Vauxhall is still finalising details of what it says will be a ‘cost-effective’ second owner warranty proposition, but it also brings into question the thousands of ex-rental, ex-demonstrator and self-registered cars that appear in the dealer network.

Currently all cars sold through the Network Q used car programme operated by the Vauxhall network are sold with a 12-month warranty, or the remainder of the original manufacturer warranty if it is longer.

But Vauxhall says the deal will benefit its fleet customers who have welcomed the move.

Vauxhall fleet sales director Maurice Howkins told Fleet News: “I’ve spoken to rental companies, major leasing companies and some corporate customers, and as a brand-building initiative we’ve been given some very positive feedback.

“It’s an industry-leading warranty programme and the fact that we’ve included fleet customers is a sign of how confident we are in our products, which are as good now as I’ve ever seen in all the segments we compete in.”

Although the cover only applies to cars, Howkins pointed out that Vivaro and Movano van are already covered by a three-year/100,000-mile warranty, although car-derived vans in the range are subject to a maximum three years/60,000 miles.

Before the Vauxhall announcement, the longest warranty duration offered as standard was Kia’s seven-year/100,000-mile cover, originally only available on certain products, but extended across its range in February.

Toyota recently extended its cover to five years/100,000 miles to help restore faith in quality after recent recalls, while Hyundai has offered a five-year/unlimited mileage warranty since 2002.

There are no signs that other car manufacturers are planning changes to their own warranty arrangements.

Ford has no plans to extend its current three-year/60,000-mile warranty.

A spokesman told Fleet News:

“We believe that Ford's existing warranty programmes are competitive and offer customers confidence and peace of mind when they purchase a Ford vehicle. 

“We do, however, continuously review our programmes to ensure we are offering our customers competitive warranty programmes.”

To check out the latest Vauxhall car reviews, come to the Fleet News car reviews page.