Best CPO Programs

Key Points:

• Kia has the best CPO program with a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and an additional 12 months/12,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage.
• CPO warranties usually add one to two years of bumper-to-bumper coverage.
• Economy cars with CPO plans can cost a few hundred dollars more, while luxury cars can cost a few thousand more.

Lightly used vehicles are eligible for certified pre-owned (CPO) programs from manufacturers that include inspections by factory-trained technicians and longer warranty periods. However, not all manufacturers offer the same level of extended coverage.

In this article, we’ll rank our top picks for the best CPO programs among auto manufacturers. We’ve reviewed the best extended car warranty companies in the industry, and we’ll highlight a few recommendations if you want coverage beyond a CPO warranty.

An extended car warranty refers to mechanical breakdown coverage offered by a vehicle manufacturer. However, this term is often mistakenly used to describe coverage from third-party companies. Independent providers offer similar protection through vehicle service contracts, but we’ve used the terms interchangeably in this article for convenience.

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5 Best CPO Programs

Our top picks for the best CPO warranty programs are Kia, Hyundai, Honda, Acura, and Jaguar. 

1. Kia

Kia already has a great factory warranty. The Kia factory warranty includes bumper-to-bumper coverage for 5 years/60,000 miles and powertrain coverage for 10 years/100,000 miles. The CPO program keeps the powertrain coverage for the full term. (Only non-CPO used vehicles come with 5 years/60,000 miles of powertrain coverage.)

CPO Kias also get an additional year or 12,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage. This begins when the factory warranty expires or when the car is purchased (if the factory warranty has already expired).

The CPO program also provides 10 years/unlimited miles of roadside assistance. Be aware that the plan does require a $50 deductible for covered repairs.

2. Hyundai

Hyundai also offers a long 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty to original owners. Its CPO program upholds this term to secondary buyers instead of shortening it to 5 years/60,000 miles, like Kia does. Eligible vehicles have to be younger than five years and have less than 60,000 miles. 

The difference with Hyundai’s CPO plan is that owners don’t get any extra bumper-to-bumper coverage. They just get the remainder of the original 5-year/60,000-mile Hyundai warranty. Repairs require a $50 deductible. Hyundai’s program does come with roadside assistance for 10 years/unlimited miles. 

3. Honda

Honda has one of the best CPO programs around. There are three levels to the program:

• HondaTrue Certified+: These vehicles have to be within one year and 12,000 miles of the original purchase. They get 5 years/86,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and 7 years/100,000 miles of powertrain coverage.
• HondaTrue Certified: Most CPO Hondas fall into this category. The cars need to be younger than five years and have less than 80,000 miles. These vehicles get an additional 1 year/12,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and 7 years/100,000 miles of powertrain coverage.

• HondaTrue Used: This program gives 100 days/5,000 miles of powertrain and bumper-to-bumper coverage to models up to 10 years old.

Honda’s warranty covers bumper-to-bumper components for 3 years/36,000 miles, so 5 years/86,000 miles is a good level of coverage.

Honda’s certified pre-owned program requires no deductible. It comes with roadside assistance and two oil changes for free (one oil change for HondaTrue Used cars).

4. Acura

Acura is another good option if you’re looking for a CPO vehicle. For cars with 5 years/80,000 miles or less, the company offers the following under its Precision Certified program:

• An additional 2 years/100,000 miles on the odometer of bumper-to-bumper coverage (from 4 years/60,000 miles under the Acura factory warranty)
• An extended powertrain warranty of 7 years/100,000 miles (from 6 years/70,000 miles)
• One free scheduled maintenance visit including an oil change
• Roadside assistance for 2 years/100,000 miles
• $0 deductible for repairs

Acura also has a Precision Used program for cars 10 years old and under. It provides an additional 6 months/7,500 miles of warranty coverage (both types) along with 12 months/12,000 miles of roadside assistance and a free oil change.

5. Jaguar

Jaguar is a luxury brand that stands out for its CPO program. The new vehicle limited warranty lasts for 5 years/60,000 miles, while CPO vehicles get 7 years/100,000 miles of coverage. This is a bumper-to-bumper warranty that includes powertrain coverage. It’s one of the longest CPO coverage periods for a luxury automaker.

CPO vehicle owners pay $0 for covered repairs. They also get roadside assistance for the duration of the plan.

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Factory CPO Program Comparison

Below, you can compare CPO programs from 30 car companies. You’ll see that most provide a year or two of bumper-to-bumper coverage along with extra perks like 24-hour roadside assistance. Some companies like Acura and Buick provide maintenance for a time within the CPO program.

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Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Guide

In this section, we’ll cover what a CPO warranty is, how it works, whether it’s worth having, and more.

What Is A CPO Warranty?

A CPO warranty is an extension of the original warranty on eligible vehicles. When used cars are under a certain mileage and year threshold, they can be inspected by factory-trained technicians to earn the CPO badge and receive a slightly longer factory warranty. 

This provides peace of mind to buyers considering the car would have gone through a rigorous inspection process and checked for mechanical and cosmetic issues. Because of the extra labor and certification, a car with a CPO warranty will cost slightly more than a car in the same condition without one.

How CPO Programs Work

CPO vehicles start out as new vehicles sold to customers, fleets, or businesses. They are then sold or traded back to franchised dealers of the brand. Let’s say you trade in a 2021 Camry for a 2023 Camry at a Toyota dealership. That dealer can consider the 2021 model for the manufacturer’s CPO program. But if you trade it in to a non-Toyota dealer, it wouldn’t be eligible for a CPO program.

