Warrantywise believes that having a familiar face to promote its offering – TV motoring presenter Quentin Willson – boosts consumer confidence. “He’s the guy to go to if there are any problems,” said marketing manager Richard Hodge.

The 'Waitrose' of warranty suppliers

With a client base ranging from independents typically selling 50 to 60 cars a month to large franchised groups such as Sytner and Perrys, Warrantywise readily acknowledges that it’s not the cheapest. “We see ourselves at the Waitrose end,” said Hodge, citing such benefits as no excess and unlimited mileage.

Warrantywise uses the 1link system for management of repairs through franchised dealers. “It facilitates effective communication to make sure the customer is back on the road as quickly as possible,” said Hodge.

McClure-Fisher said: “What is critical is a rapid response to any complaint. Any delay causes frustration for the customer and ultimately can become a nightmare.”

With four manufacturer endorsements, Autoprotect’s client base is a 50-50 mix of franchised and independent dealers. Operations director Michael McVeigh said: “If a customer approaches us by phone or online we refer them back to an appropriate repairer, who usually phones us and 96% of calls are approved there and then.”

Liz Grindell also emphasised the advantage of manufacturer-approved products (Allianz has 14): “It gives the assurance of repairs by qualified technicians using approved parts.”

Extended warranties viewed positively

There’s a general consensus that extended warranties are more positively regarded. “Some are better than others, but by and large they fulfil their obligations, with manufacturers more willing to contribute,” said McClure-Fisher. McVeigh said: “There’s a lot more cover now, with franchised offerings virtually a mirror image of the manufacturers’.”

Lucas Nowak believes claims made via a dealer policy rather than bought privately stand a greater chance of success in ‘grey areas’ because of the working relationship between the dealer and warranty provider.

Although manufacturer-approved offers have an edge in the franchised sector, WMS business development director Eric Stone said: “Many dealers retain a significant number of ‘too good to trade’ used vehicles outside their franchise, and this presents opportunities for other providers.”

Hemel-Hempstead-based Anthony Betts, for instance, uses Mondial for its Mitsubishi and Suzuki franchises, with the RAC and WMS for non-franchised stock.

Russell Patterson runs Revolutions, a Morgan franchise in Perth, and mostly prefers to self-fund “because the cars are bullet-proof, we rarely have any come back with problems”.

“Maybe I’m missing a trick by not offering cover beyond our standard 12 months, but I don’t like the idea of pointing to a piece of paper and saying that such and such is excluded – it’s bad PR,” said Patterson.