But if you know where to look, there are good cars out there with proven reliability track records and good savings compared with buying new.
There is no escaping that buying a used car typically comes with repair risks. You don’t know how it was driven or maintained by its previous owner (vehicle history reports are helpful, but they may not be complete), and it may no longer be covered by a manufacturer’s warranty.
CR’s long-standing advice to minimize those risks has been to buy a used vehicle that has an above-average reliability score in our ratings and has been thoroughly inspected by a trusted mechanic. But after analyzing recent survey data from CR members on more than 330,000 vehicles in 2023, we have new advice to add: Consider buying a certified pre-owned (CPO) car.
“The data clearly shows that owners of CPO cars have fewer problems with them and are more satisfied than owners of traditional used cars,” says Steve Elek, program leader of automotive data analytics at Consumer Reports.
Certified pre-owned cars are usually ones that have been returned at the end of a two- or three-year lease and have less than 50,000 miles. They’re inspected by the dealership, backed by an extended warranty, and include free roadside assistance during the warranty period.
CPO cars typically cost a bit more than a regular used car, but our analysis shows that it can be money well spent for the peace of mind stemming from better reliability and satisfaction.
Whether you buy a certified pre-owned car or not, we recommend looking for a car that’s 3- to 5-year-old. Those models have gone through their period of most rapid depreciation and still have most of their service life ahead of them. You’ll find lower prices on older, higher-mileage cars, but they come with more service needs and reliability risks.
To help, we’ve curated a list of the best 2015 to 2023 used cars, organized by price range below.
