A-segment warranty analysis: Standard and Extended coverage

Introduction

After years of saving up to drive home your first car, dealing with manufacturing defects should be the least of your worries. The A-segment cars, commonly known as entry-level cars are quite popular among first-time buyers. Moreover, this is also the bread and butter segment for car manufacturers in the country. Apart from the standard warranty coverage, opting for extended warranty would be a good idea if you plan to keep the vehicle for a longer period. 

Some of the high value parts that are covered under the extended warranty are – high-pressure pump, compressor, ECM, turbocharger assembly, engine, Strut, steering assembly, and more. The major car manufacturers with the product offering for the A-segment are Maruti Suzuki, Renault, Tata Motors, Hyundai, and Datsun. Read below to learn more –

Maruti Suzuki

The country’s largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki offers a standard warranty of 24 months / 40,000 kilometres, whichever comes earlier. The popular selling A-segment cars from Maruti Suzuki’s production line are the Alto 800, S-Presso, Celerio/ Celerio X, and the Wagon R. New car customers will have to opt for the extended warranty prior to the completion of the standard warranty period. 

Maruti Suzuki customers can avail from any one of the following extended warranty plans – 

Gold – Third year or 60,000 kilometres. To learn more about it, click here.   

Platinum – Third and fourth year or 80,000 kilometres. To learn more about it, click here.

Royal Platinum – Third, fourth, and fifth-year or one lakh kilometres. To learn more about it, click here. 

Maruti Suzuki customers can opt from either of the above-mentioned plans which is further segregated into 0-60 days, 61-365 days, and 366-730 days from the date of purchase. Charges for the extended warranty is the lowest when opted within 60 days of a new car purchase. 

The extended warranty package for the Alto 800 STD variant starts at Rs 2,000 (0-60 days) for the Standard variant and goes up all the way to Rs 7,170 (366-730 days) for the LXI (O) CNG variant. Similarly, the extended warranty package for the S-Presso STD variant is available at a starting price of Rs 3,000 (0-60 days) to Rs 8,570 (366-730 days) for the VXI+ AGS variant. 

The extended warranty package for the Celerio LXI variant starts at Rs 3,930 (0-60 days) to Rs 9,590 (366-730 days) for the ZXI (O) AMT. Its trendy sibling, the Celerio X, offers the extended warranty package at a starting price of Rs 4,570 (0-60 days) to Rs 9,740 (366-730 days) for the ZXI (O) AMT variant. The extended warranty package for the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R starts at Rs 3,990 (0-60 days) to Rs 10,220 (366-730 days) for the top-spec ZXI AGS variant.

Hyundai

The country’s largest exporter, Hyundai, offers three years or one lakh kilometres warranty as standard, whichever comes early. The Hyundai Santro is a popular choice in its segment and the company offers multiple extended warranty packages as mentioned below –

- Fourth year/80,000 kilometres 

- Fourth year/one lakh kilometres

- Fourth year/1.20 lakh kilometres

- Fourth and fifth year/one lakh kilometres

- Fourth and fifth year/1.20 lakh kilometres

- Fourth and fifth year/1.40 lakh kilometres

- Fifth year/one lakh kilometres

- Fifth year/1.20 lakh kilometres

- Fifth year/1.40 lakh kilometres

All the above-mentioned extended warranty packages are further segregated into two slabs – Slab one (within 90 days from the date of delivery or sale) and Slab two (after 90 days and before the expiry of the standard warranty). The extended warranty for the Hyundai Santro petrol manual starts at Rs 2,450 (Slab one) and goes up all the way to a maximum of Rs 6,310 (Slab two) for the Santro CNG with fourth and fifth year/1.40 lakh kilometres extended warranty package. It is worth noting that the extended warranty will lapse in case the vehicle has already covered a distance of 80,000km – 1.20 lakh kilometres (depending on extended warranty package) in the standard warranty period. To learn more about extended warranty plans, click here.

Renault

Renault offers a standard warranty period of two years or 50,000 kilometres from the delivery date. This covers all mechanical and electrical failures or defects related to material, workmanship, or a manufacturing fault. Renault leaves its footprint in the A-segment with the Kwid hatchback. The Renault Kwid is offered in three plan terms/kilometre options – 

- Three years or 60,000 kilometres 

- Four years or 80,000 kilometres 

- Five years or 1,00,000 kilometres 

All the above-mentioned extended warranty term plans are further segregated into three slabs – Slab one (0-90 days), Slab two (91-365 days), and Slab three (366-730 days). The extended warranty for the Kwid range starts at Rs 4,600 (Slab one) for the 0.8-litre variant and goes up all the way to Rs 11,217 (Slab three) for the 1.0-litre AMT variant. To learn more about extended warranty plans, click here.

Tata Motors

Tata Tiago is the entry-level product offering from the utility car manufacturer. The Tiago is covered under the standard warranty of two years or 75,000 kilometres, whichever occurs earlier. The company offers three term plans as options and they are mentioned below –

- Third year or 75,000 kilometres 

- Third and fourth year or one lakh kilometres 

- Third, fourth, and fifth year or 1.25 lakh kilometres

The extended warranty prices for the above mentioned terms are further segregated in three slabs – 0-90 days, 91-180 days, and above 180 days – till the expiry of the standard warranty. The extended warranty for the Tiago starts at Rs 4,068 (0-90 days) for the petrol manual and it goes all the way up to Rs 13,729 (Above 180 days) for the petrol AMT option. To learn more about extended warranty plans, click here.

Datsun

Datsun made its debut in the Indian market with its entry-level model, the Go hatchback. Earlier this year, the company introduced a BS6 compliant redi-GO in India with a fresh set of cosmetic and feature updates. Interestingly, Datsun is the only car manufacturer to offer two years or unlimited-kilometre warranty as standard for passenger cars. Apart from the standard warranty, the company offers an extended warranty for a period of up to five years or unlimited kilometres, which includes coverage for engine, AC Compressor, alternator, ECU, shock absorber, and more. The prices for the extended warranty is likely to vary in every city, therefore interested customers may reach out to their nearest dealership to learn more about it.

Conclusion

In terms of the extended warranty package, Hyundai outdoes its competitors by a huge margin. Interestingly, Hyundai is also the only volume car manufacturer to offer a standard three years or one lakh kilometre warranty. Moreover, the South Korean car manufacturer also offers the widest extended warranty packages at affordable prices. Maruti Suzuki starts off with the lowest priced extended warranty package, however, it loses steam as you go higher up the variants. 

Tata Motors and Renault do offer good extended warranty options, however, they are not the most affordable ones as compared to Hyundai and the Maruti Suzuki. Datsun is the only one to offer the unlimited-kilometre warranty plans. However, due to the lack of transparency in the extended warranty prices, Datsun loses out on the brownie points.