Genesis is one of the premium luxury brands that people often want to buy brand-new. That isn’t always necessary, though. You can buy a Genesis certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle that looks completely new without the brand-new Genesis price.

We’re about to dive into the Genesis CPO program and discuss the warranty, inspection process, and added perks. We hope that Genesis has lived up to its reputation with its CPO program.

TLDR; We like the Genesis certified pre-owned program. The only downside is the lack of a new warranty that typically starts when you buy a CPO vehicle. However, it retains two warranties that will still be active when you make your purchase. Their inspection is provably thorough, and they include plenty of valuable perks.

Genesis’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Information

To qualify to become a Genesis certified pre-owned vehicle, the Genesis must meet the following criteria:

• 60,000 miles or fewer
• 2017 or newer Genesis G70/G80/G90

It must also undergo the 191-point inspection. Once it meets all of this criteria, it will be sold as a certified pre-owned vehicle.  

What does Genesis’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Cover?

Genesis does not offer any new warranties with their CPO vehicles. Instead, they receive the remainder of the existing warranties.

All new vehicles come with a Limited Warranty that covers most components in the car. The warranty covers issues that stem from a manufacturer defect and does not cover any abuse, neglect, or misuse issues.

Additionally, all vehicles come with a Powertrain Limited Warranty. This warranty covers any issues related to the engine, transmission, or drivetrain. The conditions are the same as the Limited Warranty; the problem cannot be abuse, neglect, or misuse.

Both programs call for a $50 deductible per visit. This practice isn’t unheard of but is a downside of any CPO program. A premium CPO program doesn’t charge anything for warrantied repairs.

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Genesis does offer extended protection plans that you can purchase on top of your Genesis certified pre-owned vehicle. They do not make information about these plans available on their website and direct you to discuss them with a retailer. The programs are called:

• CPO Wrap Vehicle Service Contract
• Term Protection
• Pre-Paid Maintenance
• Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP)

The lack of a brand-new CPO warranty is disappointing to us. Failing to provide a new warranty that takes over after the new vehicle warranty expires is a big missed opportunity. However, they do give a more extended new vehicle warranty than most. This means that most CPO vehicles will still have a fair amount of time left with a warranty.  

How long does Genesis’s Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Last?

The two warranties that Genesis certified pre-owned vehicles come with have varying lengths:

Limited Warranty:

• 6-years or 75,000 miles, whichever comes first
• Begins when the car was first sold

Powertrain Limited Warranty:

• 10-years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first
• Begins when the vehicle was first sold

There is no additional warranty that starts when you buy the car, which is a massive drawback of this plan. The one thing that might redeem this flaw is that the Limited Warranty lasts for quite a bit longer than other automaker’s warranties.

Compared to the requirements to be in the CPO program, every CPO vehicle will still have some time left on the Limited Warranty and Powertrain Limited Warranty, although the remaining time will vary.  

Genesis’s Certified Pre-Owned Inspection

Every Genesis certified pre-owned vehicle undergoes a rigorous 191-point inspection before being sold. You can view the complete checklist on their website, but we’ll cover the main highlights below:

• Ensure a clean vehicle history via Carfax
• Road test, including car ignition and throttle operation
• Exterior, including body panels fit and headlamp operation
• Interior, including side mirror control operation and interior lighting operation
• Mechanical, including engine belts and hood insulation condition
• Maintenance, including engine oil and transmission fluid
• Tires and wheels, including tread depth and lug nuts presence

This checklist may not seem like a comprehensive list, but their inspections are thorough. They’ve categorized all of the inspection points a bit broader than some other car manufacturers.

Having a 191-point inspection puts them above the industry average, which we’d expected from Genesis. For comparison, Volkswagen only inspects 112 points.

Other Genesis Certified Pre-Owned Perks

Every CPO program includes a few perks as a thank you and perhaps to sway buyers. Genesis provides the following bonuses with all of their CPO vehicles:

• Comprehensive Carfax report (are those trustworthy?)
• Rental car reimbursement, $50 per day for up to 10 days
• Travel reimbursement if a covered mechanical breakdown occurs over 150 miles away from your home
• 10-years and unlimited miles of 24/7 roadside assistance, covering all common issues such as dead batteries and flat tires
• Three years of service of Genesis Connected Services, which connects to your smartphone to provide vehicle maintenance information, remote start, climate control, and enhanced roadside features
• Three-month trial to SiriusXM

These perks are above average compared to other CPO vehicles. Again, that’s what we’d expect from a brand like Genesis. Three years of Genesis Connected Services is an excellent perk, as well as the generous rental reimbursement.

Overall, we recommend the Genesis certified pre-owned vehicle program. The only drawback is not offering a new CPO warranty. However, the length of their new vehicle warranty that rolls over makes up for it. Their inspection is thorough, but we still recommend that you have a third-party mechanic perform a pre-purchase inspection before signing any contracts.