Understanding the difference between a warranty, service plan and maintenance plan
20 October, 2023
All Kia models are sold as standard with Kia’s industry-leading Unlimited Kilometre/5-year warranty, inclusive of Roadside Assistance. In addition, the purchase price includes a pre-paid service plan that gives customers peace of mind and predictability when it comes to vehicle maintenance for a certain period of time. Motorists might also have noticed that models from other vehicle manufacturers are sold with maintenance plans.
All these plans are a great source of peace of mind as they protect customers against any unforeseen service, maintenance or repair costs. However, the difference between a warranty, service and maintenance plan and what is covered under these plans can be confusing.
What is covered under a service plan?
A service plan covers all the costs of regular servicing as set out by the manufacturers service schedule. This will include items such as oil, oil filters, air filters, spark plugs and other prescribed parts that are changed at pre-determined time or mileage intervals as well as the labour to replace those parts in the dealer’s workshop. Wear items such as brakes, wiper blades and tyres are not covered by a service plan. Regular servicing is crucial to ensuring a vehicles longevity and reliability and with a service plan in place owners are able to have their vehicles serviced in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations at no cost for the period of the service plan, which is also time and mileage based.
A full-service history with OEM dealer is required in order for your warranty to remain valid and with a service plan in place that is easy to maintain.
What makes a maintenance plan different? A maintenance plan provides more extensive coverage as it will cover the same items as a service plan as well as additional wear and tear items such as brakes, clutches and the exhaust system amongst others. In some cases they even cover tyres. With a maintenance plan the owner will not be required to contribute to the vehicles service and maintenance at all during the period of the plan but that will come at a larger upfront cost.
It is important to remember that all these plans are time and or mileage based and once they expire you will be liable for repair and service costs. It is also a good idea to carefully read your policy documents so that you know exactly what is required to ensure the validity of the plans and what exactly is covered by these plans as this could save you a lot of money in the long run.
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