Choosing a car warranty company is an important decision. Are you considering purchasing an extended car warranty from Smart AutoCare?
In this guide, we’ll make it easier for you to decide on Smart AutoCare by reviewing the company, its coverage, and sharing user reviews. To compare the provider with our top picks for extended warranties, get a few free quotes below.
What Is Smart AutoCare?
Smart AutoCare is a company that designs, markets, and administers finance and insurance products through automotive dealerships across the U.S.
A Richardson, Texas provider, Smart AutoCare was acquired by Triptree Inc. in Nov. 2019, a holding company that combines insurance operations with investment management capabilities.
With a business evaluation of $160 million before its acquisition by Triptree, Smart AutoCare is a major player in the vehicle service contract industry.
What Does Smart AutoCare’s Extended Warranty Cover?
Smart AutoCare offers three different coverage plans: Premier, 5 Star, and Advantage Care.
In the table below, we compare the coverage provided by each of their plans. As you can see, the company’s Advantage Care plan is clearly its strongest warranty plan.
| Component | Premier | 5 Star | Advantage Care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline Engine | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Diesel Engine | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Turbocharger / Supercharger | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Transmission | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Transfer Case | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Front / Rear Wheel Driver | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 4X4 / AWD | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| HVAC | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Cooling | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Gasoline Fuel | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Diesel Fuel | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Electrical | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Suspension | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Brakes | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| ABS | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Steering | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Audio | ✔ | ||
| Hybrid | ✔ | ||
| Entertainment / Navigation | ✔ | ||
| Smart Tech | |||
| Seals / Gaskets | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
What Does Smart AutoCare Cost?
The cost of an extended warranty depends on your vehicle’s model, age, and mileage. Generally, an extended warranty will cost you somewhere between $350 to $1,500 per year.
Since Smart AutoCare sells its extended warranties through a variety of dealerships, the cost of its warranty will also depend on the specific dealership that is selling its policy.
For more information on the topic of cost, we recommend that our readers review our article on extended car warranty cost.
Smart AutoCare Reviews
Since every company receives positive reviews and customer complaints online, our review team looks for general trends among reviewers.
We found that Smart AutoCare has a great customer service team that addresses issues with its services quickly. However, many customers reported issues with Smart AutoCare’s coverage of their needed auto repairs.
Positive Reviews:
“I posted a negative review about Smart AutoCare and was contacted immediately. The issue was found and the company did all they could to be fair which was great.”
– Travis via Facebook
“After writing a negative review, ALL four of my claims were taken care of and I am completely satisfied with my purchase of this plan again. Joe gave me a call to rectify the issue I was having and handled it very professionally. I am happy to know that my peace of mind is still there with the contract and that they do care about their customers!”
– Seth via Facebook
Negative Reviews:
I have made three claims with this company and every single time it has been a pain. They do not want to pay and they are trying to figure out ways to not come up with the money.”
– Tyler from Yelp
“Huge ripoff! Stay away from this company. I have the Platinum lease care policy which I paid $795 and they would not pay for my tire repair.”
– Wayne from Yelp
Concerns with Smart AutoCare
While Smart AutoCare could potentially be a good fit for some people, our review team cannot recommend this provider for the following reasons:
- Can only be purchased through dealerships: Since Smart AutoCare can only be purchased through certain dealerships, many customers cannot purchase this provider’s plans.
- No sample contracts or free quotes online: Free quote forms and sample contracts save prospective customers time and allow them to compare specific coverage details among competing providers.
Our Recommendations For Extended Car Warranties
While we do not believe Smart AutoCare is a good fit for our readers, both CARCHEX and Endurance received excellent reviews from our team.
CARCHEX and Endurance come out ahead of Smart AutoCare for the following reasons:
- Free quotes: CARCHEX and Endurance allow prospective customers to enter their vehicle’s details online for a free quote, saving them time.
- Industry partnerships: CARCHEX partners with several significant automotive industry companies, including Kelley Blue Book, CARFAX, and Edmunds.com. Endurance partners with Andretti Motorsports, a highly successful auto racing company. These partnerships demonstrate leadership in the extended warranty industry.
- Sample contracts available online: By uploading their sample contracts online, CARCHEX and Endurance give prospective customers full transparency to their plan’s details and coverage.
Deciding Between CARCHEX and Endurance
Deciding between CARCHEX and Endurance? To help you make your decision, we’ve provided a few recommendations below. In general, you can’t go wrong with either of these strong choices for extended warranty coverage.
- Receive a free quote from each provider and compare the cost.
- Read our CARCHEX vs. Endurance review.
- Read a sample contract from each provider and compare their coverage plans against each other.
The graphic below shows a breakdown of the top extended warranty companies based on Motor 1’s customer survey responses.
