Independent research. Autwary does not use affiliate links, earn commissions or accept payment for rankings. How we review
This Protect My Car review breaks down what the company offered and how it handled claims.
Status update: Based on our latest research, Protect My Car is no longer selling new policies. We’re keeping this review online for existing policyholders and for historical reference, but if you’re shopping for a new plan, skip to our current top 10 ranking instead.
Short answer for anyone searching Protect My Car reviews: customer reviews were mixed to poor. The company held a C rating from the BBB with a 2.87/5 average across 462 reviews, and complaints focused on reaching customer service and getting the included oil changes and tire rotations honored. More importantly for shoppers, Protect My Car no longer sells new policies; Cars.com (updated May 2026) reports the same and says existing customers can still get claims processing and customer service.
Protect My Car built its business around budget-friendly, personalized coverage for higher-mileage vehicles. Here’s what its plans looked like while it was actively selling policies, and what existing customers should know now.
Protect My Car review: what the company offered
| Plan | Eligibility | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | High-mileage vehicles up to 20 years old | A/C, heating, electrical, seals/gaskets, cooling, fuel, drive axles, engine, transmission, transfer case |
| Deluxe | Under 150,000 miles | Essential coverage + suspension, steering, brakes |
| Ultimate | Lower-mileage vehicles | ~95% of factory components + 12 months of maintenance |
All plans included up to three annual oil changes, two yearly tire rotations, and a loyalty rewards program. Pricing wasn’t published online and required a call for a quote.
How the three tiers were structured
Essential was Protect My Car’s entry point and, notably, one of the more permissive plans in the industry on vehicle age. Accepting high-mileage vehicles up to 20 years old, a segment many competitors won’t quote at all. It covered a fairly broad list of systems for an entry-level plan: air conditioning, heating, electrical, seals and gaskets, cooling, fuel systems, drive axles, engine, transmission, and transfer case. Deluxe built on Essential by adding suspension, steering, and brakes, for vehicles under 150,000 miles. Ultimate, reserved for lower-mileage vehicles, was positioned as covering roughly 95% of a vehicle’s factory components and bundled in 12 months of maintenance. The closest thing in the lineup to a full bumper-to-bumper replacement plan.
Who Protect My Car was aimed at
While it was selling new policies, Protect My Car positioned itself specifically for owners of older, higher-mileage vehicles who wanted budget-conscious coverage plus small maintenance perks — the included oil changes and tire rotations were meant to offset some of the plan’s cost over a year of ownership. Its Essential plan’s 20-year age allowance made it a candidate worth calling for vehicles that many other providers wouldn’t cover at all.
Shoppers who valued instant published online pricing, or who wanted a provider with a stronger BBB customer review average, would have been better served by providers with more transparent quote tools or higher review scores, even while Protect My Car was still active. That’s now a moot point for new buyers, since the company isn’t selling new coverage — but it’s useful context if you’re trying to understand where Protect My Car fit in the market historically.
Waiting period, maintenance perks, and how claims worked
Like most providers in this space, Protect My Car applied a standard waiting period (commonly 30 days/1,000 miles) before a new policy became claim-eligible, and required pre-authorization through its claims line before repair work began. The bundled maintenance perks — up to three annual oil changes and two tire rotations — were meant to be used proactively throughout the year rather than saved for a single visit, and the most common complaints we found while researching this review centered on those specific perks not always being honored smoothly at the shop level, alongside general difficulty reaching customer service.
If you’re a current policyholder wondering about cancellation or refund terms, refer to the specific language in your own contract rather than assuming it matches what’s described here — terms could have varied by state and by when your policy was issued, and we can’t provide company-specific account information for any provider.
What Protect My Car’s pricing looked like
A few scenarios illustrating how Protect My Car’s plan structure was positioned while it was active, for context if you’re evaluating a similar provider today:
- A 2006 sedan with 175,000 miles: This is the kind of vehicle Essential was specifically built around. A 20-year age allowance meant this car would have remained eligible for coverage long after many competitors would have declined to quote it.
- A 2015 SUV with 110,000 miles: Fell under Deluxe’s under-150,000-mile eligibility, adding suspension, steering, and brake coverage on top of Essential’s already broad component list.
- A 2020 crossover with 25,000 miles: Would have been a candidate for Ultimate, the closest plan in the lineup to full factory-level coverage, plus the bundled 12 months of maintenance.
- A driver who valued the maintenance perks as much as the repair coverage: The included oil changes and tire rotations meaningfully changed the value equation versus a plan with no maintenance bundle at all. Useful context if you’re comparing a still-active provider’s own maintenance add-ons today.
- A shopper today comparing a discontinued provider’s old pricing to a current quote: Because Protect My Car never published rates online, there’s no historical price list to compare directly against today’s active providers. The more useful comparison is plan structure and eligibility (age/mileage allowances, bundled perks) rather than dollar figures.
BBB rating and complaints
Protect My Car held a C rating from the BBB with a 2.87/5 average across 462 reviews. Common complaints centered on reaching customer service and getting the included oil-change and tire-rotation benefits actually honored.
