A service contract or warranty quote is often shown as one figure, but that figure rests on eligibility rules that sit in the contract and in the seller's paperwork. Before you compare totals, find the age, mileage, and model year limits that decide whether the product can be sold for your vehicle at all, and whether the quote you were shown still holds once those limits are applied.
Where the limits appear
Eligibility limits usually appear in three places: the program terms, the enrollment form, and the seller's quote sheet. A limit may be stated as the vehicle's age measured from its first sale, its odometer reading at the time of purchase, or the model year shown on the title. Some contracts set one limit for when coverage must start and a different limit for when it must end. Read all three places and confirm that they agree with one another.
How a cutoff changes the figure
When a vehicle sits near a cutoff, the seller may quote a term that ends at the cutoff instead of the term you expected, may offer a shorter term for an older vehicle, or may require an inspection before the contract is accepted. Any of these changes what you are buying. Two quotes for the same vehicle can differ in total because one seller has written the term against a limit and the other has not. Ask each seller which limit applies, what reading or date would end coverage under that limit, and whether the figure you were shown would change if the sale closed later.
What a mileage limit does to a term
A contract may end on whichever comes first, a set period of time or a set odometer reading. A mileage-based ending can arrive sooner than expected for a driver who covers many miles, and the contract may end without a refund of the time that remains. Read the sentence that says which measure controls, and ask who records the odometer reading when the contract starts and when it ends. Keep a photo of the odometer or a service receipt that shows the reading at each point.
Questions to ask before you compare
Ask the seller, and check each answer against the written contract. Which age, mileage, and model year limits apply to this vehicle, and where in the contract is each one written? Does the quote I was shown already reflect this vehicle's current age and odometer reading, or would it change if the sale closed later? If the contract ends at a mileage limit, which reading ends it, and what happens to any time left on the term? If an inspection is required, who performs it, and what record of the starting condition will I receive? Is the quote the total I will pay, or can a fee, a required add-on, or a rider change the figure at signing?
Check the state rules, then the contract
State rules differ on which vehicles may be covered and on how eligibility must be disclosed. The state pages on this site name the regulator or program, cite the statute or rule, and print the as-of date for any roster the state publishes. Where this edition has not read a state's rule on a given point, the page says so. This explainer does not read any one contract and does not state what any company's eligibility limits are. Use the state page to learn the general rule, then use the contract in front of you to find the limit that applies to your vehicle.
What to keep
Keep the quote sheet, the signed contract, and any written statement of the eligibility limit the seller gave you. If the figure changes between the quote and the signed contract, ask for the reason in writing before you sign, and keep the earlier sheet together with the later one.