These are the brands offering car warranty extensions during lockdown

Volkswagen has announced it is offering a free warranty extension to customers during the coronavirus outbreak, making it the latest car maker to extend cover.

The passenger vehicle arm of the company is extending the warranty period on all new cars by three months. The offer applies to any car with a warranty due to expire between March 1, 2020 and May 31, 2020, including standard two-year warranties and cars with an extended warranty.

In a statement, VW’s Jurgen Stackmann said: “As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, numerous of our authorized workshops throughout the world remain closed. For many of our customers, it has therefore not been possible to make claims under their warranties in good time. We are pleased to be able to offer our customers an immediate, unbureaucratic solution with this three-month warranty prolongation.”

VW is the latest company to offer a warranty extension, following sister brand Audi, which has also introduced a three-month extension for any car with a warranty due to expire between the start of March and the end of May 2020.

Brands offering warranty extensions

Several other brands have also offered to extend warranties for customers affected by the Covid19 outbreak.

BMW and sister brand MINI have both said that for customers with a warranty expiry during the coronavirus restrictions (from March 14, 2020 onwards), they will extend warranty coverage, including Roadside Assistance cover until June 30, 2020.

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Like VW, Hyundai is extending cover by three months for owners whose warranties expire in March, April or May, 2020.

Kia is extending cover for vehicles with warranties that expire between February 1 and 30 April 2020. All eligible vehicles will now be under warranty until June 30, 2020.

Volvo is offering a one-month extension for all cars with an MOT that expired before April 30, 2020.

Service schedule extensions

While only a few manufacturers are offering warranty extensions, most have said they will extend service intervals to compensate for the difficulty in having work carried out under lockdown restrictions.

The extensions vary between brands but generally range from around 1,800 miles or three months to close to 4,000 miles and six months, meaning all warranties and schedules will still be honoured if work is carried out late.

Some manufacturers have simply said that warranties will not be affected if a customer has had to delay having a scheduled service carried out due to the outbreak.