Protect My Car Vs. CARCHEX: Extended Warranty Comparison

• CARCHEX holds our award for the Best for Used Cars due to its number of coverage levels and high term limits.
• Protect My Car takes our award for Best Customer Experience due to strong customer reviews on websites such as the Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot.
• Both warranty providers are very similar, so you should compare quotes from several providers to make sure you get the warranty plan that’s best for you.

After conducting 1,475 hours of research to find the best extended car warranty companies, our reviews team placed Protect My Car and CARCHEX neck and neck in terms of ratings. CARCHEX has great coverage options that work well for older vehicles, but Protect My Car has shown stronger customer satisfaction reviews.

We wanted to see how Protect My Car and CARCHEX compared side by side, so our experts examined both companies’ pricing, coverage plans, and customer service reviews. This information can help you make an informed choice between Protect My Car vs. CARCHEX. You can also look at the other extended auto warranty providers we recommend.

Our team’s review of Protect My Car vs. CARCHEX stems from our thorough research methods. To find the best auto warranty providers in the industry each year, we analyze the companies’ performances across five main areas:

• Industry standing
• Coverage
• Cost
• Transparency
• Customer service

Here’s a look at how we rated Protect My Car and CARCHEX in each of our research categories:

How We Rated Warranty Providers

To give you the most up-to-date information, we update our review standards several times each year. Below are more details for what we look for in each rating category: 

Industry Standing

Providers are given a high score in this category based on any awards, ratings, or recognitions by trusted warranty evaluators, like Kelley Blue Book, CARFAX, or the Better Business Bureau (BBB). We also consider customer reviews on sites like the BBB and Trustpilot, and how much experience a warranty provider has.

Coverage

Providers that offer several different coverage options are rewarded with a higher score in this category. If a company offers plans with long-term limits and several benefits, its Coverage score increases.

Cost

Providers that offer affordable coverage plans as well as deductible options can expect to see a higher score in the cost category. If these same providers offer discounts, their score will increase.

Transparency

When it comes to this category, if a company offers a money-back guarantee and allows customers to view sample contracts on coverage plan pages, it will receive a high score. Its website also has to be relatively clear and easy to navigate.

Customer Service

Strong customer reviews online bring providers high scores in this category. If a provider has a mobile app and offers an online chat option for customers, their score for customer service will increase as well.

Established in 2005 and based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Protect My Car is a popular choice for vehicle service contracts (VSCs). Protect My Car recently rebranded its three warranty plans – Supreme, Select, and Driveline – into protection plans with these names: Ultimate, Deluxe, and Essential.

CARCHEX is a bit older, having been established in 1999. Today, it is one of the most recognizable providers on the market and has partnerships with several major companies, including CARFAX, Edmunds.com, Kelley Blue Book, and RepairPal. CARCHEX is known for its plans that extend up to 10 years/250,000 miles of coverage.

A customer survey we conducted in March of 2022 showed that 23 percent of respondents bought a warranty from CARCHEX while just 7 percent purchased from Protect My Car. Despite this being a smaller sample size, it shows that even the slightest advantages in particular categories can make a big difference.

Our review team reached out for quotes from all of the industry’s top car warranty providers, including Protect My Car and CARCHEX. Both companies showed affordable rates for multiple plans, so both got high ratings in our cost category. Overall, we gave Protect My Car a cost rating of 4.2 out of 5.0, while CARCHEX got a 4.0.

Bumper-To-Bumper Coverage Costs: Protect My Car Vs. CARCHEX

This first chart compares the cost of the highest level of coverage from each provider. When we collected these quotes, Protect My Car’s bumper VSC was called the Supreme plan. Given that both the Supreme plan and the Ultimate plan are comprehensive contracts with similar coverage, their costs are likely not going to differ from each other too much. We received contract terms for the same vehicle: a 2017 Honda CR-V with 45,000 miles on it.

Protect My Car offers a longer financing period but comes with a higher overall cost for a shorter period of coverage. To put this into perspective, if Protect My Car’s Supreme contract matched CARCHEX’s 18-month Titanium contract with the same number of months, the overall cost would come to $1,944 for Protect My Car. However, Protect My Car’s mileage limit is significantly shorter than CARCHEX’s.

Powertrain Coverage Costs: Protect My Car Vs. CARCHEX

When we collected these quotes, Protect My Car’s powertrain warranty was called the Driveline plan. Given that both the Driveline plan and the Essential plan are powertrain-plus warranties, their costs are likely not going to differ from each other too much.

For more basic powertrain-plus coverage on a high-mileage vehicle, Protect My Car offered superior financing:

Again, Protect My Car offered a longer financing period while also having a higher total cost. However, the CARCHEX plan lasts for one year longer (though 15,000 miles less). Protect My Car has a tendency to offer cheaper monthly costs, which is why it beats CARCHEX slightly for the cost rating.

Our research team’s 2022 survey showed that 52 percent of extended warranty customers chose coverage as the element that mattered most when choosing a car warranty company. As it turns out, Protect My Car and CARCHEX both offer similar types of coverage. 

Both offer plans that extend coverage after your manufacturer’s warranty has expired, insulating you from sudden expensive repair costs. However, between the two, CARCHEX has more extended warranty plans and longer term limits for coverage.

