Overview
Honda expanded its certified pre-owned (CPO) warranty into two CPO programs: Honda True Certified and Honda True Certified Plus. Both offer powertrain coverage for 7 years or 100,000 miles from the vehicle’s original new-car sales date. While the regular CPO warranty also extends the original limited warranty for a year or 12,000 miles, the Certified Plus extends the original limited warranty for 2 years or 50,000 miles of additional coverage.
What We Like
Transferable; no deductible; impressively long powertrain coverage; usually includes SiriusXM free trial; two free oil changes within the first year
What We Don’t
Mediocre bumper-to-bumper warranty length of the regular CPO program; warranty based on original sale date
Program Specifics
Honda’s certified pre-owned programs are a popular option for budget-minded shoppers who don’t want to spend the money for a new Honda but still want the peace of mind a manufacturer-backed warranty provides.
We like the Honda CPO warranties because of their impressive powertrain coverage: 7 years or 100,000 miles from the car’s original date of sale, which is a huge step up over the original 5-year or 60,000-mile warranty included for new cars.
Unfortunately, the limited-warranty coverage for Honda’s regular certified pre-owned program isn’t as strong. In fact, the automaker only extends the original factory warranty’s coverage by 1 year or 12,000 miles, which is about average as certified pre-owned warranties go. We think that a little extra coverage would help distinguish certified Hondas from run-of-the-mill used models. The new Honda True Certified program addresses this complaint by extending the new-car limited warranty by 2 years or 50,000 miles. We’re also a little disappointed that Honda’s certified pre-owned powertrain warranty starts on the car’s original sale date rather than on its CPO sale date. This can be highly confusing, because you’ll have to keep track of exactly when the original owner bought the car to calculate your warranty expiration date.
With that said, several other benefits shared by both CPO programs help counteract whatever few complaints we have. For one, all CPO Honda models come standard with a free 3-month subscription to SiriusXM radio. The warranty is also fully transferable to new owners, and there’s no deductible, which means that your warranty service visits won’t cost you a penny. And there’s 24/7 roadside assistance, trip-interruption coverage, concierge service and two complimentary oil changes within the first year of CPO coverage.
In the end, Honda’s certified pre-owned program isn’t perfect, but if you’re interested in a used Honda, it’s certainly worth considering. Find a CPO Honda for sale
