Kia Australia is celebrating seven years since the introduction of its seven-year warranty in Australia.
The seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty was the longest new-car warranty available to Australian customers when it debuted in 2014.
Kia Australia still offers new cars with seven years of warranty, seven years of capped-price servicing, and seven years of roadside assistance.
More than 366,000 customers have purchased new Kia vehicles with this seven-year warranty program since its debut.
“The peace of mind that comes with [a seven]-year warranty, capped-price servicing and roadside assist was an unrivalled feat in the market and will continue to be a staple for future success,” said Damien Meredith, Kia Australia CEO.
Most of Kia’s mainstream competitors have moved on from what was the industry-standard three-year warranty to at least five years since 2014.
Most brands currently offer five years in Australia, although mainstream brands go longer, and some luxury brands go shorter.
Hyundai Australia first moved from its three-year to a five-year warranty in 1999, and has stuck with it since.
Honda, Jeep and Skoda launched five-year warranties in 2017, followed by Ford, Mazda and Volkswagen in 2018.
Subaru and Toyota also launched five-year warranty programs early in 2019.
Luxury manufacturers Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land Rover, and Volvo now also have five-year warranties.
Bucking this trend, BMW, Audi, and Alfa Romeo have insisted on sticking with their existing three-year warranty programs.
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
Mitsubishi is the only manufacturer that currently beats Kia’s seven-year warranty by offering a 10-year/200,000km warranty program.
New Mitsubishi vehicles such as the ASX, Eclipse Cross and Outlander, all receive 10 years of warranty coverage and 10 years of capped-price servicing.
There’s a catch though, as these new Mitsubishi vehicles need to be serviced at a certified Mitsubishi dealer for the 10-year warranty period to count.
The warranty period is shortened to five-years/100,000km if you service outside the dealer network.
MG ZS EV
Matching Kia, MG and SsangYong both offer a seven-year warranty period.
MG recently lengthened the warranty of its all-electric ZS and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) HS models from five years to seven, bringing it in line with the rest of the MG Australian range.
Skoda is offering a seven-year warranty to owners who buy a seven-year service pack between now and the end of 2021.
Skoda Octavia RS
Seven-year servicing package pricing varies from $2100 in the Fabia, Rapid, Kamiq and Scala, to $2900 in the Octavia RS, Superb Sport/Scout and Kodiaq RS.
Toyota Australia recently ruled out a 10-year warranty seen in vehicles sold from its United Kingdom counterpart.
Instead, Toyota Australia vehicles are currently covered by a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, with seven-year coverage on the powertrain, and 10-year hybrid battery coverage.
Kia EV6
