Are Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) Cars Worth It?

Certified pre-owned (CPO) cars are popular with buyers who want to minimize the risk of buying a used car. They often come with added benefits versus buying an uncertified car, such as a limited warranty, roadside assistance and loaner vehicles. Understandably, CPO vehicles often carry a higher price than non-certified models. Many people feel comfortable paying that premium because of the peace of mind a CPO program gives them.

But a CPO car's perceived quality and added cost tend to bring higher expectations from buyers. One disenchanted buyer in the Edmunds forums put it this way: "When I buy a certified car with 10,000 miles on it, I expect to not have any issues with anything for a good amount of time." But that's not always a reasonable expectation, and here's why.

Perfection not guaranteed

The entry criteria of many vehicle manufacturers' CPO programs mean that the caliber of vehicle is often higher than a buyer might find elsewhere, but it doesn't mean that the cars are perfect. It's hard to fault consumers for thinking that might be the case given the way some CPO programs are marketed. 

Every advertisement would have you believe that a CPO vehicle is just like new, but ultimately, a CPO car is still a used car, and both time and mileage will have taken some toll. A CPO vehicle may have gone through a 200-point inspection, but that doesn't mean that 200 parts were replaced. Often, CPO inspections don't involve more disassembly than removing the car's wheels, so hidden issues can remain.

"You can never take a used car and make it new again," says Michelle Primm, managing partner at Cascade Auto Group in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Avoiding CPO problems

Here are a few ways to sidestep or resolve issues on a certified pre-owned car:

Make sure it is a genuine CPO vehicle: Sometimes a dealership will label a vehicle as "certified," but it isn't the same thing as a manufacturer's CPO program. If you want to buy a CPO Ford, make sure you go to a Ford dealer. Check the window sticker for the manufacturer's CPO logo and find out who is providing the warranty. If the companies match up, you're in good shape. For more on how to spot the differences between a dealer-certified car and a manufacturer-certified car, take a look at this article, which describes what goes into a CPO program.

Know what the warranty covers: A manufacturer-certified pre-owned vehicle will always come with a limited warranty, with or without a powertrain warranty that covers major engine and transmission components.

A Honda or Acura certified pre-owned vehicle, for example, has multiple tiers of coverage depending on the vehicle's age, mileage and warranty status, and there's even a CPO program just for electric vehicles. But generally, the Honda CPO warranty will add two years to Honda's new car five-year powertrain warranty, giving it a total of seven years or 100,000 miles of coverage from the date the car was new. Additionally, Honda will provide a 24-month/100,000-mile limited warranty or extend any existing new car warranty for 24 months or up to 30,000 miles. It is especially important to know the differences between the two types of coverage. Not everyone does.

A colleague of ours who worked as a former internet sales manager for a Southern California Honda dealership estimated that a quarter of his customers assumed that a CPO car would have a new car warranty for seven years. They were confusing the 12-to-24-month limited warranty with the seven-year powertrain warranty. This confusion can lead to false assumptions about what will be covered after that shorter limited warranty expires.

Every automaker's website lists the details of its CPO warranty, including whether the warranty period is calculated from its first in-service date when brand-new or from the time you purchase the car. Read about the brand you're interested in and learn which items are and are not covered before making a decision to buy. The Edmunds CPO comparison page can serve as a quick reference to the differences among the programs.

CPO or no, check the car out in person: We scratched our heads when we read another buyer's complaints in the forums: The buyer was unhappy with the newly purchased CPO car, which turned out to have windshield cracks, front and rear bumper damage, and wheel damage. (The car hadn't been detailed either.) After the buyer publicly complained, the dealer made the car right. But we had to wonder how this sale ever took place to begin with. The dealer apparently sold a damaged car as a CPO vehicle, and the customer didn't do a walk-around before taking delivery.

Don't buy carelessly, trusting that a CPO car will be problem-free. Check it out for any obvious issues. And if you are concerned that a CPO car will have problems you might not be able to detect, consider bringing a mechanic with you to inspect it before you buy. They may be able to spot any issues that might have been overlooked in the dealer inspection.

Be persistent: If you believe there's something amiss with a CPO car, follow up with the dealership. An Edmunds editor's spouse did this after they purchased a CPO Porsche 911. A few days after buying the car, they noticed that the tires were not the Porsche-approved N specification. After some research on the issue, they learned that Porsche will not approve a vehicle as a CPO unless it has tires with this specification. This revelation led to concerns that there could be warranty issues down the road if they stuck with the non-spec tires on the car.

The dealer wasn't much help at first — tires are a big expense — but the buyer persisted, moving up the chain of command at the dealership and contacting the automaker directly. The dealer eventually replaced the tires with all-new ones that met Porsche specifications.

Understand that even CPO cars can have problems: In researching this story, we came across two instances in which consumers had trouble with their CPO cars shortly after purchase. Both believed their cars' problems should have been identified and corrected during the CPO process. But in both cases, the problems were widespread flaws in that make and model. The CPO process wasn't flawed — the cars were. One owner got their car fixed under warranty. The other was still unhappy with a car's steering wheel vibration at higher speeds, something which other owners took issue with to the point that they launched a court battle with the manufacturer over it.

Is a CPO car worth it?

Our intention here isn't to scare anyone away from buying a certified pre-owned vehicle but rather to set realistic expectations. Could you find a high-quality used car that's as good as a CPO car on your own and save some money? Yes. But that would likely take a lot of time and effort, and ultimately the big draw with certified pre-owned vehicles is the increased warranty serviced through the dealer rather than a third-party company. Other bonuses include lower finance rates and CPO perks to consider, like dealer service loaner vehicles — you don't find those things with a run-of-the-mill used car.

The CPO buying process should be a little less uncertain than typical used-car buying. There is always some risk involved in buying a used car, but with a CPO vehicle, it is typically lower. Mechanics who are trained to spot trouble have inspected it. A manufacturer backs it with a limited warranty — and maybe a powertrain warranty, too. Depending on the program, you might have roadside assistance and a loaner-car program at your disposal. You have the manufacturer to turn to if you need help resolving an issue at the dealership level. All those are benefits you typically don't get with a non-CPO car.

What's the best CPO program in 2025?

If you're shopping for a car right now and you're looking for the most comprehensive manufacturer certified pre-owned vehicle program, look no further than Lexus' L/Certified program. Besides the comprehensive dealer-level inspection of used vehicles, L/Certified offers a minimum additional two-year warranty over the factory new-car warranty with no mileage limit. If you drive 150,000 miles in a year, that's no problem for the next two years.

Lexus also offers trip interruption coverage and dealer loaner vehicles, as well as membership in LexusCare that includes complimentary maintenance for four factory-recommended services over two years or 20,000 miles. Add in Lexus' legendary build quality, reliability and dealership experience, and it should make for a smooth CPO purchase.

Certified pre-owned cars for sale

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