Lexus says no to five-year warranty

Lexus has confirmed it will not extend its new car warranty beyond four years in Australia, despite parent company Toyota moving to a five-year factory provision recently.

With almost every mainstream player on the Australian new car market now offering a five-year warranty, it seems odd that just 12 months’ difference in cover can turn potential buyers away from a particular brand.

Or does it?

According to Lexus Australia chief executive, Scott Thompson (pictured), customers in the premium segment hold different expectations. As such, he said Lexus had no plans to upgrade its warranty offering beyond the four-year/100,000km deal offered to customers currently.

“The reality is that our focus at Lexus is around the bespoke customer attention that we have in our service departments, focussing in terms of our service loan cars, focussing in terms of giving our customers the ultimate experience with their service,” explained Thompson.

As the only prestige manufacturer to offer such a high level of support around its schedule servicing program, Lexus says its customers are pleased with the current arrangement, favouring the personal touch and attention to detail over the duration of the warranty program itself.

“From all of our internal reports – and from all of our conversations with our customers – it is our focus, and it will remain our focus for the moment,” Thompson emphasised.

Beyond the factory warranty, Lexus continues to offer a loan car to customers during scheduled servicing.

Alternately, it will also pick up and drop off the car to and from your home or office should you prefer. Lexus says it always washes and vacuums customer cars as part of the regular service, finding customers appreciate the “personal touch”.

Lexus also says its main rivals do not offer such a high degree of customer service as part of the standard servicing plan, and points out that although such packages are offered from time to time – and by certain dealerships – it holds the advantage where fixed factory warranties are concerned.

Of Lexus’ premium competitors, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche continue to offer a three-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Infiniti the only premium player to match Lexus with a four-year deal.

Of Lexus’ non-premium contemporaries, only Nissan offers less than a five-year warranty (three years/100,000km); almost every other player in the Australian new-car market offering five years as a minimum.