Most leased cars come with a manufacturer's warranty, typically a three-year or 36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. This covers most repairs except for worn parts like tyres and brake pads, and routine maintenance such as oil changes.

Some manufacturers offer additional warranties, like Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, which covers essential components like the engine and transmission.

While your leased vehicle may still be covered by a warranty when the lease ends, it's important to check which warranties are still valid if you’re considering buying out the lease or extending it.

If the length of your lease is longer than the warranty period or mileage offered by the manufacturer, then you may want to consider extending the warranty to cover the entire lease term.

At the end of the original lease agreement, you may also extend the contract or consider buying the vehicle. In either case, a warranty is an excellent idea if the vehicle is outside of the manufacturer's warranty period.

When looking around, be aware that cover and price will vary so be careful about the company and cover you choose so not to end up with a warranty that doesn't pay-out when you need it. 

Simply choosing the cheapest policy or getting your warranty from the garage you purchased your car from, without considering the alternatives, could see you losing out. 

A warranty won’t cover accidental damage - this will be covered by a comprehensive car insurance policy. Neither will it cover consumables, frictional or service parts such as brake pads, wiper blades, clutch plates and filters, unless they are found to be faulty from new. 

While most providers, including MotorEasy, will cover you for electrical failures, including the main drive battery, you should always check the small print to make sure you’re covered.

A warranty claim may be invalidated if you fail to maintain your vehicle according to its specified manufacturer service intervals.

In cases where you have been adjudged to have caused damage to the vehicle through neglect or poor driving, then you are responsible for any repairs – and will not be covered under any warranty.

And when it comes to carrying out those repairs, if you use non-original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, then it can also void the warranty.

Furthermore, if you have carried out any aftermarket modifications, then this will likely void your warranty agreement.

The price of your warranty will depend on the type of car you’re driving. A MotorEasy warranty can be as little as £16 per month on a basic hatchback, but can top £80 per month on a premium model or one with a poor reliability rating.

It depends on the individual warranty provider, so always check the small print. With MotorEasy for example, you can transfer your warranty, albeit you will be charged an admin fee costing around £30.

Here's our list of things to check so that you’ll have the best combination of price and cover if the worst happens.  

• What parts and parts costs are covered
• Does it cover the full garage hourly labour costs
• Which garages can you use for repairs
• Is there a repair excess to pay
• Is there a mileage restriction
• What maintenance is required to retain validity
• Will it cover failures due to all types of wear and tear
• Does it cover consequential damage/loss
• Are faults identified by the garage at MOT or service covered
• Will it pay for diagnostic time
• Does it cover failures due to overheating
• What is the individual and total claim limit
• What additional benefits are included

Warranties often stipulate an excess that you will need to pay each time you claim. The amount you'll need to cough up will vary significantly from provider to provider and will ultimately affect whether a policy is worth having. 

For example, if you have to pay the first £250 of any claim, then you are unlikely to see any real financial benefit should something go wrong, even if it is cheap in the first place. 

Instead, you need to look for a policy that offers suitable cover at an affordable price with the lowest excess; £50 or less is commonplace to make the cost of making a claim worthwhile.