Select Auto Protect (also called Select Auto Inc.) is not one of NerdWallet’s top picks for an extended car warranty. The company doesn’t offer online quotes, so you have to call or email. We were told we had to pay the full amount upfront, but after we pushed back, they gave us the option to pay in four monthly installments.
The quotes we got from Select were the lowest among the companies we reviewed, but the sample agreement we got is vague about coverage. The Select website advertises its top-tier plan as exclusionary, but the sample contract we received only lists covered parts, which is called named-component coverage and isn’t exclusionary.
Select is also not accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has an F rating on the BBB website. There’s no fee to transfer a Select warranty to a new owner, and plans are available in nearly all states.
To give you a better idea of Select’s offerings, NerdWallet’s editorial team investigated contracts, compared quotes for different vehicles and read dozens of customer reviews. Here’s what we found.
Why trust NerdWallet
Our Home Services Team reviewed nine extended warranty companies across 50 unique rating factors.
We've read hundreds of pages of service agreements to compare coverage, exclusions and policies.
We've researched more than just the biggest national extended car warranty companies.
The Nerds' take on Select Auto Protect
What we liked: Select’s pricing is the lowest among the companies we reviewed — as low as about 3 cents per mile. It’s also the only company we reviewed that says it doesn’t charge any deductible for repair services. Select also offers rental car reimbursement and limited roadside assistance coverage. Contracts are transferable to new owners with no fee, and the Select website says agents are available 24/7 to help with claims, which only Premier Auto Protect and American Dream Auto Protect do.
What could be better: Select is the only company we reviewed that doesn’t offer an exclusionary plan, though they advertise their top-tier plan as exclusionary. Actual coverage is unclear; our sample contract lumped together electrical and technological features. The contract also doesn’t mention aggregate limits, which is the maximum total amount a warranty company will pay for repairs on your car. Overall, the information we got from the company was vague, and we asked several questions about coverage and pricing that they refused to answer.
📌 Select Auto Protect extended car warranty plans
Select offers three plans. These were the terms Select gave us for the vehicles we requested quotes for:
2025 Audi A4: nine years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.
2025 Toyota RAV4 XLE: eight years or 90,000 miles, whichever comes first.
All Select plans include rental car and trip interruption coverage, 24/7 roadside assistance and gas delivery. These are Select’s tiers, from narrowest to widest coverage:
Silver: Basic coverage. Covers the following components and systems:
Engine.
Transmission.
Cooling system.
Brake system.
Electrical system.
Drive axle.
Gold: Covers everything in the Silver plan, plus lockouts and the steering system.
Platinum: Covers everything in the Gold plan, plus the following components and systems:
Anti-lock braking system.
Air conditioning system.
Heating system.
Fuel system.
Turbo or supercharger.
High-tech components.
Front suspension.
Back suspension.
All-wheel drive.
💸 How much Select will cost you
These were the costs we were quoted for Select’s highest-tier (Platinum) plan, adjusted to include down payments and likely contract terms. Select wouldn’t give us pricing information for lower-priced plans.
2025 Toyota SUV with 5k miles: $36.67 monthly or 3.1 cents per mile.
2025 Audi sedan with 7k miles: $40.96 monthly or 3.4 cents per mile.
The price you’ll pay depends on your car’s make, model, age and mileage. Select originally told us we could only pay upfront, but when we pushed back, we were told we could pay in four monthly installments for the first four months. Select does not have an online customer portal.
🔎 Spotted by the Nerds: Select only reimburses your chosen repair facility directly once your claim is approved. Some other companies, like Endurance and CarShield, say they will either reimburse you personally or the repair facility.
How Select pricing compares to competitors
Select’s highest-priced plan was lower than the average prices we found when shopping for both of the vehicles we requested quotes for, though it’s not a true exclusionary plan. These are the average costs we found when shopping for an exclusionary plan across all the extended warranty companies we reviewed:
2025 Toyota SUV with 5k miles: $63 average monthly (about $35 to $115 range), or 5.4 cents per mile.
2025 Audi sedan with 7k miles: $84 average monthly (about $40 to $175 range), or 7.69 cents per mile.
Deductible cost
Select representatives told us via email that there’s no deductible for repairs. This is rare among extended warranties; deductibles across the companies we reviewed range from $100 to $500 per repair. However, other online reviews of Select Auto Protect report a $100 deductible.
