You're buying a car complete with a warranty, so there's nothing to worry about, right? Wrong. The quality and scope of backup can vary enough to tip the balance of owning a car from carefree to troublesome.

Warranties are a form of insurance, and most new cars nowadays come with
a three-year manufacturer's warranty covering pretty much all the working components that can go wrong, from engine to suspension. It will exclude parts that are expected to wear, such as tyres, brake pads and clutch plate, although there are exceptions when parts wear out prematurely or are damaged because of a fault elsewhere. Extending the warranty may push the price up, but offers peace of mind.

A Manufacturer-approved warranty guarantees the car's history and mechanical condition so look for the manufacturer-approved badge when buying. If you need repairs done under warranty and you're not tied to the garage which sold you the car, any garage taking part in the scheme will oblige.

You can even buy an individual warranty from a specialist company. Such policies will pay out on most major items. They'll also cover things like breakdown recovery, hire cars, travel and any hotel expenses that may be incurred during the time your car is off the road.

Whatever warranty you have, claims will depend on you servicing the car correctly. If you exceed the maintenance schedule by as little as 500 miles, or go over the service date by a month, your claim could be rejected. And modifying a car may even invalidate the warranty.