BYD cuts strings attached to its new-car warranty

Less than three months after it said it was considering the simplification of its new-vehicle warranty provisions in Australia, BYD has done exactly that.

And it has backdated its less complicated warranty structure to include all new vehicles sold since 2022.

Australian BYD distributor EVDirect has confirmed its warranty no longer excludes components such as infotainment touchscreens and shock absorbers, which were previously only covered for three years or 60,000km.

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The Chinese carmaker’s six-year, 150,000km warranty period (whichever comes first) still stands, but the new ‘bumper-to-bumper’ aftersales coverage now includes components previously exempted.

These include lights, suspension, ball joints and tyre pressure monitoring (previously warranted only for four years or 100,000km); infotainment, shock absorbers and charging port assemblies (previously three years or 60,000km); lead-acid 12V batteries (one year or 20,000km); and air-conditioning filters, wiper blades, bulbs and fuses (six months or 10,000km).

This was in contrast to many other brands selling electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), which typically outline one warranty for the vehicle and another for the traction battery.

But now BYD has also simplified the eight-year warranty for the high-voltage battery and drive unit in its vehicles, with their respective 160,000km and 150,000km coverages now both becoming 160,000km, providing an additional 10,000km of warranty for the drive unit.

BYD’s simplified new warranty will be backdated to include all new BYD vehicles sold since the brand was launched locally in August 2022 with the Atto 3 electric SUV.

Its introduction follows criticism from customers.

When asked whether the fast-growing brand would move away from its complicated warranty structure in January, BYD Asia-Pacific boss Liu Xueliang told CarExpert through a translator: “We would take that into our consideration. It’s very valuable feedback, and actually that is already under consideration right now.”

“BYD affirms its global battery leadership with the announcement of an enhanced warranty policy that covers the vehicle bumper to bumper,” said EVDirect in a press release.

“This latest announcement comes as the [BYD] brand recently marked over 40,000 sales in Australia and aims to give BYD owners added confidence.”

BYD’s aftersales provisions have changed course several times since the brand was launched in Australia in 2022.

EVDirect announced a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty when order books for the Atto 3 were opened in February 2022, but less than six months later when deliveries commenced it said the warranty would be six years and 150,000km (and eight years for the battery).

Low-volume BYD T3 and BYD e6 vehicles imported earlier were not covered by the same warranty, and at the time EVDirect chief Luke Todd said BYD’s original seven-year warranty for Australia was announced before the Chinese car-maker had confirmed its global warranty policy.

EVDirect later adjusted its capped-price servicing scheme after early criticism of its cost, but defended its warranty, arguing it was being transparent in outlining differing coverage periods for certain components.

“In some cases, some of our customers have made their opinion vocal regarding the exclusions that sit below the 6 or 8-year mark,” the company said in an email to customers in 2022.

“Given the vocality we wish to address and highlight that we intend to go forward with a very clear pathway for our customers and in simple terms we have done away with any fine print and offered total transparency which is something that has not always been the case in the automotive market.”

At six years or 150,000km, BYD’s new bumper to-bumper warranty matches that of Isuzu Ute Australia, and is longer in duration (but not mileage) than the five-year, unlimited-km warranties offered by the majority of Australia’s mainstream auto brands.

However, Deepal, Geely, GWM, KGM SsangYong, Kia, Leapmotor, Skoda and LDV (most models) all have seven-year warranties – some with no distance limit.

While Jaecoo has an eight-year, unlimited-km warranty, MG, Mitsubishi and Nissan all now offer 10-year warranties – with some caveats.

MG’s 10-year/250,000km warranty covers all models including EVs and their batteries, but excludes vehicles used for commercial purposes, which are covered by a seven-year, 160,000km warranty.

Mitsubishi’s pioneering 10-year/200,000km warranty (eight years or 160,000km for high-voltage batteries) applies only to owners that complete their scheduled services at a Mitsubishi dealer. Otherwise the standard warranty is five years and 100,000km.

Likewise, Nissan’s 10-year/300,000km (eight years or 160,000km for high-voltage batteries) is also predicated on servicing your vehicle at a Nissan dealer – otherwise the standard warranty is limited to five years with no mileage cap.

MORE: Which brands offer the best new car warranties in Australia?