
Find Your Perfect Policy: 866-843-5386
A trusted company that finds you the right auto warranty
CARCHEX makes it easy to get a warranty that you understand and trust. Because it is a broker, it helps you get the best warranty that meets your needs while fitting into your budget. CARCHEX works with premier warranty companies such as American Auto Shield, Royal Administrative Services, Zurich, and Allegiance. It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to allow you to decide if the warranty is right for you.
Let’s see if CARCHEX is a good fit for your extended warranty.
It has 21 years of experience in the car warranty industry.
CARCHEX received an A+ rating from and is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
There are programs designed for electric vehicles specifically.
It shops among major warranty companies to find you the best policy.
CARCHEX is not the provider of services. Rather, it is a third-party broker that shops warranties for you depending on the level of coverage that you need. It can be confusing to know what company your policy ends up being with.
Not all plans extend to 10 years. Some plans offer coverage for only five years.
CARCHEX has a 2.05-star customer rating with the BBB and a 2.9-star rating with Trustpilot.
Its iOS app also has a one-star rating in the App Store, and there is no Android app.
CARCHEX starts the purchase process online but completes it with a phone call to ensure that you are getting the right warranty. You don’t need to get the car inspected before you buy a warranty, which makes the process faster and more convenient.
The claims process is easy and works much the same as an insurance claim. You will take your car to any Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) licensed repair facility. ASE technicians complete specific training to best serve customers’ needs. Facilities include auto dealerships, independent mechanics, and franchised repair shops.
You will pay your deductible, and the extended warranty company will pay the rest of the repair bill to the repair facility directly. You pay the deductible for the visit, which means you could have multiple repairs done simultaneously under the same deductible.
To file a claim, you’ll contact the service department at CARCHEX at 800-531-1925. There is no email address, though you can complete a service request form online to get an email response at https://www.carchex.com/connect-with-us/general-requests/. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.
If you are unsure about the work the repair facility needs to do to your car, have the repair facility call CARCHEX and review the needed repairs to see if they are covered. There are different levels of coverage with different warranty policies, and CARCHEX doesn’t cover all claims. For example, most warranties don’t cover components like airbags, catalytic converters, and emissions control devices.
CARCHEX offers five levels of warranty coverage with a list for each coverage level. Plan prices vary based on the provider and the vehicle’s year, make, and model. Take a look at the chart to get a better sense of what each level covers.
Vehicle protection plan | Titanium | Platinum | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Optional Luxury Electronics Package | Optional Emissions Package |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Levels of coverage | Similar to factory coverage with maximum bumper-to-bumper protection | Gold coverage, plus suspension, cooling system, fuel delivery | Silver coverage, plus brakes, seals and gaskets, wear and tear, factory navigation | Bronze coverage, plus electrical, air conditioning, steering | Engine, transmission, drive axle, transfer case, 24/7 roadside assistance, flat-tire service, parts and labor, rental car coverage, trip interruption coverage | Radio, GPS, navigation, liquid crystal display screens, DVD players, backup cameras and sensors, voice-activated systems, seat heaters, sunroofs, convertible top motors | Air-fuel ratio, barometric pressure, EGR, temperature, intake air temperature, mass-air-flow, PCV, and DPFE sensors;
air pumps; canister purge and EGR solenoids; EVAP purse canisters; EVAP leak detection pumps and valves; EVAP vents; EGR valve; idle air controls; EGR diverter and purge air injection valves; EGR controllers; relays; engine oil fill cap; fuel fill cap |
Thieves steal catalytic converters often because of the precious metals they contain, which they sell for cash. Unfortunately, catalytic converters are not a covered item in warranty contracts, but they do fall under comprehensive coverage.
CARCHEX falls below the average annual cost of an extended warranty. The average annual cost of an extended auto warranty from CARCHEX is $5,195, or $433 a month.
CARCHEX can cost as little as $4,962 per year, or $346 a month. The higher-end warranties are approximately $5,770 per year, which is less expensive than offerings from autopom!, Concord, Toco, and Omega.
Keep in mind that costs are conditional on the type of car you drive. The year, make, and model drive the price of your warranty, as well as the plan you select. Compare quotes from multiple providers to ensure that you are getting the best coverage for the price.
CARCHEX doesn’t offer a discount for students or military members. However, it regularly has a special on its website that will give you a discount. For example, in January 2023, use the code “GET400” to get started for $99 for the first month, and take $400 off the total warranty cost.
