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What a used Toyota has to meet to wear the certified badge, and the Toyota coverage that comes with it.
Toyota certifies at two levels, Gold and Silver. Three checks decide which one a vehicle can reach, and the inspection decides whether it gets there.
An age limit set by Toyota, not by the store: up to 6 model years old for Gold, up to 10 for Silver. A well-kept older Toyota cannot be certified no matter how good it is.
The mileage limit: 85,000 miles or less for Gold, 125,000 or less for Silver. With the age limit, it keeps certified listings in the recent model years.
Its CARFAX vehicle history report is reviewed as part of certification, and what that report shows can keep a vehicle from qualifying.
Certification also calls for the 160-point Quality Assurance Inspection, a fixed checklist that trained technicians complete; a certified hybrid is tested to 174 points. A checklist means every vehicle is examined against the same lines, and none is skipped because the car looks clean.
Anything found short of Toyota's standard is repaired to that standard before the vehicle is certified, and a vehicle that cannot be brought there does not get the badge.
The inspection and the repairs it calls for take time, and they are much of why a certified vehicle is priced above an otherwise similar one. Each certified vehicle has a documented inspection behind it, and the store's are listed on the certified inventory page.
A limited comprehensive warranty on Gold certified vehicles, whichever comes first, running from the date of your certified purchase. It is Toyota's, not the store's.
A limited powertrain warranty on Gold certified vehicles, from the date of certified purchase to 7 years or 100,000 miles on the odometer, whichever comes first. Silver carries 12 months or 12,000 miles.
Included alongside the warranties: 7 years or 100,000 miles with Gold, 12 months or 12,000 miles with Silver. Ask us to read you the specific terms that apply to the vehicle you are considering.
Because the coverage is Toyota's rather than a single store's, it travels with you rather than tying you to the dealership that sold you the car.
Reviewed before certification and provided to you. History is part of the standard rather than an optional extra you have to request.
On eligible model years, 10 years or 150,000 miles from the original in-service date, whichever comes first, following the vehicle rather than the first owner.
The word certified appears on a great many used-car listings, and it does not always mean the same thing. A manufacturer program, like this one, is defined by the manufacturer: the age and mileage limits, the inspection specification and the warranty terms are all Toyota's, and the coverage is honored across the Toyota dealer network. A certification created by a seller is defined by that seller, under whatever terms it has chosen, and backed by that seller.
Neither arrangement is inherently wrong, and a seller's own inspection can be thorough, but the two are different products sharing a word, and a listing rarely says which one it means. Three questions settle it in any showroom, including this one: who set the inspection standard, who is behind the warranty, and where is the warranty honored. If the answers are the manufacturer, the manufacturer, and the dealer network, you are looking at factory certification.
Who set the standard, who backs the warranty, where it is honored: three answers tell you what certified means on any listing.
Eligibility, coverage and price, answered. For anything else, sales is on (239) 301-3156.
See Certified InventoryAge, mileage, history and the inspection. The vehicle has to be within Toyota's age limit: up to 6 model years old for Gold certification, up to 10 for Silver. It has to be within the mileage limit: 85,000 miles or less for Gold, 125,000 or less for Silver. Its CARFAX vehicle history report has to be reviewed and acceptable. It must also pass the 160-point Quality Assurance Inspection, and only a vehicle that passes it, after any needed reconditioning to Toyota's standards, can be sold as Toyota Certified. A vehicle that misses any of these cannot wear this badge.
It is the inspection Toyota puts every Toyota Certified Used Vehicle through; a certified hybrid is tested to a 174-point standard. Toyota-dealer-trained technicians complete any necessary repairs and reconditioning following the inspection, before the vehicle can qualify.
On a Gold certified vehicle, two, both from Toyota and both running from the date of certified purchase: a 12-month, 12,000-mile limited comprehensive warranty and a 7-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, whichever comes first, with 7 years or 100,000 miles of roadside assistance alongside them. The powertrain's 100,000 is the odometer reading, so how much of it remains depends on the vehicle's mileage, and it is worth asking for that figure in writing before you sign. A Silver certified vehicle carries a 12-month, 12,000-mile limited powertrain warranty and 12 months or 12,000 miles of roadside assistance.
No, and the difference is worth knowing when you are comparing listings. Toyota Certified is a manufacturer program: Toyota sets the eligibility limits, Toyota specifies the inspection, and Toyota backs the warranties, which are honored at Toyota dealers rather than only at the store that sold the car. A certification a dealer has created itself is backed by that dealer, under whatever terms it chose. Both can be perfectly good. They are not the same thing, and the word certified on its own does not tell you which one you are looking at.
Yes. Toyota says the certified limited comprehensive and limited powertrain warranties are transferable at no cost, for added resale value. Have us read the terms and the remaining coverage on the vehicle you are looking at before purchase rather than after.
Yes, on the same terms as any other Toyota, with a 174-point inspection in place of 160. On top of the certified warranties, Toyota hybrid battery coverage on eligible model years runs to 10 years or 150,000 miles from the original in-service date, whichever comes first, and it follows the vehicle rather than the first owner. Terms vary by model year, so ask us to confirm the remaining coverage.
Much of the difference is the Toyota-backed coverage, and it is fair to ask us to break it down on a specific pair of vehicles. Whether it is worth paying depends mostly on how long you keep cars.
On the certified pre-owned inventory page, which lists the store's Toyota Certified vehicles and filters by model, model year, mileage and drivetrain. This page explains the standard; that page is the listing. If what you want is not there today, the Vehicle Finder Service records the specification you are after.
Put a certified and a non-certified example of the same model side by side, with the remaining coverage on each written down, and the price difference becomes something you can weigh.
Toyota Certified Used Vehicle program benefits apply to qualifying vehicles under Toyota's program rules, which Toyota sets and may change. Gold certification carries a 12-month, 12,000-mile limited comprehensive warranty and a 7-year, 100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty (100,000 odometer miles), each whichever comes first from the date of certified purchase, with 7 years or 100,000 miles of roadside assistance; Silver certification carries a 12-month, 12,000-mile limited powertrain warranty and 12 months or 12,000 miles of roadside assistance, so remaining coverage varies by vehicle. Roadside assistance, warranty transfer and hybrid battery coverage carry their own terms, conditions and exclusions; see the store or your warranty supplement for full details. Vehicle history reports reflect data reported to CARFAX and may not include every event. Advertised vehicle prices include the $1,188 dealer fee and the $389 electronic filing fee. Taxes and government fees, including tag, title and registration, are not included. Financing is subject to approved credit and not all applicants qualify. Germain Toyota of Naples, 13315 Tamiami Trail N, Naples, FL 34110. Sales (239) 301-3156.