When it comes to finding repair shops when you need covered repairs, you’ll have plenty of options. Both companies allow you to have your car serviced at any ASE-certified repair facility in the country, including your dealership of purchase if you prefer. This leaves you hundreds of thousands of automotive repair shops to choose from.

One important difference when looking at Protect My Car vs. CARCHEX is that CARCHEX contracts are offered through several administrators. This means each level of CARCHEX coverage has multiple contract options from different companies. While these contracts are largely similar, there are slight differences such as reimbursement amounts for roadside assistance.

Protect My Car Coverage

Protect My Car offers three levels of extended warranty coverage:

• Ultimate: Closest to a factory warranty, this vehicle protection plan also covers your car’s turbocharger and high-tech electrical system. The Ultimate plan provides exclusive maintenance benefits for one year.
• Deluxe: Designed for vehicles with an average mileage, the Deluxe plan covers everything the Essential plan covers in addition to suspension, steering, and brakes.
• Essential: The cheapest plan, Essential is for high-mileage vehicles over 100,000 miles or 20 years of age. In addition to the engine, transmission, drive axle, and transfer case, Essential covers heating, electrical, cooling, and fuel systems.

Protect My Car contracts all come with roadside assistance, rental car reimbursement, and a trip interruption allowance. All plans also come with PMC rewards, where you could win free gift cards, new products, $500 cash prizes, and more. It’s important to know that the longest term for a Protect My Car contract is 200,000 miles, and that the company doesn’t sell warranties in Washington or California.

CARCHEX Coverage

When comparing Protect My Car vs. CARCHEX, you will find that CARCHEX has more coverage options. The five CARCHEX plan options include:

• Titanium: As the highest level of coverage, the Titanium plan only lists the items it doesn’t cover in its contract. If an item isn’t listed, you can consider it covered.
• Platinum: Platinum is CARCHEX’s most comprehensive stated-component coverage for nearly all vehicle systems, including high-tech electrical components.
• Gold: This mid-level coverage works for most major vehicle systems.
• Silver: This provides enhanced powertrain coverage, along with air condition, electrical, and fuel.
• Bronze: This basic powertrain warranty covers your engine, transmission, and drivetrain.

The longest CARCHEX contract term is 10 years/250,000 miles. As with Protect My Car contracts, all CARCHEX warranty plans include roadside assistance (with features such as towings, lockouts, and jump-starts), rental car reimbursement, and a trip interruption allowance. CARCHEX warranties are available in all 50 states.

Protect My Car gets a slightly higher coverage rating from us overall. While CARCHEX offers more coverage options, Protect My Car offers very thorough coverage options at cheaper monthly prices. It also offers maintenance packages and includes more special perks with its plans.

Protect My Car Vs. CARCHEX: Transparency

Protect My Car and CARCHEX both allow you to pay your entire warranty cost upfront or break it down into monthly payments. Additionally, both companies offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if you find you’re not satisfied with your policy or change your mind.

Prospective customers of either provider can view sample contracts to find the warranty that best fits their needs. However, only CARCHEX shows customers the sample contracts on plan pages. Keep in mind that extended car warranty costs can vary from customer to customer and depend on a number of factors, such as your vehicle age and mileage.

We reviewed 46 warranty companies and analyzed 3,850 customer reviews to get an idea of who offered the best customer service in the warranty industry. 

After this research, we found that reviews for Protect My Car and CARCHEX are mixed. While CARCHEX has the superior industry standing, reviews for customer experience on sites such as the BBB and Trustpilot are stronger for Protect My Car. Here’s a detailed breakdown of those reviews:

Protect My Car is not accredited by the BBB and has fielded over 300 complaints in the last three years on the BBB website. CARCHEX has received just over 170 complaints. Considering CARCHEX is a larger provider, this is notable.

When it comes to Protect My Car vs. CARCHEX, we rate CARCHEX slightly higher because of its more comprehensive coverage and a superior industry standing. Costs are comparable between the two companies.

Protect My Car offers better terms on low-level coverage for high-mileage vehicles, while CARCHEX has cheaper options for the highest level of coverage. Although Protect My Car reviews are better than CARCHEX warranty reviews, Protect My Car has fielded a higher number of BBB complaints despite being a smaller company.

Both Protect My Car and CARCHEX are options to consider if you’re looking for peace of mind on the road. As with any major purchase, you should always research your options and compare quotes to see which company provides the best coverage for you and your unique needs. Most extended warranty providers are happy to give you a free quote if you reach out.

Car Warranty Companies Like Protect My Car And CARCHEX

These extended warranty companies made the top two spots for our provider selection for their versatile coverage options, competitive prices, customer satisfaction records, and special benefits:

Endurance: 4.6 Stars

Endurance takes home our award for Best Coverage. It offers six different coverage levels with terms up to 8 years/200,000+ miles and is our highest-rated warranty provider. Despite being recognized for its great coverage, this is one of the most well-rounded providers in the industry, with high scores in each of our research categories.

Read more: Endurance Warranty review

ForeverCar: 4.5 Stars

ForeverCar is another highly-rated provider in the auto warranty industry. In fact, ForeverCar earned our Best Value award for its four levels of coverage at low rates. The company provides the option to customize your deductible and allows you to use the auto repair facility of your choice.

Read more: ForeverCar warranty review

Below are some common frequently asked questions about Protect My Car and CARCHEX extended warranties: