Advertisement
Trending

‘Get an old Toyota’: Expert says car warranties ‘don’t matter.’ Then a second expert strongly disagrees. So what’s the truth?

‘You need to have that coverage.’

Photo of Heather Stewart

Heather Stewart

man shares information about car warranties(l) Toyota dealer sign(c) Woman shares her opinions on car warranties(r)

Experts on TikTok are debating the importance of car warranties when buying a new vehicle.

Featured Video

TikTok user Delivrd @tomislavmikula says buyers “need to stop taking a new car warranty into consideration” in his video from Jan. 7. His video has over 118,000 views.

“It is one of the worst indicators of a good value,” he says.

He says if people prioritize car warranty when purchasing a vehicle, it will lead to buyer’s remorse.

Advertisement

What is a car warranty?

It’s not insurance, according to Kelley Blue Book. So it doesn’t cover damage from accidents or theft. It also doesn’t cover parts that typically break down over time in any vehicle.

Instead, it covers manufacturing defects and can reduce overall repair costs.

Why do some manufacturers offer longer warranties?

The personal car buying advocate Delivrd says this is because their cars are more likely to break down.

Advertisement

He lists Hyundai, Genesis, and Kia as examples.

“If a brand has less reliable cars and there’s more in service, it means the service times are longer, so you have to be OK with sometimes waiting weeks, if not months, for your car to be repaired, depending on the issue,” he says.

Which vehicles are the most reliable? And how do their warranties compare?

Companies like Honda and Toyota rank in the bottom half of car warranties, according to the U.S. News & World Report.

Advertisement

“Honda and Toyota make two of the most reliable cars in the world, but they offer the shortest warranties,” he says. “The reason being is that they don’t need to give the public that peace of mind that their car is not going to break down, because people know they’re not going to break down.”

While he says that warranties are not that valuable, car dealer Katie @katiethecarladyllc says she disagrees in a response video from Jan. 14. 

“We drive computers, and so therefore you need to have that coverage,” she says. “Doesn’t mean their car is less than. And so therefore it absolutely 100% should be a consideration.” 

Are car warranties worth it?

The majority of drivers never use all of their warranty coverage, according to a Consumer Reports survey

Advertisement

So perhaps, Delivrd says, it’s not the most important factor to consider when choosing a car.

“You shouldn’t be buying the car because it comes with a warranty,” he says. “You should be buying the car because it’s your favorite.”

However, viewers think differently.

“Nah, I’m usually with you, but not on this one,” one viewer commented.

Advertisement

“I don’t care how reliable a brand claims to be,” another viewer wrote. “If they aren’t willing to back it up with a good warranty, then they don’t trust their product’s reliability.”

The Daily Dot reached out to both TikTokers, who did not immediately respond.

@katiethecarladyllc #stitch with @Delivrd 100% disagree. #advocate #carladyclub #independentdealership #service #newcar #genesis #kia #hyundai #katiethecarlady ♬ original sound – Katie The Carlady

Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.

Advertisement
 
The Daily Dot