Several companies charge a higher deductible ($500) for engine or transmission repairs, and a lower deductible ($250) for other repairs, and some let you choose a higher or lower deductible for an adjusted monthly payment.
💡 Select's membership perks are minimal
Like most other extended warranty companies we reviewed, Select offers 24-hour roadside assistance including towing, flat tire replacement, gas delivery and battery services. Lockout services aren’t included with Select’s lowest-priced plan.
🔎 Spotted by the Nerds: Select’s roadside assistance is limited to one service per seven days, which is generous compared to some competitors. Select will reimburse up to $100 per occurrence for towing, $40 for a jump start and $25 for a lockout.
There are a few extra benefits you get with a Select extended warranty:
Rental car coverage. Select pays up to $35 per day for you to rent a car while your vehicle is under service for up to seven days, with a maximum payout of $245 per repair. This is about average; several companies pay more (CarShield’s maximum is $420) and several others pay less (Endurance’s maximum is $150).
Trip interruption. If your breakdown happens when you’re more than 100 miles from home, Select will pay $60 per day toward your expenses for three days ($180 maximum). Some companies, like Olive and Premier, don’t explicitly offer this type of coverage, while others, like CarShield and CARCHEX, offer up to $500 total. However, most other companies don’t set the 100-mile minimum to qualify for this coverage.
🚨 Missing links with Select Auto Protect
We ask extended warranty companies a lot of questions — over 50, in fact — about their coverage before we write a review. Here are a few data points we got from most other companies that Select didn’t provide, meaning we don’t know whether they provide this element to customers:
Exact coverage. Select’s three plans broadly list the systems they cover, including “hi-tech” systems, but it’s not very clear exactly what each plan really covers. There’s no exclusionary plan, which means it covers all parts and systems except listed exceptions, and there’s no clear basic powertrain-only tier.
Aggregate limits. Select’s website and sample contract doesn’t mention an aggregate limit, which is the total amount a warranty will pay for repairs to your car. Other extended warranties we reviewed set a dollar aggregate limit or set limits at the car’s trade-in value, which can be more generous depending on how much your car is worth. Select’s website does say, however, that there’s “no limit” to the number of claims you can file.
Resulting damage. Select doesn’t mention whether they cover damage to a non-covered part caused by a covered part. Some other companies do offer this coverage, though extended warranty companies don’t typically cover the opposite case: damage from a non-covered part to a covered part.
Emergency repair report window. Select’s website and sample contract don’t address the amount of time you have to report an emergency, non-authorized repair. Other companies state that you have to report the next business day or within five business days.
» Learn more: How to file a car warranty claim in four steps
🚙 Used-car coverage may be accessible
According to the Select website, any vehicle in “good working condition” can qualify for an extended warranty, no matter the age. This is rare for an extended warranty; most of the companies we reviewed set a maximum mileage limit for eligibility, typically 200,000 to 300,000 miles. We can’t make any promises about the coverage quality for older vehicles, though.
Who can get a Select Auto Protect plan?
A Select phone representative told us that their plans are available in every state except California, where there are special rules for vehicle service contracts.
🚨 Nerd Alert: In 2025, the state of Oklahoma issued a cease-and-desist against Select Auto Protect, alleging that the company was not authorized to sell vehicle service contracts (a.k.a. extended warranties) in the state.
What car owners say about Select Auto Protect
This section highlights customer reviews and posts about Select. I sifted through customer reviews on Reddit, an online forum where users share their thoughts in “threads” on various topics, as well as Trustpilot, ConsumerAffairs and the Better Business Bureau website, to get a pulse check on how users feel about Select. People post anonymously, so we cannot confirm their individual experiences or circumstances. Likewise, I can’t verify the experiences customers post on consumer review websites.
Positive reviews for Select Auto Protect focus mainly on the sales experience rather than the claims process. Customers who left five-star reviews comment on the ease of setup and the sales representatives’ patience answering questions and negotiating pricing. A few rare positive reviews also report smooth claim resolution, though one mentions paying a $200 deductible, which Select told NerdWallet they don’t charge.
🟢 A standout positive review:
“Angela was very helpful in providing detailed information regarding setting up on warranty plan. She explained all steps thoroughly with questions answered.”
