The length of vehicle warranties varies greatly from one brand to another in South Africa, but there is a clear pattern when it comes to the longest coverage.
Chinese carmakers, on average, offer the best warranties with lengths that far exceed other brands.
Much of this has to do with the fact that most of these companies are still new to our market, which means their products haven’t been around long enough to establish a reliability track record.
Motorists are sceptical of buying a car from an unproven brand like GAC, especially when legacy automakers like Toyota have established consumer trust over the course of several decades.
Consequently, many Chinese marques are offering warranties well beyond the industry average in an effort to provide peace of mind to consumers who are on the fence about purchasing one of their cars.
Another aspect of this strategy is that a longer warranty is considered better value for money, which plays into the reputation that many Chinese brands have established in South Africa.
Hans Greyling, General Manager of Omoda & Jaecoo, explained to TopAuto that the 10-year/1-million km warranty offered by the Chery Group brands is indicative of the confidence the company has in its vehicles.
Arguably the single most important reason why Chinese brands have started to gain traction in our market is because they are typically much more affordable than their legacy rivals.
One example of this is the Jetour Dashing, which is a midsize SUV that ostensibly competes with models like the VW Tiguan or Toyota Rav4, but which costs R439,900 compared to the latter’s R668,100 and R719,800.
Despite its significantly lower price tag, the Dashing is able to compete in terms of its engine and equipment list, as well as its warranty.
VW sells the Tiguan with a 3-year/120,000km warranty, and all Toyota products, from the Vitz to the GR Yaris and Prado, come with a standard 3-year/100,000km warranty.
In contrast, Jetour provides a 5-year/150,000km warranty with an additional 10-year/1-million kilometre powertrain warranty.
It’s yet another value proposition that Chinese car brands are using to win over consumers, and it’s a strategy that appears to be working.
Chery and GWM are already two of the biggest automakers in the country, and other names like Omoda, Jaecoo, Jetour, and MG, are all starting to climb the sales rankings.
The best warranties on the market
TopAuto compared the warranties offered by various car brands in South Africa to find the ones with the longest coverage.
The top six were all from Chinese marques:
| Brand | Maximum standard warranty |
|---|---|
| Chery | 7-year/200,000km vehicle + 10-year/1-million km engine + unlimited km battery |
| GAC | 5-year/150,000km vehicle + lifetime engine |
| Jaecoo | 5-year/150,000km vehicle + 10-year/1-million km engine |
| Jetour | 5-year/150,000km vehicle + 10-year/1-million km engine |
| MG | 5-year/200,000km + 7-year/unlimited km engine |
| Omoda | 5-year/150,000km vehicle + 10-year/1-million km engine |
All of these brands offer a standard warranty with an additional powertrain warranty with unlimited mileage.
The standout is GAC, which provides a lifetime engine warranty with no time or distance cap, though there is one important caveat.
In most cases, automakers that provide an additional powertrain warranty will only honour it for the first owner, meaning that second-hand buyers will not receive the remainder of the coverage.
Even so, it’s a significant bonus for new buyers who don’t plan on selling their car within the next few years.
For comparison, these are the warranties offered by every other Chinese make in South Africa:
| Brand | Maximum standard warranty |
|---|---|
| BAIC | 5-year/150,000km |
| BYD | 5-year/100,000km vehicle + 8-year/150,000km battery |
| Changan | 5-year/150,000km |
| Dayun | 3-year/60,000km vehicle + 5-year/120,000km battery |
| Deepal | 5-year/150,000km + 8-year/150,000km battery |
| Foton | 5-year/200,000km |
| GWM/Haval | 7-year/200,000km + 8-year/150,000km battery |
| JAC | 5-year/100,000km |
| LDV | 5-year/200,000km |
| Leapmotor | 5-year/100,000km + 8-year/150,000km battery |
| Maxus | 5-year/100,000km + 8-year/160,000km battery |
Of course, Chinese brands are not the only ones offering longer warranties in South Africa, as there are a few other companies worth highlighting.
Mahindra offers a 5-year/150,000km plan, which Nissan improves on with a 6-year/150,000km warranty.
The Korean duo of Hyundai and Kia are also above average, as the former provides a 5-year/150,000km general warranty with an additional 7-year/200,000km engine warranty, while the latter has a 5-year/unlimited-kilometre plan.
What may come as a surprise to some is that luxury makes have some of the shortest warranties on the market.
Take the German trio of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, which offer the following:
- BMW – 2-year/unlimited km
- Audi – 1-year/unlimited km
- Mercedes-Benz – 2-year/unlimited km
Buyers at these price points are far more likely to trade in their cars for the latest model every few years, and companies have started to reflect this by offering shorter terms that last until a person is ready to upgrade.
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