Aston Martin Certified Pre-Owned Warranty

Aston Martin’s certified pre-owned program explained

If you’re new to certified pre-owned programs, they give car buyers a third choice between “new” and “used” (some call them “like new”). To qualify as CPO, a used vehicle must typically be under a certain age and mileage, pass a rigorous dealership inspection and include some sort of extended warranty coverage.

Every automaker has its own CPO standards. Aston Martin’s CPO program is officially called Timeless Certified Pre‑Owned. To qualify as a Timeless CPO, a pre-owned Aston must be under 10 years old and have up-to-date service records.

Next, it must pass a detailed Multi-Point Timeless Inspection at a licensed Aston Martin dealership, during which any parts that don't align with the vehicle's mileage and age will be repaired or replaced. In other words, CPO Astons aren’t just inspected — they’re fully refurbished to meet manufacturer standards using genuine parts.

“We probably spend an average of $15,000 certifying each vehicle,” our local Aston Martin dealer told us.

CPO Aston Martins also include a 1-year/unlimited-mileage bumper-to-bumper warranty, one additional year of 24/7 roadside assistance, a 12-month subscription to Aston Martin Magazine and an MOT Test Cover in certain markets (more on that later).

Naturally, CPO Astons cost thousands more than their pre-owned equivalents. Before we discuss the cost and whether CPO is worth it, let’s look more closely at the warranty and benefits.

» LEARN: What does a car warranty cover?

How good is Aston Martin’s CPO warranty?

For context, all brand-new Aston Martin vehicles come with the following factory warranty:

• A 3-year/unlimited-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty

When you purchase a CPO Aston Martin, you also get:

• A 1-year/unlimited-mile extension of your factory warranty

Bumper-to-bumper warranties cover roughly 95% of the 5,000-plus parts on the average vehicle, including everything but routine maintenance, wear-and-tear parts (such as brake rotors and wiper blades) and cosmetic issues.

Factory warranties follow the vehicle rather than the first owner, so if you purchase a lightly used Aston that is still within its original three-year term, you inherit what remains of that coverage. If the factory warranty has already expired when you buy your CPO Aston, you’ll get one year of warranty coverage starting from the date of your CPO purchase.

So if you purchase a one-year-old Timeless CPO Aston, you’ll get a vehicle that’s significantly cheaper than new, has passed a thorough inspection and still has around three full years of bumper-to-bumper protection remaining.

CPO Aston Martin benefits

Timeless CPO Aston Martins generally come with the following benefits when purchased from an authorized dealer:

• One-year/unlimited-mileage warranty coverage on top of remaining factory coverage.
• One year of 24/7 roadside assistance, including towing, flat tire help, lockout assistance and more.
• A service check by Aston Martin technicians, including any routine maintenance visits due within the next three months or 3,000 miles.
• An MOT Test Cover (in applicable markets), which helps with the cost of modifications or repairs if your CPO Aston fails an MOT test.
• A one-year subscription to Aston Martin’s AM magazine, which discusses all things business, design, art and, of course, Aston Martin.
• A 15% discount on eligible Aston Martin genuine accessories, often limited to the first three months after purchase.

An MOT test cover and accessories discount are both unique CPO perks that we haven’t seen before. Still, Aston is missing a few key benefits that many of its rivals offer, like guaranteed loaner vehicles (Lexus), valet pick-up and drop-off for service appointments (Rolls-Royce, Genesis) and rental car assistance while your vehicle is in the shop (too many brands to list).

So while we applaud Aston for thinking outside the box, we have to ding the niche automaker for coming up short on more practical perks we might actually need during warranty repairs.

How does Aston Martin’s CPO warranty compare?

Aston Martin's inclusion of a three-year factory warranty and a one-year CPO warranty is about average. Lamborghini and McLaren offer similar programs, albeit with caps at 12,000 miles. Bentley’s CPO warranty is identical to Aston’s.

Mass-market luxury brands Porsche, Lexus and Genesis have Aston Martin beat for total warranty coverage. All three brands offer six years of combined factory and CPO coverage, providing far more insurance and peace of mind if you plan to own your next luxury performance vehicle for the long term.

Audi and Mercedes-Benz offer four-year factory warranties plus one additional year with CPO, but neither brand’s CPO warranty provides true bumper-to-bumper coverage (they cover only a few hundred parts).

