Arcfox Extended Warranty Under Fire for Undisclosed Limits; Ride-Hailing Drivers Question Battery Degradation Exclusion

On August 12, Mr. Li, a ride-hailing driver from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, reported that he had paid an additional RMB 4,680 for an extended warranty service—marketed by the salesperson as “5 years or 500,000 kilometers coverage for the three core electric components”—when purchasing his vehicle. After taking delivery of the car, Mr. Li discovered that the extended warranty contract explicitly excluded battery performance degradation from coverage and imposed a repair compensation cap of RMB 30,000. These terms had not been proactively disclosed during the sales process. Mr. Li stated that he had confirmed the details of the extended warranty twice at the Arcfox Center located in Hengwang Auto City, Xinjian District, Nanchang, and only proceeded with the purchase after receiving affirmative assurances from the sales staff. He later found the restrictive clauses buried in a hidden section of the Arcfox mobile app. Under these terms, any battery repair costs exceeding RMB 30,000 would have to be borne by him personally, and no compensation would be provided whatsoever for normal battery degradation. The store manager acknowledged failing to proactively disclose these limitations, explaining, “Many customers would object, so we usually don’t mention it—I can just choose not to say anything.” The dealership offered to refund the RMB 4,680 extended warranty fee, but Mr. Li refused, arguing that his decision to purchase the vehicle was based on the promised extended warranty coverage, whereas the manufacturer’s standard warranty only covers 6 years or 150,000 kilometers. The store claimed the terms originated from the manufacturer and could not provide further clarification. In response, Arcfox’s official customer service stated that extended warranty conditions should be clearly communicated to consumers in advance and confirmed that the case has been logged and escalated to the relevant department for handling.