dealer reps we spoke with, the vast majority of buyers end up choosing Maximum Care regardless of whether their Ram is new or used.

To learn why, let’s take a look at what component groups each plan covers and how thoroughly it covers the parts in those groups.

Each Mopar Vehicle Protection plan covers hundreds of parts — but if you jump from Added Care Plus to Maximum Care, you get nearly six times the coverage for 50% to 60% more cost.

According to several Mopar reps we spoke with, Added Care Plus and the other options mentioned above really only exist to make Maximum Care look like a better deal by comparison. Pretty much the only times they ever see people choose lesser coverage is if they’re only seeking to protect a very specific component group.

Ram extended warranty benefits

Mopar Vehicle Protection plans also feature these additional perks:

• Trip interruption protection of up to $1,000 to help cover food and a hotel room if your Ram breaks down over 100 miles from home and the repairs are covered
• A car rental allowance of up to $45 a day (up to a maximum of $225 or five days) to help cover the cost of taxi rides or a car rental while your Ram is in the shop for a covered repair
• 24/7 roadside assistance of up to $100 per occurrence, including jump-starts, towing, locksmith services, flat-tire changes (if you have a spare) and fuel delivery (up to two gallons)

These benefits are better than what most automakers offer.

Ram extended warranty cost

A convenient aspect of Mopar Vehicle Protection plans is that you can buy one online in under two minutes. By contrast, you have to purchase most other automakers’ extended warranties from a dealership, which is especially frustrating if you want to do the smart thing and shop around for a good deal.

This convenience can also translate into savings because it helps you avoid dealership fees and markups. For example, we got quotes from Zeigler Auto Group, an online Mopar Vehicle Protection plan wholesaler that offers prices roughly 40% less than the best dealership quotes in our experience.

Your results may vary, but the point is that by shopping around (and having the option to buy from places other than your local dealerships), you can potentially save yourself a good amount of money.

Mopar Vehicle Protection costs for Ram vehicles

Here are some quotes we collected from Zeigler Auto Group for a few popular Ram vehicles. Note that prices do not include tax and factor in a $100 deductible.

Based on these quotes, Maximum Care for Rams costs around $700 to $1,000 per year of added coverage beyond your factory bumper-to-bumper warranty. That’s pricey — but is it worth it? Let’s look at the legal details before deciding.

» MORE: How much does an extended car warranty cost?

Ram extended warranty terms and conditions

We read through the terms and conditions of a Mopar Vehicle Protection sample contract, and what we found was pretty standard for an extended auto warranty. Here are the key highlights, but be sure to read any warranty contract line-by-line before you sign.

Is a Ram extended warranty worth it?

So, based on what we’ve seen, is a Mopar Vehicle Protection plan worth it for your Ram? Possibly. But let’s explain why.

In most cases, you’re more likely to find that an extended auto warranty is worth it if:

1. Your vehicle isn’t very reliable.
2. The cost of the extended warranty is less than you expect to spend on the repairs it would cover.
3. Getting hit with a surprise repair bill could be catastrophic for your finances.
4. You don’t mind paying a few thousand dollars for extra peace of mind.

We can’t speak to how your situation aligns with the third and fourth points above, but we can break down the first two to help you understand your situation better.

First off, Ram trucks and vans often have below-average reliability. J.D. Power ranked the brand 16th out of 32 automakers in 2023, while Consumer Reports ranked it 16th out of 24 brands.

Many of the consumer reviews for Ram vehicles published on our site complain about reliability issues, too. Brad, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer from Ontario, wrote: “Bought my 2016 RAM Rebel brand new in 2016. I've had to replace the starter, I've had to replace the air ride compressor twice already and now my truck is in need of another. I've had to have my gas tank fixed. I've had literally 10 recalls on my vehicle. I've never had an exhaust breakdown before this one is completely rotten already. I was sold a lemon and what did Dodge do? Blamed me and voided my warranty as well as the extended warranty I paid an additional $5000 for.”

When things go wrong, Rams can be expensive to get back on the road, too. RepairPal data suggests that Rams cost their owners $858 per year on average in repair and maintenance costs. (Compare that with the $652 per year average across all brands.) Moreover, 15% of Ram repairs are “severe,” costing owners $2,000 or more. (That’s also higher than the 12% industry average.)³

As for bullet point No. 2, the quotes we received indicate that Maximum Care costs around $700 to $1,000 per year of coverage, which aligns pretty closely with your expected upkeep costs. However, you still have a $100 deductible to consider, and some of those upkeep costs are devoted to scheduled maintenance, which your warranty won’t cover. That means Mopar Vehicle Protection plans for Rams might cost you slightly more than the repair bills they’re designed to cover.

These are all just estimates, though, and they’re close enough that it’s hard to argue either way with confidence. So, you have a hard choice:

• Do you buy a warranty ahead of time for peace of mind and protection against a massive repair bill (like an engine or transmission replacement)?
• Or do you go without added protection and gamble that your Ram will be reliable enough to make you glad you didn’t buy a warranty?

But before we wrap up, let’s see if a third-party warranty company can offer a better value.

» MORE: Pros and cons of extended auto warranties

Ram extended warranty alternatives

Let’s see if other extended car warranty companies can offer a better deal and break the tie. We got quotes from Endurance and olive, two dedicated warranty companies, to see how they compared with what we were offered for Mopar plans.

Note that the following quotes are for Maximum Care-equivalent plans with $100 deductibles and do not include tax.

As it turns out, Ram owners may save a few bucks by going with a third-party warranty provider instead of Mopar. However, they’re not universally cheaper. That’s why it’s smart to get multiple quotes from different warranty companies before you buy.

» MORE: How to choose an extended car warranty