Porsche owners aren’t looking for a car to just get from point A to point B. Porsche is as much about automotive art as it is transportation. So, what does Porsche provide for the driver after the sale? Let’s get into the details on Porsche’s warranty, CPO program, and extended warranty options.
To extend coverage beyond the factory warranty, you can either go with a dealer-backed plan or a third party. Both options can work for different situations, but we’ve noticed third parties usually provide more freedom and better prices. CARCHEX, Endurance, and CarShield all cover a number of Porsche models, so get a quote from each to find the best deal.
Porsche Warranty Overview
Porsche’s New Car Limited Warranty lasts for four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. Porsche’s warranty includes both bumper-to-bumper and powertrain coverage. It covers most mechanical and electrical parts when defective in materials or workmanship.
Beyond the new car limited warranty, Porsche also covers the following items:
Service adjustments: 3 months
Hybrid battery: 8 years or 100,000 miles
California emissions: 7 years or 70,000 miles
Corrosion perforation: 12 years
Porsche parts, exchange parts, and accessories: 2 years
Federal emissions: 2 years or 24,000 miles (some parts for 8 years or 80,000 miles)
All of these warranty items come standard on new Porsche vehicles – you don’t have to make an extra purchase. The Porsche warranty transfers fully to secondary buyers, as well.
There is no extra powertrain coverage for hybrid vehicles besides the battery warranty. As an example, a Porsche Taycan warranty would last four years or 50,000 miles, just like its petrol-burning counterparts.
Unlike many other brands, Porsche doesn’t separate powertrain coverage from bumper-to-bumper coverage. Everything, except a list of exclusions, is covered under the New Car Limited Warranty. Usually, brands offer longer coverage for the powertrain, which is made of the engine, transmission, and drivetrain.
What The Porsche Warranty Doesn’t Cover
The New Car Limited Warranty is an exclusionary warranty, which means it lists non-covered items to define the contract. Here are a few example exclusions:
Normal wear and tear.
Damage from lack of maintenance.
Batteries damaged from lack of normal use.
Paint damage from abuse or lack of maintenance.
Air conditioner refrigerant after the first three months.
Damage from accidents, environmental events, track use, racing, or competition.
The Porsche warranty also requires drivers to clean sunroof and cabriolet roof parts regularly. Interior water damage from blocked drains isn’t covered. Owners are also required to drive their vehicles at least 6,000 miles per year. If not, the owner should get a battery maintainer from their dealer.
Does The Porsche Warranty Cover Maintenance?
Porche’s warranty doesn’t cover routine maintenance services like oil changes. It also doesn’t cover maintenance items like hoses, fluids, filters, and wiper blades.
You’re required to maintain your Porsche to keep the warranty, as well. When you take your car in for a covered repair, the dealer will ask to see your service history (if they don’t have it on file).
Porsche Roadside Assistance
Porsche provides roadside assistance for four years or 50,000 miles and includes:
Emergency towing
Battery jump-start
Flat tire assistance
Lockout assistance
Emergency fuel delivery
Extrication/winch service
Trip interruption reimbursement up to $250/day for three days
RELATED
CarShield vs Endurance Extended Warranty: 2020 Review
Porsche CPO Warranty
Porsche’s CPO warranty is one of the brand’s highlights. It gives drivers an extra two years of full factory warranty coverage even if the factory warranty has expired years before.
Porsche vehicles newer than 13 model years with less than 124,000 miles are eligible for the CPO warranty, which is called Porsche Approved. That’s one of the longest CPO eligibility periods around.
Porsche knows its drivers love to keep their cars in good shape for many years. The brochure for Porsche Approved says:
“When the car is timeless, does the model year really matter?”
Porsche vehicles need to pass certain standards to be considered for the CPO program, then they undergo a 111-point inspection and get reconditioned with genuine parts.
Other details of Porsche’s CPO program include:
No deductible for repairs.
Provides 2 years/unlimited miles of roadside assistance.
Extends New Car Limited Warranty for 2 years/unlimited miles past expiration or from the sale date if the limited warranty has already expired
Compared to other CPO programs, Porsche’s warranty stands out. We’d say it’s definitely worth buying a certified pre-owned Porsche instead of a non-certified used vehicle.
Porsche Reliability
Porsche vehicles perform well during the first few years of ownership. The J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Vehicle Dependability StudySM ranked Porsche in fourth place overall, which means drivers encountered fewer problems during the first three years than the industry average.
However, as time goes on, Porsche drivers can expect to open up their pocketbooks for maintenance and repairs. Porsche is a performance luxury brand, after all, and it doesn’t have a mass-market sister brand. Lexus and Acura can use some of the same parts as Toyota and Honda, which can make maintenance less expensive for those brands. There’s no Toyota version of Porsche.
According to RepairPal, Porsche owners pay about $1,192 per year on maintenance and repairs. Compare this to $551 for Lexus drivers and $501 for Acura drivers. Of course, a Lexus might not scratch the same itch as a Porsche. Looking at another European brand, BMW drivers pay $968 per year to repair their vehicles.
That said, you probably won’t spend an equal amount of money per year on repairs. You might only pay a few hundred per year and then get hit with a more expensive repair. In rare cases, you might encounter a $10,000 bill for a Porsche transmission repair.
Here are a few Porsche repair costs drivers have encountered, based on RepairPal data:
Porsche Repair Cost Estimate
Porsche Macan fuel injector replacement $1,443–$1,525
Porsche Macan engine oil cooler replacement $576–$674
Porsche 911 AC compressor replacement $1,197–$2,079
Porsche 911 alternator replacement $895–$2,046
Porsche Extended Warranty Options
Since factory coverage only lasts four years or 50,000 miles, a 2016 Porsche Macan’s warranty would be expiring in 2020 even if its mileage is low. Fortunately, drivers can get Porsche Vehicle Service Protection (VSP) in two types: Platinum and Powertrain.
Porsche Protection Plans are available on any vehicle still within the four-year/50,000-mile factory warranty. You can purchase it when you buy a new, used, or CPO vehicle. Or, you can add it on at a later time from a dealership.
The Porsche extended warranty can cover up to 10 years or 100,000 miles from the in-service date. Here are a few more similarities between the Platinum and Powertrain plans:
24-hour roadside assistance.
Towing reimbursement up to $250.
Transferable to secondary owners for a $50 fee.
Trip interruption up to $200 per day for five days.
Rental car reimbursement up to $50 per day for 10 days.
Service at Porsche dealerships and some other authorized repair facilities.
You can choose either a $100 or $250 deductible for repairs. When you choose a $100 deductible, the cost will be waived if you visit the dealership where you purchased the plan.