By KBC Associate 
There are a lot of new automotive brands arriving in Australia and they’re all making big promises.
But Australian consumers can be a little wary, particularly considering that buying a new car – no matter how attractive its price tag and features are – is usually the second largest investment they will make after purchasing a house.
So trust and reliability are important factors when making a car-buying decision; you want to know that if anything goes wrong you’ll be covered.
And that’s why there is a warranty war brewing, with many of the newest brands setting new aftersales benchmarks to provide consumers with the peace of mind they need.
So, let’s see which of the newest automotive brands in Australia offer the best ownership credentials.
MG
Of the Chinese brands MG sets the standard for aftersales ownership provisions with a 10-year, 250,000km warranty across its entire model range, including its latest hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles.
For reference, Nissan offers a generous 10-year/300,000km warranty and Mitsubishi a 10-year/200,000km warranty, but both decade-long warranties are conditional on servicing at each Japanese brands’ authorised dealerships – if not the warranty is five years (or unlimited-km for Nissan and 100,000km for Mitsubishi).
MG’s warranty applies to all cars registered after August 1, 2024 and used for private purposes only, regardless of where they’re serviced. For business operators and fleets, the warranty period is seven years or 160,000km, whichever occurs first.
Also included during the warranty period is free roadside assistance.
Chery/Jaecoo
Chery and its subsidiary brand Jaecoo provide seven years of warranty coverage with unlimited kilometres for private buyers. For commercial use, the warranty duration remains the same, but the distance is capped at 150,000km, whichever comes first.
For its range of electric vehicles (EVs) including the E5, Chery provides an eight-year/unlimited-km warranty on the high-voltage battery.
It also offers free roadside assistance for the first 12 months, which is renewed annually for the duration of the warranty period if the vehicle is maintained through its authorised dealer network.
Geely
Newcomer Geely matches Chery for peace of mind, with a seven-year/unlimited-km warranty on vehicles bought for private use, and it guarantees that is high-voltage batteries will maintain at least 70 per cent of their original capacity over the first eight years.
For commercial use, the warranty coverage for both the vehicle and battery pack is reduced to 150,000km, without change to the time period.
Geely also provides free roadside assistance for the first year of ownership, which is extended up to seven years each time the vehicle is serviced through its dealer network.
BYD
BYD comes in next with a six-year warranty over 150,000km for both private and commercial customers.
The high-voltage battery pack and drive unit (which includes the electric motor and power controller) are covered for eight years or 160,000km, whichever comes first, with a guarantee that the battery will retain at least 70 per cent of its charge capacity over this period of time.
BYD also provides free roadside assistance for the first 12 months, which is renewed annually for up to six years with each logbook service.
LDV
You’ll need to read the fine print for each model in the LDV range to determine the warranty coverage as they differ drastically.
For its T60 ute, the diesel-powered Max version has the longest warranty period at seven years and 250,000km, with five years of free roadside assistance, but the electric eT60 is only covered for five years and 160,000km. Its battery pack, however, is guaranteed to retain a useable state of change for at least eight years.
The D90 large SUV, which uses the same fundamental mechanical underpinnings, is also covered for seven years with five years of roadside assistance, but the distance is reduced to 200,000km.
The petrol-powered MIFA people mover has the same level of coverage as the D90, but the electric MIFA 9 only has a five-year/160,000km warranty while the battery pack is covered for eight years and 200,000km.
The hard-working G10+ and V80 vans have the lowest warranty coverage at three years and 100,000km with free roadside assistance.
Interestingly, the mid-size Deliver 7 with a more powerful version of the same engine in the G10+ has a seven-year/200,000km warranty, while the electric eDeliver 7 is only covered for five years and 160,000km, but its battery is guaranteed for a longer distance of 250,000km over the first eight years.
And LDV’s largest model, the Deliver 9, which is available as either a van, cab chassis or bus in short- and long-wheelbase configurations, has a three-year/160,000km warranty for remaining model year 2023 stock, while newer versions are covered for seven years and 200,000km, all with free roadside assistance.
However, the electric eDeliver 9 is only covered for five years and 160,000km, and eight years for the battery pack.
GWM/Haval
All vehicles in the GMW/Havalrange are covered by a seven-year/unlimited-km warranty for private buyers, as well as for ABN holders, and general, national and government fleet use. However, commercial operators such as rental car, taxi and ride share operators have a limit on mileage of 150,000km.
For its passenger vehicles, including the Haval Jolion, H6, H6 GT SUVs, the Ora city hatch and regular Cannon ute, GWM provides five years of free roadside assistance. However, for owners of the Tank 300, Tank 500 and Cannon Alpha ute, this is extended to seven years.
Zeekr
Zeekr provides a five-year/unlimited-km warranty for its current range of vehicles – the ZeekrX and Zeekr 009 – for private buyers with free roadside assistance and connected services for the duration of the warranty period. The high-voltage battery is guaranteed to retain a useable charge capacity for at least eight years and 160,000km.
For commercial and fleet customers, the warranty period is reduced for three years and 120,000km.
Xpeng
The Xpeng G6 is covered by a standard five-year warranty but it has the shortest mileage clause here, at just 120,000km, though it does not stipulate between private and commercial use.
The battery pack, drive motor and battery management system are guaranteed for eight years and 160,000km.
However, buyers can choose to pre-purchase an extended warranty package from one to five years on the vehicle and an additional two years on the battery (providing up to 10 years of coverage) at an extra cost, ranging between $690 for one year on the vehicle to $2990 for five years, and $1990 for two years on the battery.
Leapmotor
One of the newest arrivals, Leapmotor, provides seven years of warranty coverage for its vehicle and eight years for its battery packs, with a total driving distance limit of 160,000km for both.
Early arrivals (MY24) of the C10 plug-in hybrid SUV are provided with five years of free roadside assistance while newer versions from MY25 have eight years.
Deepal
Deepal provides a seven-year/160,000km warranty for private buyers of its S07electric SUV, as well as the soon-to-be-released S05 compact SUV and the quirky E07 ‘Multitruck’, along with one year of free roadside assistance.
The warranty coverage is reduced to just one year and 120,000km for commercial users