What Does the Chevy CPO Warranty Cover?

You’ll only get bumper-to-bumper coverage for 12 months under the Chevy CPO warranty, but you’ll also get powertrain coverage for up to six years.
Written by Liz Jenson
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
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The Chevy CPO warranty will provide bumper-to-bumper coverage for your certified pre-owned Chevrolet, Buick, or GMC vehicle for 12 months or 12,000 miles. You’ll also get powertrain coverage for six years or up to 100,000 miles, depending on which one comes first.
Certified pre-owned vehicles come with a higher price, but they also come with a lot of benefits. One of those benefits is a CPO warranty from the original vehicle manufacturer. But how much does Chevrolet’s CPO warranty cover, and is that coverage worth the additional cost of buying a CPO vehicle?
Let
Jerry
, the trusted
car insurance
comparison tool, help you break down the complexities of the CPO warranty from Chevy. We’ll talk coverage, transference, and vehicle certification so you can get a full picture of what this type of warranty actually looks like. We’ll also discuss ways to protect your vehicle after your warranty runs out with a quick breakdown of your
Chevrolet insurance costs
and options. 
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Chevy certified pre-owned (CPO) warranty coverage

The Chevy CPO warranty comes in two parts: the 12-month, 12,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, and the six-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty.
There’s a $0 deductible for both of the the CPO warranties, meaning you won’t have to pay anything towards repairs before the warranty kicks in. Lots of CPO warranties from other vehicle manufacturers have a deductible that you need to meet before your warranty kicks in, so this is great news!
One important note: the powertrain warranty will be counted from the vehicle’s original manufacturing date. That means if you buy a five-year-old CPO vehicle with 80,000 miles on it, you’ll only be covered for one additional year or 20,000 additional miles.

What’s covered

Under this warranty, you’ll get coverage for most defects due to either labor or manufacture, meaning you’ll receive service on things like:
  • Your engine, including the gaskets, timing belts/gears/chain, and oil pump/pump housing
  • Your transmission, including the case, all internal lubricated parts, and the torque converter
  • Your drive systems, including all internal lubricated parts, the axle shafts and bearings, and the front differential actuator

What isn’t covered

Unfortunately, the CPO warranty won’t cover every possible problem with your used Chevrolet. The warranty will not pay for damages or corrosion caused by:
  • Environmental factors
  • Chemical treatments
  • Aftermarket products
  • Insufficient or improper maintenance
  • Contaminated or poor-quality fuel
  • Bedliners
  • Accident or collision
  • Alteration
  • Misuse of the vehicle (like driving over curbs, overloading, or racing)
  • Fire or freezing
  • Theft
  • Vandalism, riot, explosion, or objects striking the vehicle
The warranty also doesn’t cover tire damage or wear, as car tires typically have a separate warranty from the vehicle itself. It’s also important to note that any alteration or modification after a vehicle’s final assembly by Chevrolet, Buick, or GMC will not be covered under your warranty, as modifications are not necessary to the overall functionality of your vehicle.

Additional benefits

Warranty coverage isn’t the only benefit you’ll get by purchasing a CPO Chevy! You’ll also receive additional benefits, including:
  • Complimentary scheduled maintenance visits. Within the first two years or 24,000 miles, you’ll get two complimentary maintenance visits. These scheduled visits will include things that aren’t included in your warranty, like oil and filter changes, tire rotations, and multi-point inspections.
  • Roadside assistance. Your new Chevy grants you access to ​​Chevrolet’s 24-hour Roadside Assistance Program, which includes courtesy transportation in the event that your car breaks down. This service is available for free for the duration of your powertrain warranty.
  • Freedom to exchange your vehicle. If you decide that your new Chevy just isn’t for you, you’ll have three days or 150 miles to change your mind. During this period, you can bring in your new vehicle and exchange it for a different CPO Chevy that better suits your needs.
  • An OnStar trial. OnStar is a subscription program by GMC that offers communications, in-vehicle security, emergency services, navigation, and remote diagnostics systems, all via your smartphone. With the purchase of a CPO Chevy, you’ll gain access to this program for up to three months at no cost.
  • A Sirius XM Satellite Radio trial. In your new car, you’ll get a trial subscription to Sirius XM Radio. It lasts for three months.

