When providers are compared, the headline term is usually the first thing people look at. But a contract ends on whichever limit it reaches first: the time limit, the mileage limit, or in some cases the age of the vehicle when the contract is sold. Two contracts with the same time limit can stop at very different points if one counts from the odometer on the sale day and the other counts from the original factory warranty. To judge providers fairly, you have to line up the same three limits, in the same units, with the same starting point.
Line up the start point first
Find out when the clock starts. Some contracts start the time limit on the day of sale, some on the day the original factory warranty expires, and some on the day the contract is registered. Find out how mileage is counted: from the odometer at the sale, from the manufacturer's warranty expiry, or from a figure printed in the contract. Write down the start point for each provider you read. Do not compare a limit from one contract with a limit from another until the starting points match.
Ask which limit ends the coverage first
Read the clause that says when coverage ends and check whether it names one limit or several. A contract that ends on whichever limit comes first can end sooner than the owner expects. Ask whether there is any grace period at the end of the term, and whether a claim started before the end is still handled after it. Those questions are about the wording, and the wording is what you will be held to.
Check the age limit at the time of sale
Many contracts set a maximum vehicle age and mileage at the time of sale. A car past that limit may not be enrollable at all, and that rule applies before any coverage question comes up. If your car is older or has more miles than a typical new car, read the age limit before anything else. Providers that accept older and higher-mileage cars publish their caps, and the high-mileage page on this site orders providers by the maximum vehicle age each one publishes, so you can compare those caps directly.
Use one checklist for every provider you read
Build a short sheet with three rows: the time limit and its start point, the mileage limit and how it is counted, and the age cap at sale. Fill it in for every provider you are considering, using the contract wording rather than the sales summary. Then compare the sheets, not the brochures. This site is paid by some of the providers it lists, and placements are labeled as such. The methodology page explains how the order on any list was set, so read it before you let an order decide anything for you.