All things considered, Aston Martin’s combined factory and CPO coverage is solid but not class-leading. You can always purchase more coverage (and we’ll discuss your options below), but if maximum warranty protection out of the gate is high on your priority list, you might look at Lexus, Porsche, Genesis or even Ferrari, which offers extended warranty and maintenance coverage options for many of its vehicles.

» MORE: Best CPO warranties

Is a CPO Aston Martin worth it?

In general, paying extra for a CPO vehicle is more likely to be worth it if:

• The model you’re considering has an average or below-average reputation for reliability.
• The cost difference between CPO and pre-owned is reasonable.
• The CPO warranty and benefits easily offset the extra upfront cost.

We’ve established that Aston Martin’s CPO warranty and benefits are adequate but not exceptional. But how reliable are Astons, and how much extra do dealers charge for CPO?

How reliable are Aston Martins?

Aston Martin only sells about 7,000 vehicles per year, compared with Mercedes’ 2.5 million. As a result, you won’t see Aston appearing on any major reliability rankings from J.D. Power.

Owner reports and expert reviews suggest a mixed experience. Experts have found that Aston Martins depreciate more rapidly than competitors, while owners are keen to refute this and argue that their vehicles are trustworthy and reliable.

The general consensus among owners seems to be that if you take care of your Aston, it’ll take care of you. Such a notion would stress the importance of buying CPO versus used, since the latter vehicle may have been used and abused by its prior owner.

» MORE: Aston Martin maintenance: cost, plans and service schedule

How much does a certified pre-owned Aston Martin cost?

To find out, ConsumerAffairs visited Edmunds and CarGurus, online vehicle marketplaces, to compare the average cost of a CPO Aston to its pre-owned equivalent with similar age and miles. To create the closest possible comparison, we filtered out any vehicles priced over $400,000 (such as AMRs and special editions) and any used Aston Martins with reported accidents or major issues.

In that sample, we found 193 pre-owned Aston Martins with an average asking price of $171,000 and 45 Timeless CPO models with an average asking price of $189,952. That’s an average difference of $18,952 or roughly an 11% surcharge for CPO.

That's a significant premium for one more year of warranty coverage and a magazine subscription, but if you’re shopping for a six-figure dream car, you might consider the inspection and refurbishment alone worth the extra cost.

“We spend an average of $15,000 refurbishing each Aston Martin before it can be fully certified,” one dealer told us.

Plus, it’s worth considering that your average pre-owned Aston may have been driven harder than a pre-owned Lexus. The only way to know for sure whether a CPO Aston is hiding any costly faults or issues is to schedule a pre-purchase inspection (PPI) with an ASE-certified mechanic before you buy.

But the cost of a PPI can be much higher on an exotic vehicle ($700) than on a regular one ($200), since the technician may need specialized tools and training to properly assess its condition.

“We’re happy to do your PPI for you,” the service manager at our local Aston Martin dealer told us. “We charge $700, and that’s just to tell you what’s wrong with it. If you buy Timeless CPO, we fix what’s wrong with it.”

The service manager told us that he doesn’t discourage any of his clients from going the non-CPO route, but he did have a suggestion for separating the wheat from the chaff: “Tell anyone trying to sell you a pre-owned Aston that you’d like to take it in for a PPI. If they make up some excuse for why you can’t, they’re probably hiding something. Run for the hills.”

Do you need an extended warranty for your Aston Martin?

Another hidden perk of buying a CPO Aston is that it can qualify for an official Aston Martin extended warranty, should you want additional coverage. You can purchase 12 or 24 months of coverage at a time, there’s no deductible and prices start at around $5,500 per year, depending on the model. You can usually add extended warranty coverage as long as your Aston is still under its factory or CPO warranty, so you have some time to decide.

Like many exotic car owners, you may trade your vehicle in for something new and different. But if you choose to keep your Aston past year four (when your combined factory-plus-CPO warranty ends), investing in an official extended warranty might be wise for three reasons:

• For starters, most third-party extended car warranty companies will not cover exotic or high-end vehicles like Aston Martins, so your choices for extended warranty protection may be limited to begin with.
• If your Aston falls out of warranty, it may need a fresh inspection and recertification — which can cost hundreds of dollars or more — before it’s eligible for warranty coverage again.
• Lastly, if you’ve bonded with your Aston Martin during the first year of ownership, a few thousand bucks for peace of mind might well be worth it going into years two, three and beyond.

» FIND WARRANTY COMPANIES: Best extended car warranty companies

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