What if I already have a Protect My Car policy?
If you’re a current policyholder, your existing contract terms should still apply — contact the phone number or claims portal listed in your paperwork directly, since we can’t process claims on behalf of any provider. If you’re having trouble getting a response, see How to File a Complaint Against an Extended Warranty Company. Keep copies of every call and claim submission, and if you don’t get a response within a reasonable window, a complaint filed with the BBB or your state’s insurance regulator can help create a paper trail even if the company itself is winding down new sales.
Where to look instead
If Protect My Car’s high-mileage, budget-focused positioning is what drew you in, American Dream Auto Protect and Omega Auto Care serve a similar segment of the market today. Compared to other providers on our list, Protect My Car’s combination of a wide age allowance and bundled routine maintenance was a fairly distinctive value proposition. Most active competitors cover mechanical breakdowns but leave maintenance entirely to the owner, so if that bundled structure appealed to you, look specifically for providers that still offer maintenance credits or similar perks rather than assuming every remaining option covers the same ground.
Protect My Car vs CarShield
Protect My Car and CarShield were often compared because both targeted older, higher-mileage cars. Here is how they lined up on the points people search for most:
| Protect My Car | CarShield | |
|---|---|---|
| Selling new plans? | No | Yes |
| Plans | Essential, Deluxe, Ultimate | Aluminum, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, plus specialty plans |
| Oldest vehicles accepted | Up to 20 years old on Essential | 1996 and newer in our research |
| Maintenance perks | Up to 3 oil changes and 2 tire rotations a year | Not included |
| Published pricing | Quote by phone only | From about $99 a month advertised |
| BBB snapshot | C rating, 2.87/5 from 462 reviews | A+ letter grade, 1.33/5 consumer score |
| Regulatory history | None found in our research | $10 million FTC settlement in 2024 over deceptive ads |
Since only CarShield is still selling, the real choice today is CarShield versus the other active providers. We compare five of them in CarShield alternatives, and the full CarShield picture is in our CarShield review.
FAQ
Is Protect My Car still selling new policies?
No — based on our latest research, Protect My Car is no longer selling new policies. This review remains online for existing policyholders and for historical comparison purposes.
Will my existing Protect My Car contract still be honored?
We can’t speak on behalf of the company, but generally speaking, an active contract should continue to be honored per its written terms even if a company has stopped selling new policies. Contact the claims number in your own paperwork directly to confirm your specific situation.
What made Protect My Car’s Essential plan unusual?
Its 20-year vehicle age allowance was notably wider than many competitors, making it a plan worth considering for older, higher-mileage vehicles that other providers routinely declined to cover.
Did Protect My Car cover routine maintenance?
All plans bundled in up to three annual oil changes and two tire rotations, plus a loyalty rewards program. Extras that go beyond the mechanical breakdown coverage most competitors focus on exclusively.
What should I do if I can’t get a response about my existing policy?
Document every attempt to reach the company, then file a complaint with the BBB or your state’s insurance regulator if you don’t get a response within a reasonable window. See our guide on how to file a complaint against an extended warranty company for the specific steps.
Which active providers are most similar to what Protect My Car offered?
American Dream Auto Protect and Omega Auto Care both serve a similar higher-mileage, budget-conscious segment of the market today. Still, neither replicates Protect My Car’s specific maintenance-bundle structure exactly. Compare each provider’s own perks list directly.
Why do companies like Protect My Car stop selling new policies?
Providers can exit the market for a range of reasons: a shift in underwriting relationships, a business restructuring, or a strategic decision to wind down a product line. We don’t have confirmed details on Protect My Car’s specific reasons, and existing policyholders should rely on official communication from the company rather than speculation for anything affecting their coverage.
Is Protect My Car legit?
It was a real company that sold vehicle service contracts, not a scam, but its customer ratings were weak (BBB C rating, 2.87/5 average). It no longer sells new policies, so any caller offering you a “new Protect My Car plan” today deserves extra caution; see our guide to extended warranty scam calls.
Is Protect My Car insurance?
No. Like most “extended warranties” sold by third parties, its plans were vehicle service contracts: a contract to pay for certain repairs, not an insurance policy. The FTC explains the difference between a warranty and a service contract.
Can I cancel Protect My Car and get a refund?
Cars.com reports that the 30-day waiting period on new plans was marketed as a free-look period during which you could cancel and get your down payment back. After that, refunds depend on the cancellation clause in your own contract, usually prorated. Ask for the refund amount and the date in writing; our guide on cancelling an extended warranty for a refund has a step-by-step checklist.
What if Protect My Car won’t pay a claim?
Ask for the denial in writing with the contract clause it relies on, then appeal to the administrator named on your contract. If that fails, file a complaint with your state insurance department or attorney general and with the BBB. See what to do when an extended warranty claim is denied.
Autwary is supported by advertising and has no paid relationship with the companies we review. See our Advertising Disclosure.
For official consumer guidance, see the Federal Trade Commission’s guide to auto warranties and auto service contracts.
