Kia extends unlimited-kilometre warranty

KIA has become the first car company in Australia to offer fleet customers unlimited kilometres with a five-year warranty, bringing Kia’s business and government buyers into line with private owners.

The new warranty conditions, introduced on September 1, also apply to vehicles sold to novated lease customers, who previously were governed by fleet purchase conditions that restricted the maximum kilometres to 130,000km under warranty.

Exclusions include traditional high mileage vehicles such as rental cars, taxis, hire cars, courier vehicles and so on.

For business buyers, the new unlimited kilometre freedom means that more of the new-car warranty is likely to remain when they come to sell the vehicle after the usual two- or three-year ownership period, making the car a more attractive used-car purchase.

Kia Motors Australia chief operating officer Tony Barlow said the “level playing field” warranty would make owning a Kia even more attractive to the large number of fleet and lease buyers.

“Not the least of the anticipated benefits is the additional value the car will retain when sold at the usual two or three year renewal mark,” he said.

As well as a five-year warranty, Kia offers five-year Kia Connect capped-price service and three years of free map updates for customers who opt for satellite navigation.

Kia sister company Hyundai and French brand Renault also offer five-year unlimited kilometre warranties on cars sold to private buyers, while Mitsubishi has a five-year/130,000km warranty.