Volvo and Hyundai have the best certified pre-owned offerings in the country, according to the latest rankings from research firm IntelliChoice.

Certified pre-owned (CPO) cars are late-model vehicles, typically off leases within the past three years, that come with an extended factory warranty and supposedly receive a more detailed inspection than normal used cars on a dealer's lot.

As such, they can cost 5 percent or more than a comparable used vehicle. For car shoppers who don't want to run their own Carfax reports and see a prospective model inspected by a reliable mechanic, CPO programs are indeed an added comfort, if not for the warranty alone.

Volvo's 6-year/100,000-mile total warranty was deemed the best among luxury automakers for the sixth straight year, IntelliChoice said, with a top score for inspection points and no deductible required. Hyundai received top billing among nonluxury brands for its 10-year/100,000-mile​ powertrain warranty, which the automaker has been running for years. Hyundai does not offer an extended comprehensive warranty on its CPO cars that would cover all major problems.

Porsche, Lincoln, MINI and Honda also made high rankings. As with any car purchase, we'd recommend researching a model's reliability from MSN Autos, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power and Associates as well as other sources before deciding if a CPO program is worth it. Since nearly all modern cars have little problem lasting to 100,000 miles without serious faults, it may not always be worth the money.

[Source: IntelliChoice]