What a manufacturer certification programme actually covers
Every programme says certified. The warranty, limits and inspection behind that word can be very different.
Every major manufacturer runs a certified programme, and no two are the same. The differences are worth reading before you pay for one.
Age and mileage limits decide which cars can be certified at all. Some programmes accept cars several years older than others, which changes what you are looking at on a lot.
The warranty is the substance. Look at three things: whether the coverage is comprehensive or powertrain-only, when the clock starts — original in-service date or date of sale, which can differ by years — and whether there is a deductible per visit.
Around that sit the extras: roadside assistance, a trial subscription, sometimes a loaner during covered repairs. Pleasant, rarely decisive.
The inspection point count is the least useful number in the brochure. A 172-point inspection is not meaningfully better than a 160-point one; the points are defined by the manufacturer and include things like checking that the horn works. What matters is what was found and what was replaced, which is on the sheet.
The one question that separates programmes: is the coverage honoured at any franchised dealer of that make, anywhere, or only at the selling store? If it is the latter, it is not a manufacturer programme, whatever it is called.