Is the Chevy CPO warranty transferable?

Yes! If you decide to sell your CPO Chevy and
transfer your car title
to a different person, the CPO warranty will transfer to the car’s new owner at no additional charge. This additional coverage will increase your vehicle’s resale value, since the quality and condition of your car will be backed by GMC.
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The Chevy CPO program certification process

Since the C in CPO stands for certified, you might have guessed that your vehicle will have undergone a certification process in order to qualify for CPO status—and, therefore, the corresponding warranty. The certification status is rigorous and includes a lot of testing, along with requirements about the age and condition of the vehicle.
This is because certified pre-owned vehicles are not your average used cars. If you’re buying CPO, your dealer definitely won’t be selling you a lemon or a car with a questionable history!
The following are Chevrolet’s requirements for a certified pre-owned vehicle:
  • Your car must be a Chevrolet, Buick, or GMC vehicle.
  • It must be within six model years.
  • The vehicle may have a maximum of 75,000 miles.
  • It must have a
    clean car title
    .
  • Your dealer must have followed up on any and all vehicle safety recalls prior to listing your car. To make sure that this step has been completed, you can visit
    GM's recall website
    or
    SafeCar.gov
    .
  • It must pass Chevrolet’s 172-Point Vehicle Inspection and Reconditioning Process, which includes things like the brakes and shocks, but also extends to things like the condition of a car’s interior.
Once a vehicle has met all of these requirements, it will receive a Certified badge. This badge demonstrates that your vehicle is of a higher quality than other, non-Certified used vehicles. It also shows that your vehicle will qualify for certain benefits, like the CPO warranty.

Are Chevys reliable?

In terms of reliability, Chevrolet is pretty average.
RepairPal gives the Chevy brand a 3.5 out of 5 for reliability, plaing the manufacturer 20th out of the most popular 32 car brands. In 2021, Chevrolet recieved a Consumer Reports reliability score of 42/100. This puts Chevy ahead of brands like GMC and Ford, but it still isn’t a stellar rating.
The main problems reported by Chevy consumers are engine issues, so be sure to look out for strange noises, smells, or other unusual performance problems in any used Chevy that you consider buying.

Average Chevy repair costs

The average annual repair cost of a Chevrolet vehicle is $649, which is pretty close to the national average.
Studies show that Chevys don’t need to visit the mechanic as often as the average vehicle. That said, when you do head to the repair shop, it’s more likely that the necessary repairs will be severe—and, therefore, expensive.
Let’s take a look at a couple of the most popular Chevrolet models to give you a better idea of how much you’ll be paying in repairs.

Chevy Malibu reliability

JD Power gave the 2021
Chevrolet Malibu
​a reliability rating of 89 out of 100, and RepairPal gave the same vehicle a four out of five. This means that the Malibu has overall good reliability ratings.
The most common problem for the Chevy Malibu is failure of the passlock sensors in the ignition lock cylinder, so watch out for this issue when buying a used Malibu.

Chevy Silverado reliability

Compared to similar trucks, the
Chevy Silverado
has a pretty good reliability rating. It recieved an 83 out of 100 from JD Power and a 3.5 out of 5.0 from RepairPal, making it one of the most reliable trucks in its class.
The most common problems with the Silverado are engine issues, so be sue to watch for any unusual driving behavior in used vehicles.

Our take: Is the Chevy CPO warranty worth it?

In short: yes, especially if your CPO Chevy is a newer model.
The Chevy CPO warranty is worth it if you’re planning to buy a used Chevy, especially since it comes with a $0 deductible. The newer your CPO Chevy, the more worth it this warranty will be, since the powertrain warranty begins at the point of manufacture rather than the point of sale.

How to save on Chevy insurance costs

Once your warranty runs out, you’ll have to protect your vehicle in a different way: with your
car insurance
. While you may not have many options for your vehicle warranty, the various providers, policies, and budling options that come with car insurance shopping can be really overwhelming.
Luckily, you have
Jerry
to help you out. This
trustworthy insurance comparison app
will perform a cross-analysis of over 55 top providers to find the policy that best suits your needs in a matter of 45 seconds.
The best part? The average user saves over $800 per year!
“I was paying $350 a month for my new car. With
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