A 30-day money-back guarantee comes with all CARCHEX warranties. During this time, you can cancel the extended warranty and get a full refund. Keep in mind that you are still in the waiting period during this time, so you won’t be able to use the warranty to see how it works before the 30 days are expired.
You can cancel a warranty at any time during the contract. There is a $50 cancellation fee due upon cancellation. You will receive a prorated refund of any payments made less the $50 cancellation fee. You may cancel by calling 888-984-3941 or by using the online contact form at https://www.carchex.com/connect-with-us/cancellations/.
There are several ways to contact CARCHEX:
The BBB has accredited CARCHEX since 2009. It has a 2.05-star rating out of five, with more than 155 customer reviews. The BBB notes that there were 168 complaints in the past three years, with 69 of those occurring within the past 12 months. Complaints in negative reviews mainly revolve around uncovered claims that people expected to have paid.
Overall, CARCHEX gets an A+ rating from the BBB because it addressed customer complaints.1
CARCHEX has more than 1,491 reviews on Trustpilot, with a 2.9-star rating out of five, which is below average for extended warranty companies. Most complaints revolve around uncovered claims. Seventy-one percent of reviewers gave CARCHEX a five-star rating, however.2
Not every car warranty company offers a mobile app to manage policies on the road. CARCHEX is an exception. Its mobile app is meant to connect customers to roadside assistance or make it easy for them to submit and manage claims.
However, the app doesn’t have a good rating; it has just a one-star rating in the Apple App Store, with people saying the app didn’t get them the service promised. There is no CARCHEX Android app.
CARCHEX, which began in 1999, has more than 23 years of experience helping car owners protect their investments. In 2014, CARCHEX solidified a partnership with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), where it donated $20,000 to the organization to further its work to combat underage drinking and driving.
The company headquarters is in Hunt Valley, Maryland. In 2017, the company was honored as a Silver Winner in the 9th Annual GoldenBridge Awards Customer Service Department of the Year.3
To see how CARCHEX rates among warranty companies, we decided to compare it to other warranty companies, such as autopom! and CarShield.
Extended warranty company | CARCHEX | autopom! | CarShield |
---|---|---|---|
Average annual cost | $4,962 | $5,180 | $4,122 |
BBB rating | A+ | A+ | F |
BBB customer score | 2.03 | 4.62 | 1.37 |
Broker | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Trustpilot score (out of 5) | 2.9 | 4.7 | 4.0 |
Maximum vehicle mileage | 250,000 | None | 300,000 |
Maximum vehicle age (in years) | 20 | 14 | 25 |
CARCHEX is $233 per year cheaper than the average car warranty company.
When reviewing car warranty companies, we consider several factors.
We look at the area the company serves and the types of vehicles it covers based on make, model, year, and mileage. We also look to see if the company considers vehicles with preexisting conditions.
Companies that allow customers to use any licensed repair facility in the U.S. gain preference in our reviews. It must be easy for customers to use their warranties and get their vehicles fixed by mechanics they trust.
We sought companies with a wide range of coverage for the price. Coverage varies from company to company, but we prefer those that offer roadside assistance, rental car reimbursement, flat-tire replacement, towing, and trip interruption protection.
We considered the average price for the warranties with each company. The industry annual average is $5,195, and we prefer companies that fall below this average.
We give preference to companies that have multiple ways to reach customer service. Customers have their own preferences on how to contact companies, so we looked for those that offer phone support as well as online forms and email.
We looked at BBB and Trustpilot ratings to get a sense of whether or not the company delivers on its promises. The car warranty industry has a bad reputation, and we want to find companies that have high customer satisfaction ratings.
CARCHEX is a good warranty company. As a broker, it works with top-tier vendors that offer comprehensive warranty contracts. It’s been in business for over 23 years and gets an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, though it does have only a 2.09-star customer rating.
No, CARCHEX is not the same as CarShield. Rather, CARCHEX and CarShield are completely separate auto warranty companies.
Endurance is a better auto warranty company than CHARCHEX. It has a 3.52-star customer rating with the BBB, while CARCHEX has only a 2.09-star rating. Endurance also has a four-star rating with Trustpilot while CARCHEX has only a 2.9-star rating.
CARCHECX Business Profile. Better Business Bureau. (2023).
https://www.bbb.org/us/md/hunt-valley/profile/extended-warranty-contract-service-companies/carchex-0011-23015869
CARCHEX. Trustpilot. (2023).
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/carchex.com
CARCHEX. Crunchbase. (2023).
https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/carchex