NEW car warranties are getting more generous.

Unlimited mileage and free servicing with three year cover are two of the latest offers to surface and the standard of used car warranty deals is keeping pace with them.

A quarter of a century ago, the typical used car warranty covered only the driveline, had a parts and labour limit of £100, lasted a maximum of 12 months and could not be transferred if you sold the vehicle.

Added to that, the warranty usually insisted on the vehicle being serviced every 3,000 miles, whatever the make.

An expensive business to be sure. But then, the expectations of the car-owning public were so much lower than their counterparts today.

Tim Heavisides, chief executive of Car Care Plan, one of Europe's leading vehicle warranty companies, says it wasn't only lower consumer expectations that resulted in such levels of cover 25 years ago.

"Dealers selling the cars also put warranties low down their list of priorities and, to be honest, they often regarded warranty work as an unwelcome burden on their workshop," says Heavisides.