(May 23, 2016) ATLANTA — Hyundai and Lexus have been named top certified pre-owned brands for best non-luxury and best luxury programs by Autotrader. Certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicles are typically late-model, low-mileage vehicles that come with a host of perks like manufacturer-backed warranties, roadside assistance and more.

While nearly every manufacturer offers a CPO program, the terms and benefits vary greatly. To make it easy for car shoppers to discover which CPO programs stand out, the experts at Autotrader analyzed all brands' CPO terms and selected the 10 best luxury and 10 best non-luxury CPO programs, with one overall winner and nine honorable mentions in each category.

"The number one benefit of any CPO program is the warranty, so we decided that the length of warranty should be the top criteria when choosing this year's Best CPO Programs," said Brian Moody, executive editor at Autotrader. "Hyundai's CPO warranty is an extension of its exceptional new car warranty, and Lexus's warranty is simply the best in the luxury category."

CPO vehicles offer many of the same benefits of a new car without the higher price tag and steep depreciation. Each vehicle undergoes an extensive inspection defined by the manufacturer and must meet a variety of guidelines from age to mileage. Once certified, these vehicles come with a manufacturer-backed warranty, giving buyers the confidence they desire when purchasing a pre-owned vehicle. In fact, 64 percent of shoppers say that the certification process and warranty give them peace of mind.  

Hyundai earned top honors in the non-luxury category this year with its impressive CPO warranty, which offers five years or 60,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper limited coverage and 10 years or 100,000 miles of powertrain coverage from the car's original sale date. Hyundai's selection was cemented by the fact that the warranty offers a relatively low deductible of $50, and the warranty is fully transferable to subsequent owners in a private sale.

Meanwhile among luxury automakers, Lexus's CPO program "L/Certified" won top honors primarily due to its excellent warranty along with other alluring benefits. L/Certified offers limited bumper-to-bumper coverage for up to six years and unlimited mileage from the vehicle's original sale date—a risky proposition, but one that shows the brand is willing to firmly stand behind its vehicles.

Lexus's program boasts no deductible for covered repairs, meaning that owners won't have to pay a penny if their cars suffer a warranty claim. Icing on the cake is the fact that Lexus's program touts complimentary maintenance covering the next four factory-recommended services for two years or 20,000 miles­—a small benefit, but one that's certainly worth mentioning.