What is a factory car warranty against a car dealer warranty?
There are still many used and recon AP electric cars coming into Malaysia right now without a factory warranty.
An electric car factory battery warranty is the one that covers an electric car’s powertrain battery. If you are buying an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle this is something you need to understand and know, as an electric car battery warranty usually lasts longer than the standard vehicle warranty that covers the rest of the car.
Currently, most EV and PHEV manufacturers offer an eight-year battery warranty. But the mileage limit differs depending on the manufacturer.
The purpose of having an electric car battery warranty is to protect you against the ability for the battery to stay fully charged which is also called ‘battery degradation’. If the charge capacity dips below a certain point, depending on your car manufacturer they will replace the hybrid or powertrain battery free of charge.
Many hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars may have a specific warranty for their battery pack, reassuring buyers that it’ll last the life of the warranty cover without severe degradation.
Some even stipulate that if the battery capacity drops below a certain point (70 percent of its new state, for example) within five years or so, it’ll be either repaired or replaced.
So, if you are looking at buying a reconditioned electric car right now, please look carefully at the dealer’s warranty booklet and make sure there is warranty coverage for your battery.
For example, a brand new RM168,888 Nissan Leaf from Edaran Tan Chong will provide an 8-year battery warranty which means the RM60k battery will be replaced if there is an issue. If you buy a recon (AP) used Nissan Leaf you might be saving RM40k on the purchase price, but when the battery has issues, you savings on the buying price is lost.
A brand new RM708,000 Porsche Taycan GTS will come with an 8-year battery warranty from Porsche Sime Darby Motors (which might cost between RM80k to RM90k to replace).
Meanwhile, buying a recon (AP) imported Porsche Taycan from a AP dealer might be RM180k to RM360k cheaper (depending on age and battery health) and be faster on delivery, however there is no factory warranty, no factory software upgrades (like Porsche announced recently for the 2020 model Taycans) and there are no after sales at all.
