Nissan certified pre-owned warranty
A relatively weak warranty with average benefits
If you’re considering buying a Nissan, you might be weighing the pros and cons of buying certified pre-owned (CPO). It’s cheaper than buying new, and unlike buying used, you’ll get a quality check and a longer warranty.
But how does Nissan’s CPO program stand up to the competition? Read on to find out.
Key insights
- Nissan’s CPO program has two tiers: “Nissan Certified” and “Certified Select.”
- Nissan Certified is likely the one you want since the vehicles have to meet higher quality standards and come with a longer warranty.
- Nissan Certified vehicles come with a two-year/40,000-mile extension of the factory powertrain warranty.
- However, Nissan’s CPO warranty is still below average because it doesn’t offer one year/12,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage like most of its competitors do.
Nissan’s certified pre-owned program explained
There are two levels of Nissan CPO vehicles:
- Nissan Certified vehicles must be Nissans under six years old with fewer than 80,000 miles and capable of passing a 167-point inspection. They come with a seven-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
- Certified Select vehicles can be Nissans or cars from other automakers. These vehicles can be up to 10 years old as long as they have fewer than 100,000 miles and can pass an 84-point inspection. However, they only include a six-month/6,000-mile powertrain warranty.
We’ll be focusing on Nissan Certified vehicles for the rest of this article because it’s probably the only program worth paying extra for or deliberately shopping for.
“There are far fewer requirements for Certified Select,” a finance manager at an East Coast Nissan dealer told ConsumerAffairs. “When you’re looking at Nissan Certified, you’re looking at 100,000 miles of coverage, better benefits and a more rigorous inspection.”
At the very least, Certified Select vehicles do come with a free Carfax report and a tire rotation/oil change.
But how about Nissan Certified? How does the warranty stack up?
» LEARN: What does a car warranty cover?
How good is Nissan’s CPO warranty?
To put it simply, the warranty on Nissan Certified vehicles is still below average.
For context, all Nissan vehicles come with the following warranties from the factory:
- A three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, which covers nearly everything on the vehicle
- A five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, which covers the vehicle’s engine, transmission and drive axle only
(Nissan EVs also come with a federally mandated eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on their traction batteries to protect against premature wear or failure.)
Now, when you buy Nissan Certified, you essentially get the factory five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty extended to seven years/100,000 miles. Unlike most competitors, Nissan does not extend your factory bumper-to-bumper coverage, which is disappointing considering the brief three-year factory bumper-to-bumper term.
There’s also a $50 deductible on all warranty-covered repairs ($100 for Certified Select repairs), which most of Nissan’s competitors don’t charge.
How does Nissan’s CPO warranty compare?
Nissan’s CPO warranty stacks up poorly against its closest competitors. Hyundai and Kia offer a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty as part of their factory warranties (no certification upcharge required), and every brand but Hyundai in the chart below offers at least one year of additional bumper-to-bumper protection with their certified vehicles.
| Make | Additional CPO warranty coverage |
|---|---|
| Nissan | 2 years or 40,000 miles of powertrain coverage |
| Hyundai | 4 years or 40,000 miles of powertrain coverage |
| Kia | 1 year or 12,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage, 4 years or 40,000 miles of powertrain coverage |
| Ford | 1 year or 12,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage, 2 years or 40,000 miles of powertrain coverage |
| Toyota | 1 year or 12,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage, 2 years or 40,000 miles of powertrain coverage |
| Subaru | 2 years or 40,000 miles of powertrain coverage |
| Chevrolet | 1 year or 12,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage, 1 year or 40,000 miles of powertrain coverage |
» MORE: Best CPO warranties
CPO Nissan benefits
Nissan Certified vehicles also come with the following benefits, which last as long as the warranty is active:
- 24/7 roadside assistance, including battery jump-starts, flat-tire changes, fuel deliveries and lockout assistance (max $100 per instance)
- Towing assistance of up to $100 per claim to help you get to the nearest Nissan dealer (only applies if the breakdown is covered under the warranty)
- Car rental assistance of up to $42 per day for up to five days to help cover the cost of a rental car while your Nissan is in the shop for warranty-covered repairs
- Trip interruption reimbursements of up to $500 to help cover the cost of meals, lodging and alternative transportation if your Nissan breaks down 100-plus miles from home and requires overnight repairs under warranty
Overall, these are average benefits for a CPO program. Nissan offers more rental car assistance than the competition, but most others don’t have a $100 cap on towing and roadside assistance.
Do you need an extended warranty for your Nissan?
Nissan’s official extended warranties, known as Security+Plus plans, offer protection up to the eight-year/120,000-mile mark and have prices that are roughly average for an extended warranty (about $700 to $1,000 per year of coverage).
In our full breakdown of these warranties, we determined that they’re probably not necessary unless you drive an especially unreliable model or you simply want the added peace of mind.
If you do choose to buy a Nissan Security+Plus plan, skip straight to the Gold Preferred tier since it's the only plan that offers near-bumper-to-bumper protection. You might also consider getting quotes from some top-rated third-party warranty companies to see who truly has the best deals available.
Article sources
- J.D. Power, “ Vehicle Dependability Improves Despite Continued Problems with Technology, J.D. Power Finds .” Accessed Aug. 8, 2023.
- Consumer Reports, “Who Makes the Most Reliable New Cars?” Accessed Aug. 8, 2023.
- RepairPal, “ Nissan Reliability Rating .” Accessed Aug. 8, 2023.
- iSeeCars, “ Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) Cars: Are They Worth the Extra Cost? ” Accessed Aug. 8, 2023.
- Edmunds, “ Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) .” Accessed Aug. 8, 2023.