CPO Requirements

Manufacturers set guidelines for which cars are eligible. In most cases, the model years have to be less than five or six years in total. It also has to have fewer than 70,000 or 80,000 miles along with a clean vehicle history report. It will then have to pass an inspection of about 150 to 250 points depending on the manufacturer.

Mechanical Service

The dealer will take the car for a test drive and run a history check on the vehicle. If the history is good, the dealer will spend time and money on a thorough inspection along the manufacturer’s guidelines and fix mechanical issues. Only mechanics trained for the manufacturer’s CPO program can inspect and perform repairs. This means only franchised dealerships have official CPO programs–not used car dealers.

Cosmetic Refresh

The service team will also detail the car inside and out. They’ll make any necessary cosmetic repairs like replacing dashboard buttons or ripped seat covers. Most cars considered for CPO programs are already in good condition.

Higher Price Tag

CPO programs command higher price tags because of all the work that goes into inspecting and fixing the vehicle. A certified pre-owned vehicle isn’t a car the dealer just bought, vacuumed, and then put on the lot right away. You can expect to pay a few hundred to a few thousand more for a CPO car. The CPO premium for budget and economy vehicles is in the hundreds, but you’ll see a higher jump for luxury CPO cars, CPO SUVs, and pickups.

Longer Factory Warranty

Besides peace of mind, the main benefit of buying a CPO vehicle is the longer warranty period. This comes automatically on the vehicle at no cost to you. You could get one or two years of extra bumper-to-bumper coverage depending on the manufacturer. In most cases, this is the same coverage as the original factory warranty and it shows the company stands by its CPO program.

Manufacturers Can Offer Multiple CPO Programs

Some companies, like Nissan and Honda, offer multiple CPO levels. In Honda’s case, cars of different ages can be eligible for three programs: HondaTrue Used, Honda True Certified, and HondaTrue Certified+. Nissan has two standard certified programs: Nissan Certified and Certified Select.

Companies can also offer special CPO programs for electric vehicles. Nissan and Ford’s EV Certified programs are examples of this.

Is Buying A CPO Vehicle Worth It?

Getting a CPO vehicle can certainly be worth it, especially if the cost isn’t much higher than a comparable non-CPO model. With a CPO car, you can be more confident of its history and expect fewer repairs on average after driving it off the lot compared to a basic used vehicle.

Other Certified Programs

You may come across other dealerships and car selling websites that offer “certified” vehicles. However, this doesn’t mean the car was inspected by factory-trained technicians. In most cases, these aftermarket certification programs are created by the dealership itself. 

For example, Carvana sells some vehicles with the Carvana Certified label. These vehicles have Carvana’s highest level of cosmetic reconditioning and have no accidents on their records. But Carvana Certified has nothing to do with the car manufacturer and it doesn’t provide any extra factory warranty coverage.

Similarly, all CarMax vehicles are CarMax Certified. They pass a 125-point inspection and have no flood or frame damage. Again, this is a designation made by CarMax and it’s not the same as a vehicle having a CPO warranty from its manufacturer.

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Best CPO Warranties: Our Take

At the end of the day, a certified pre-owned car can certainly be worth it if you can afford the higher price tag and don't mind returning to the dealership for repairs. Kia, Hyundai, Honda, Acura, and Jaguar offer great plans, but all manufacturers have some type of CPO program. 

Best Extended Car Warranty Companies

While CPO warranty programs are great, they don’t last forever. You can find extended coverage from the manufacturer, but you can also look into third-party companies like Endurance and Olive^®. These providers usually offer more flexibility for where you can go for repairs and are often cheaper for similar coverage.

Endurance: Best Coverage

Endurance has been around since 2006 and it offers six coverage options. The Endurance Supreme plan is a factory-level contract that covers almost any breakdown. The Advantage™ plan covers mechanical breakdowns plus maintenance services like oil changes and brake pad replacement. Endurance is a good option if you want high-level coverage beyond a CPO warranty.

Keep reading: Endurance Warranty review

Olive: Best Online Process

Olive is another great option for extended coverage. Having reviewed all major providers, we found Olive offered the best online experience. It's a newer company so it caters to shoppers who are comfortable in the digital world. You can easily compare the fine print of its three plans online. You can also buy a plan, find repair shops, submit a claim, and get help all through its website.

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CPO Warranty Programs: FAQ

Below are a few frequently asked questions about the best CPO programs.

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How We Rate Car Warranty Companies

Our review team extensively researches extended car warranty providers to deliver informed and unbiased assessments of leading companies. We evaluate several key rating factors that are important to consumers to determine which providers are the best in the industry:

• Reliability: Warranty providers that earn strong ratings from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), work with reliable partners and administrators, and have a long history in the warranty industry score well in this category.
• Coverage Plans: We take a close look at the coverage plans available through each provider, including how many are offered, maximum term limits, plan exclusions, and more. We also evaluate the added benefits companies include with their warranty plans, such as roadside assistance and trip interruption benefits.
• Pricing: Our team performs a secret shopper analysis for a variety of vehicles and coverage plans to get a sense of a provider’s average costs. We see how each company’s pricing, deductible options, and discount opportunities compare to competitors when determining this score. 
• Transparency: We evaluate the availability and transparency of each company’s contracts, as well as whether each provider offers a money-back guarantee.
• Customer Experience: We consider customer reviews and complaints from sites like the BBB and Trustpilot. Our team also reaches out to customer service reps during our secret shopper analysis to get a sense of the customer experience with each company.

*Data accurate at time of publication.

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