Hyundai introduces 3-year/36,000-mile free maintenance program for all 2020 vehicles

Hyundai used the Super Bowl spotlight to show off its “Smaht Pahk” feature on the 2020 Hyundai Sonata, but there was one other commercial that ran before the game even started. This one highlighted Hyundai’s new complimentary maintenance program, good for three years or 36,000 miles.

Luxury automakers are typically the only ones to offer free maintenance programs that are this extensive, and in many cases they don’t even last as long as Hyundai’s now does. So long as you purchase a 2020 model year Hyundai, and it was done after February 1 this year, you’ll be able to take advantage of the program. It covers oil changes, filter changes and tire rotations in that timespan — the program applies to both purchased and leased vehicles. The commercial that introduced the program ran during pregame, but it wasn’t anywhere near as entertaining as the Smaht Pahk feature we got to watch during the Super Bowl.

We took a lap around the industry to see how this perk compared to other brands. As we suspected, Hyundai is looking mighty impressive for a non-luxury brand now. The three-year plan length is matched by BMW, Genesis and Volvo. Jaguar has an impressive five-year/50,000-mile program, and Lincoln’s Black Label vehicles are nearly as good with a four-year/50,000-mile plan. Beyond those programs, not much else can compete. Some manufacturers offer two-year programs like Toyota, Lexus, and Subaru. Meanwhile, others only give you one free maintenance visit like Chevy, GMC, Buick, Cadillac and Alfa Romeo.

As of now, there’s still no news on whether or not Kia will introduce the same maintenance program as Hyundai for all of its vehicles. The K900 has previously come with a complimentary three-year plan, but that hasn’t been applied to the rest of the lineup. As Kia continues to ship more premium vehicles like the Stinger and Telluride, we wouldn’t be surprised if it adopts the same program.