What Does a Powertrain Warranty Cover? (And What It Leaves Out)

NOTE: powertrain table is hand-maintained here AND generated on each make page from src/_content/makes/ — when a factory term changes, update both

What is the powertrain, exactly?

The parts that create and deliver motion: engine, transmission, drivetrain. The definition is narrower than most owners assume.

A powertrain warranty covers three groups of components:

• The engine — cylinder block and heads, all internally lubricated parts (pistons, rings, crankshaft, camshafts, valves, bearings), the oil pump, timing chain or belt and their tensioners, and usually the turbocharger or supercharger where fitted. On hybrids, the electric motor and generator are typically covered under a separate hybrid-component warranty rather than the powertrain one.
• The transmission — automatic, manual, CVT or dual-clutch: the case and all internal parts, the torque converter, and on some contracts the transmission control electronics.
• The drivetrain — driveshafts and axles, CV joints, front and rear differentials, the transfer case on four-wheel and all-wheel-drive vehicles, and the AWD coupling.

That is the whole list. Twelve years in a dealership finance office taught me that the second sentence out of a customer's mouth, when I explained this, was always "so what isn't covered?" — and the answer is most of the car.

What a powertrain warranty does not cover

Electronics, air conditioning, steering, suspension, brakes, infotainment, sensors, and the everyday failures that actually generate repair bills.

Contracts differ at the margins — some factory powertrain warranties include the water pump or seals and gaskets, some extended plans include the alternator. The list above is typical, not universal. The exclusion list in the actual contract governs.

Every manufacturer's Canadian powertrain term

Most mainstream brands give 5 years / 100,000 km; the exceptions run from none at all (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) to ten years (Mitsubishi, and Ram for 2026).

Canadian terms, in kilometres — not the American ones you see advertised. Each make links to its own page, with the full factory table, the manufacturer's own extended plan, and what coverage costs.

Every term in this table was verified against the manufacturer's own Canadian source — the brand's .ca warranty page, a manufacturer-hosted Canadian warranty booklet, or a Canadian press release — on September 8, 2026. Canadian kilometres, not US miles. Terms vary by model year; your warranty booklet governs.

Why the powertrain warranty is the long one

Manufacturers extend the powertrain term because those parts fail least — which is also why a powertrain-only extended plan is the cheapest and, usually, the least useful.

Engines and transmissions are the most expensive components on the vehicle and, in years four to eight, among the least likely to fail. Manufacturers know this, which is why they can afford to cover them for longer than the rest of the car. The same arithmetic applies to extended plans: a powertrain-only tier is cheap because it takes on little risk. The repairs owners actually pay for between 80,000 and 200,000 km — air-conditioning compressors, infotainment units, sensors, steering racks, control arms, alternators, dual-clutch actuators — are almost entirely outside it.

There are two situations where powertrain-only coverage is the right call: when budget is genuinely the only consideration, and when the vehicle is old and inexpensive enough that only an engine or transmission failure would change your plans for it. Otherwise, the tier to price is comprehensive (a long named-component list that includes the powertrain plus the electrical, climate, steering and fuel systems) or exclusionary ("everything except this list"), which behaves most like the factory warranty you are replacing. Our buyer's guide explains how to compare them.

Reading a powertrain contract

Four phrases decide what a powertrain contract actually pays for.

• "Internally lubricated parts." The standard definition of covered engine components. It means the parts bathed in engine oil — and it means external components (sensors, wiring, the water pump on some contracts) are not covered even though they are bolted to the engine.
• "Seals and gaskets." Some contracts cover them only when replaced as part of a covered repair; some exclude them; some include them outright. On an older engine this is the line that matters most.
• "Turbocharger / supercharger." Should be listed explicitly if you have one. On our programs factory-turbocharged engines carry a small mandatory surcharge and the turbo is a covered component.
• "CVT" and "dual-clutch." Both are transmissions and should be covered as such; check that the contract does not carve them out, and note the per-claim limit — a CVT replacement can approach it.

Related: every make's full factory table · is a warranty worth it? · used and high-kilometre coverage.

Common questions

Ashley Strickland

Fourteen years in the automotive industry, twelve of them as a finance manager at a GM dealership in Ontario, and with Auto Warranty Experts since July. Based in Niagara and working flexible hours around customers' schedules, she likes the moment a customer finds out the same budget buys considerably more coverage than they expected. "My goal is to make sure you understand exactly what you're getting, so we can find the coverage that makes the most sense for both your vehicle and your budget." Off the clock: the lake, three dogs and 106 houseplants. About the team →

Published September 5, 2026 · Last reviewed September 8, 2026. Prices are quotes plus tax, not guarantees; coverage details are confirmed in your written contract.