Dodge certified pre-owned warranty

Dodge’s certified pre-owned program explained

Certified pre-owned programs aim to give you an option between buying “new” or “used.”

To qualify as CPO, used vehicles must be in good condition and pass a detailed inspection. In return, they get some sort of extended warranty backed by the manufacturer. They might also include benefits like extra roadside assistance, a free Carfax report and more.

You can buy a certified pre-owned Dodge, but Dodge technically doesn’t have its own CPO program. Instead, all Dodge, Jeep, Ram, FIAT, Chrysler and Alfa Romeo vehicles follow the CPO program outlined by their parent company, Stellantis (formerly FCA).

Stellantis offers two levels of CPO vehicles:

• Stellantis CPO vehicles are under five model years old (2019 or newer in 2024), have fewer than 75,000 miles on the odometer and must pass a 125-point inspection at the dealer. They also include a seven-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty (measured from the date the car was sold to its first owner), a three-month/3,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, 24-hour roadside assistance and a $35 per day car rental allowance while your Dodge is in the shop for warranty work.
• Stellantis CPO Go vehicles are between six and 10 years old, have between 75,000 and 120,000 miles on their odometers and must also pass a 125-point inspection. Unlike “Stellantis CPO” vehicles, they only include the three-month/3,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and 24/7 roadside assistance.

For the rest of this article we’ll be focusing on regular Stellantis CPO vehicles, since that’s where most of the value and benefits lie.

» LEARN: What does a car warranty cover?

How good is Dodge’s CPO warranty?

Dodge’s CPO warranty is shorter than average.

For context, a typical CPO warranty adds one year or 12,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage on top of whatever factory warranty coverage remains. Some automakers, like Genesis, even add a full two years.

But Dodge and Stellantis only offer three months/3,000 miles of additional bumper-to-bumper coverage. On top of that, Dodge’s factory bumper-to-bumper warranty is already at the baseline for a major automaker (three years/36,000 miles).

Getting seven years/100,000 miles of powertrain coverage is nice, but keep in mind that powertrain warranties only cover a few dozen parts in the engine, transmission and drive axle(s). That’s roughly 1% of the parts covered by a typical bumper-to-bumper warranty.

How does Dodge’s CPO warranty compare?

Both Ford and Chevrolet include a full extra year of bumper-to-bumper coverage, so a CPO Mustang or Camaro would have better coverage for longer than a CPO Challenger.

» MORE: Best CPO warranties

CPO Dodge benefits

All Stellantis CPO vehicles, including Dodges, come with the following benefits:

• 24/7 roadside assistance, including flat-tire service (with your spare), gas delivery (up to two gallons), battery-jump assistance, lockout service and towing — all up to a combined $100 per occurrence
• Car rental allowance of up to $35 per day for up to five days ($175 max) to help cover the cost of a rental car while your Dodge is in the shop for warranty repairs
• First Day Rental Allowance of $35 to help cover a rental or a taxi ride for any dealership mechanical repair or maintenance service, not including bodywork (in other words, it doesn’t have to be a warranty-related repair)

You’ll also get a free Carfax report for your vehicle plus a three-month trial of SiriusXM, which is typical for many CPO programs.

All things considered, these are slightly below-average benefits. 24/7 roadside assistance and a car rental per diem are pretty standard fare. And while we like the idea of a First Day Rental Allowance, the reality is that you’ll probably save more than $35 by taking your Dodge to an independent shop instead. (Dealers tend to charge about 20% more for repairs and maintenance.)

In addition, Stellantis doesn’t include trip expense reimbursement as a benefit, which can help cover the cost of meals and lodging if your vehicle breaks down more than 100 miles from home.

So, overall, Dodge’s CPO benefits offer a little less than you’ll get from most CPO programs. That also means they don’t make up for the shorter warranty coverage either.

Is a CPO Dodge worth it?

While Dodge’s CPO warranty and benefits are lackluster, it may still be worth buying a CPO Dodge if it doesn’t cost you much more than a noncertified car. Plus, the fact that CPO Dodges have passed an inspection could be helpful, considering Dodge’s checkered reputation for reliability.

So let’s dive a little deeper to determine whether a Dodge CPO vehicle is worth paying extra for.

How reliable are Dodges?

Dodge vehicles have a reputation for below-average reliability.

Consumer Reports ranked the brand 21st out of 30 total brands in 2023, while RepairPal put it 19th out of 32 in an older ranking. A study by J.D. Power found that Dodge vehicles experience 190 problems per 100 vehicles after three years — which was also the average across all 30 brands surveyed. This means it outranked Ford (239) but fell slightly behind Chevy (174).

Historically, Dodge vehicles have also had a reputation for severe engine and transmission issues as they age. We asked Matt, a mechanic with experience working on domestic vehicles, if that was still the case with the newer Dodge models.

“Chrysler vehicles are always having transmission issues,” he told us. “While I’d say Ford is still worse these days, Dodge isn’t far behind.”

It’s a good thing, then, that Dodge’s CPO warranty includes such lengthy powertrain coverage.

» MORE: Dodge maintenance: cost, plans and service schedule

How much does a certified pre-owned Dodge cost?

According to iSeeCars, Dodge dealers tend to charge around 3.5% (or $947) extra for CPO vehicles versus regular used ones. $947 is slightly higher than the average $813 CPO upcharge across brands.

Is it worth it? To be transparent, we’re conflicted:

• On the one hand, two years of extra powertrain coverage could quickly pay for itself if your Dodge has a transmission failure before it hits the seven-year/100,000-mile limit. Plus, an inspection certainly doesn’t hurt on a vehicle with questionable build quality.
• On the other hand, you can always hire an unbiased mechanic to perform a pre-purchase inspection for around $200 and then buy your own bumper-to-bumper extended warranty for around $1,000 per year of added coverage. (And that would cover way more parts than the Dodge CPO powertrain warranty.)

Basically, a certified pre-owned Dodge could be worth it if you pay well under $1,000 extra and you value the peace of mind it brings, but that won’t be the case for many people.

» MORE: When should you get a pre-purchase inspection?

Do you need an extended warranty for your Dodge?

Given Dodge’s, well, dodgy reputation for reliability, you might consider purchasing an extended warranty as a form of insurance against pricey repairs.

In our full breakdown of Dodge extended warranty options, we determined that paying around $2,500 for a seven-year/100,000-mile bumper-to-bumper extended warranty might be worth it if you value peace of mind — especially considering the heightened risk of a transmission failure.

If you’re interested in getting an extended warranty for your Dodge, reach out to multiple reputable warranty providers for quotes and compare the results. That way, you can confirm you’re getting a good price and see what each provider's customer service is like.

» FIND WARRANTY COMPANIES: Best Extended Car Warranty Companies