Chevrolet offers five-year warranty and servicing package

Chevrolet is now offering what it describes as the best ever warranty and after-sales package provided with a UK-sold car. It includes a five-year warranty, free servicing and roadside assistance cover, as well as free annual vehicle health checks and free MoT test cover.

The Chevrolet cover – which the company is calling the 5-Year Promise – appears to combine the best of other manufacturers' support schemes. Long warranties are already offered by the Korean budget brands Kia and Hyundai, which are probably Chevrolet's main competitors (Hyundai's lasts five years, Kia's seven) while BMW, in particular, offers attractively-priced fixed-cost servicing packages, both for its mainstream range and Mini-badged cars. Skoda – another competitor for Chevrolet in the budget market – offers breakdown cover in the form of its RAC-provided Skoda Assistance.

On the face of it, therefore, Chevrolet's claim to offer the best cover does seem to have some merit, although as with all warranties, it's important to get into the small print; for example, there's an overall limit on the cover of 100,000 miles, and for the free servicing, 50,000 miles. While the detailed information about the 5-Year Promise provided on Chevrolet's website appears to apply only to cars sold this quarter, the company has confirmed that the cover is intended to be a permanent part of the package it offers to UK customers, rather than just a short-term promotion.

The Chevrolet package should help to support residual values, at least for the first change of ownership, as well as keeping plenty of well-cared for used cars in the company's own dealer network.