ROVER Group is considering the introduction of longer warranties with the launch of its Discovery replacement later this year. The manufacturer denied there were any concrete plans to extend its one-year warranty, but confirmed that the issue was on the agenda for the future.

'There are no immediate plans to extend our warranty, but that doesn't mean to say we won't do it in the future,' said a spokesman. 'The media tell us it's a big issue, but the public don't. If people start asking us to provide a three-year warranty, then we will do it, but at the moment we would rather put those resources elsewhere.'

A move to a three-year/60,000-mile warranty would be at odds with parent company BMW's current stance of 12 months' cover, but the spokesman said there would be no contradiction if Rover's stance changed. Both Ford and Vauxhall offer three-year/60,000-mile warranties on the Explorer and Monterey and have already experimented with extended policies on selected vehicles in the retail market. Last year the fleet industry called for all manufacturers to introduce three-year/60,000-mile warranties.