Extended warranty recommendations in the UK

[SmurfUK]

Hi, the Kia 7yr warranty is close to expiring on our 2016 Soul EV.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a reputable UK company supplying extended warranties which would cover the car adequately, without costing more than say £400/yr ?

We have had to use Kia warranty a couple of times over the last few years: to replace the OBC and also the heated front driver’s seat (cover and heating element – burnt a hole!), so would have cost quite a few thousand pounds if the Kia warranty hadn’t lasted the 7 years.

For context, the main things I’m concerned about are the battery/drivetrain and charging components like the OBC. If we can’t get reasonable cover I think it might be time to sell the car.

Many thanks.

 

[IanL]

Try https://www.warrantydirect.co.uk.

 

[SmurfUK]

Thanks IanL for the suggestion. Unfortunately Warrantydirect don't offer cover for the traction battery.

After some more research it seems that Motoreasy (Plan B Lite Electric Vehicle Warranty) should cover the traction battery and most other expensive parts, for around £275 per year.

Hope that might be of some use to others in the UK.

 

[IanL]

How do they define the replacement point for the battery?

 

[SmurfUK]

They offer "Repair or overhaul of the drive battery pack, in case of
failure or severe degradation of the battery".

They go on to define severe degradation as follows:

"Severe Degradation a decline in drive battery capacity which
is 30% larger than the normal degradation as outlined by the
manufacturer under normal weather conditions."

So, a fair bit of wiggle room for not paying out, but probably better than nothing.

 

[JejuSoul]

-
Am re-posting the warranty info for the manufacturer's Battery Capacity Warranty of the older 27kWh cars. There is a 70% limit based on the original usable capacity. It applies to the car not the first owner. This warranty is now reaching the end of the period covered.

The warranty manuals are here.
USA: 2017 Soul EV Warranty Manual
Canada: 2016 Soul EV Warranty Manual
UK: Warranty Terms and Exclusions

The Korean warranty is 10 years, 160,000km to 70% SOH.
The United States is 10 years, 100,000 miles to 70% SOH.
The Canadian warranty is 8 years, 160,000km to 70% SOH
The United Kingdom is 7 years, 100,000 miles to 70% SOH.
Europe is 7 years, 150,000km to 70% SOH.

-

 

[JejuSoul]

-
I bought a 2015 27kWh Soul EV 8 years ago. It has now done 105,000km. I live in Korea so have 2 years left on the warranty. Currently my SOH is 90%. If battery degradation was linear you could expect another 8 years of life on this battery. But I doubt that. I expect rapid degradation to occur at some point soon in the future. This is based on all the previous failures discussed on this forum.

In the UK getting an extended warranty for 275pounds seems a no-brainer. The cost of fixing the battery is far higher than the amount you are likely to pay over a few years of coverage. The decline from 70% SOH to 40% SOH which is what the extended warranty looks for will be extremely rapid in most cases. They are wrongly assuming constant linear degradation. ( Perhaps on a Tesla but not for a Kia. )

The exception is the 'granny case'. If the car is parked in the garage unused it will not degrade fast. These owners are probably the most likely to insure their car and the least likely to benefit from it.

-

 

[IanL]

They offer "Repair or overhaul of the drive battery pack, in case of
failure or severe degradation of the battery".

They go on to define severe degradation as follows:

"Severe Degradation a decline in drive battery capacity which
is 30% larger than the normal degradation as outlined by the
manufacturer under normal weather conditions."

So, a fair bit of wiggle room for not paying out, but probably better than nothing.

Let us assume I insure under those conditions at the 7 year point, and the battery drops to (say) 50% at the 9 year point. If I wish to claim, I would have to show that the manufacturer defines normal degradation to be no worse than 80% SOH at that point. How can I do that? Afaik, KIA has not issued any documentation to describe the expectation of battery SOH at 9 years, or at any other time.

It seems to me to be impossible to successfully claim for battery degradation.