— Katherine, ConsumerAffairs review, June 2026
The vast majority of online reviews of Select are negative. Most one-star reviews of Select comment on claim denials and slow communication, which reflect common customer complaints about extended warranties. Many customers say that repairs they thought were covered were denied with little or no explanation, or dismissed as pre-existing conditions. Several customers also report issues receiving prorated refunds, and several reviewers say they escalated to small claims court. Many online reviewers warn against extended warranties overall and recommend putting that money into a savings account.
🔴 A standout negative review:
”They sent an inspector a week late, didn’t communicate a thing to me or the shop, and then flat-out refused to cover a clear water pump failure — on a truck that couldn’t even be driven.”
— Jacob, Better Business Bureau review, November 2025
Select is not Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited and has an F rating on the BBB website, where it earns an average rating of 1.5 out of 5 stars. It earns similarly low scores on the ConsumerAffairs website, but higher ratings (3.4 out of 5 stars) on Trustpilot, another customer review website.
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What to know before buying an extended car warranty
To help avoid costly misunderstandings in the future, make sure to read the coverage and exclusions information in your contract. You have a right to read your contract before purchasing a plan, and it’s important to understand that extended car warranties:
They always have exclusions to coverage, no matter what their sales pitches say. Read your contract carefully before purchasing a plan — especially anything listed as an exclusion or limit of liability. For example, extended warranties tend not to cover damage to a covered part that’s caused by a non-covered part.
They’re not a type of insurance. Even though some companies call their service fees deductibles, car warranties do not work the same way as insurance policies. They differ in what they cover and how they pay for repairs or replacements. An extended car warranty is not a substitute for car insurance, and it’s not legally required like car insurance.
They can deny your claim for several reasons. Examples include work performed on a covered item without approval, or modification of a system with aftermarket or used parts.
They may not pay enough to cover the full cost of repairing a covered item. For example, extended car warranties often authorize hourly labor rates up to the repair facility's posted labor rate, and reimburse for the hours needed to complete the repair based on a nationally recognized labor guide. Your repair may take longer or cost more than your warranty is willing to pay.
Frequently asked questions about Select Auto Protect
How long do you have to have Select before you can use it?
Select’s waiting period for coverage is 30 days and 1,000 miles, which is standard among the companies we reviewed. Competitor Olive has no wait time for you to start making claims after purchasing a warranty.
Does Select offer refunds?
Select, like many other extended warranty providers, offers a full refund if you cancel within the first 30 days of your plan. After 30 days, you can still cancel for a prorated refund, though you’ll have to pay a $25 administrative fee.
Can I transfer my Select car warranty to a new car owner?
Select says their extended warranties are transferable and they don’t charge a fee. Most other extended warranties we reviewed are transferable for free or for a $50 fee, though one company (Toco) doesn’t allow transfers at all.
Alternatives to Select Auto Protect
Endurance
Best overall
$$$
Yes
Excellent
Why it's a good alternative to Select Auto Protect
Endurance:
Is a direct provider and administrator that handles most of its own claims in-house.
Offers seven customizable plans with built-in trip interruption coverage and roadside assistance.
Makes quotes available online and clearly explains coverage in preview contracts.
This option makes more sense for car owners who want extra perks from a direct administrator.
Olive
Best consumer-friendly terms
$$
Yes
Limited
Why it's a good alternative to Select Auto Protect
Olive:
Is the only extended car warranty company we reviewed with no waiting period for coverage to begin.
Spells out exact national guides used to set labor cost limits.
Has among the lowest per-mile and per-month cost for non-luxury car brands.
This option makes more sense for car owners who don't want to wait 30 days for their extended warranty to kick in.
Premier Auto Protect
Best for 24/7 claim filing
$$$
No
Good
Why it's a good alternative to Select Auto Protect
Premier Auto Protect:
Offers 24/7 claims submission.
This option makes more sense for car owners who want the ability to file a claim anytime.
How we rate and review car warranties
Our Home Services team reviews car warranty companies with our readers in mind. We provide unbiased reviews that consider several factors, including cost, covered items, coverage limits, customer ratings, ability to choose your own repair shop and transparency. When rating car warranties, we researched 9 companies, compared terms and conditions in their service agreements and read customer reviews from three consumer review websites. While NerdWallet does have partnerships with some car warranty companies, our editorial team is not involved in that process to ensure unbiased reviews and recommendations. Read more about how NerdWallet rates car warranties.
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