Ram Extended Warranty: Coverage, Cost, & Options

Extended auto warranties, or vehicle service contracts, help pay to repair mechanical issues your vehicle may experience after your factory warranty has expired. Most dealerships will offer you a Ram extended warranty when you initially buy your truck or van, but the dealer’s plan isn’t the only option available.

In this article, we’ll review Ram’s extended warranty in-depth, including coverage options, additional benefits, exclusions, and more. We’ll also discuss why a third-party warranty may be the best choice for some Ram drivers.

Our research team scoured the market to find the best extended car warranty companies available. When shopping for extended protection, it’s best to get quotes customized to your specific vehicle. That way, you can compare each company’s prices and get a feel for customer service. You can start getting free, no-obligation quotes from our top providers.

Ram’s extended warranty, like Ram’s factory warranty, is offered through Mopar^®. Mopar is the parts and service division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), the parent company of Ram. You can purchase Mopar Vehicle Protection plans for both new and pre-owned Ram vehicles.

Qualifications for each type of Ram extended warranty plan are as follows:

• New Vehicle Plans: Vehicle must be within 36 months and 36,000 miles of the original in-service date. Expect to pay a surcharge after 1 year and 12,000 miles.
• Certified Pre-Owned Plans: Vehicle must have an active Certified Pre-Owned Limited Factory Warranty and have less than 75,000 miles on the odometer.
• Pre-Owned Plans: Vehicles must be no more than 10 model years old and have less than 150,000 miles on them. Vehicles with a 5-year/60,000-mile Powertrain Limited Warranty from the manufacturer must have no more than 125,000 miles.

Additional Perks To Ram Extended Warranties

Ram’s extended warranty includes some extras, such as:

• Limited rental car coverage
• Trip interruption reimbursement
• Roadside assistance
• Key fob replacement
• Genuine Mopar parts used for covered repairs

You can also transfer your Ram extended warranty if you sell your vehicle before coverage expires. A $50 transfer fee often applies, depending on your location.

Limitations Of A Ram Extended Warranty

One of the biggest limitations to Mopar’s extended coverage is the lack of plan options. Whether you have a new or used vehicle, your choices are limited to an exclusionary plan, often called a bumper-to-bumper warranty plan, or a limited, basic plan.

Like most extended coverage plans, a Ram extended warranty has a deductible you’ll need to hit before coverage kicks in. With these contracts, you have the choice of $200, $100, or $0 deductible per repair. Generally, $0-deductible plans come with an increased overall plan price.

Other limitations of Ram extended warranty coverage include:

• High prices: Buying an extended warranty directly from a local dealer often increases the price. Dealers can heavily mark up service contracts. In fact, according to Edmunds.com, the dealer may tell you the price isn’t negotiable, but that is almost never the case. You may also be asked to roll the cost of your extended warranty into your auto loan. This makes it even more expensive, because you will end up paying interest on the cost of the warranty.
• Repairs by the dealer: Any covered repairs you need must be completed at a Ram or other FCA dealership. If you live far away from a dealership or are traveling, this may be inconvenient.

The cost of a Ram extended warranty will vary from dealership to dealership. Cost also depends on your particular vehicle, coverage level, and chosen deductible. One online retailer, Chrysler Factory Warranty, quotes prices around $3,500 for 7 years of Maximum Care coverage with a $100 deductible.

You are probably asking yourself why you should consider an extended warranty for your Ram.

Your Ram may look great and give you plenty of towing power, but unfortunately, the brand still tops the list of least-reliable trucks. That doesn’t mean you should get rid of your truck or that it’s guaranteed to break down soon. However, you may want to consider adding the extra protection of a Ram extended warranty to give yourself some peace of mind.

According to the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study^SM, Ram ranks 16th out of the 33 brands studied. While not the worst, this is below the industry average. Some of the repairs you might face with Ram vehicles and what they cost on average, according to RepairPal, include:

• Turbocharger oil line replacement: $1,172 to $1,435
• Drive belt tensioner replacement: $274 to $307
• Air conditioning evaporator replacement: $567 to $823
• Windshield wiper motor replacement: $332 to $353
• Parking brake shoe replacement: $446 to $488

To decide if an extended warranty is worth it, you need to think about the likelihood your truck may need repairs in the future and your ability to cover unexpected repair bills.

When deciding on a Ram extended warranty, you should also consider the coverage you already have. Even if the vehicle is still under factory warranty, you could run into mechanical problems that aren’t covered. Then, there is the expiration date of your factory coverage.

The factory Ram warranty includes a Basic Limited Warranty and a Powertrain Limited Warranty. The basic warranty provides comprehensive coverage for your vehicle for 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. The Powertrain Limited Warranty covers components like the engine, transmission, and drive system for 5 years or 60,000 miles (5 years or 100,000 miles for diesel).

Manufacturer or factory warranties cover defective parts and workmanship. Unexpected mechanical breakdowns aren’t covered by a factory warranty. For example, if you have a defective tailgate and your vehicle is still under warranty, the repairs should be covered. If your tailgate stops working because you loaded your bed improperly, the repairs aren’t covered by a factory warranty.

A Ram extended warranty offered by Mopar provides excellent coverage and extra perks like roadside assistance. However, the limitations discussed above may make a third-party warranty a better choice.

Luckily, there are a number of reputable extended car warranty companies to choose from that have received high ratings from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and thousands of positive customer reviews. Some of the things to look for in a great warranty company include:

• Positive customer reviews
• Endorsements from leading automotive and car repair companies
• Easy quotes and claims process
• Money-back guarantee
• High number of plans available
• Ability to customize contracts
• Added perks with each plan

While a Mopar Vehicle Protection plan is easy to purchase at the dealership, we like third-party extended warranties for the increased flexibility and lower costs.

Because most third-party warranty companies are brokers, they can offer plans from a variety of warranty administrators, giving you more choices for your extended coverage. Almost all of the major providers offer roadside assistance and other benefits, too, just like the Mopar service plans. Below is a side-by-side comparison of Ram’s extended warranty and a few of the most reputable third-party providers in the market, Endurance, CARCHEX, and CarShield.