If you are looking to buy a car battery, you may have come across the terms prorated warranty and non-prorated warranty.
Let’s take a look at what these two terms mean.
Non-Prorated
A non-prorated warranty protects against any battery defects, and you will get a free replacement if you have issues. With a non-prorated warranty, you get full protection. You don’t have to pay for the cost of the repair or replacement.
With a non-prorated car battery warranty, should your car battery fail to hold a charge during the free replacement warranty period, your battery will be replaced for free.
Prorated
With a prorated warranty, you will have to pay for some of the replacement battery’s cost. The battery manufacturer will cover part of the defective battery cost.
If you have a prorated warranty, should your car battery fail during the warranty period, will you be reimbursed for the remaining portion. A prorated battery with a 5-year warranty fails in 2.5 years. You will be refunded only 50% of the purchase price. Sometimes, the reimbursement can only be applied to your next replacement battery.
Non-prorated then Prorated
Manufacturers will divide a warranty into a non-prorated and prorated terms.
Some car batteries may start with a non-prorated warranty for the first 1, 2, 3, or 5 years; this is referred to as the free replacement period. If your battery fails during this time, you should get a free replacement battery.
After that, the battery warranty switches to prorated. You will only be partially reimbursed if your car battery dies and no longer holds a charge.
Example
Let’s say you buy a battery that has a 6-year warranty. First, two years have a free replacement. After that, it is prorated. After the free replacement warranty (non-prorated) is up, you are now on the prorated period.
If your battery fails during:
Year 3 – You will be only refunded 75 % of the battery value.
Year 4 – You will be refunded 50% of the battery value.
Year 5 – You will be refunded 25% of the battery value.
Year 6 – After year 6, you get a refunded 0%.
What does Battery Limited Warranty mean?
A limited battery warranty will cover only certain circumstances and a limited amount of time. The whole battery industry is going away from prorated battery warranties.
Now you will find a 1, 2,3,4 years for free replacement and no warranty (prorated) after that.
We hope you find the Prorated vs Non-Prorated Car Battery Warranty guide helpful. Check these troubleshooting and repair guides for more help on your vehicle.