DETROIT — General Motors said it is expanding warranty coverage on vehicles sold through its online used-car marketplace, CarBravo, as it seeks to tap rising demand for used vehicles and online car shopping.
GM will now offer 12-month or 12,000-mile warranties on certified pre-owned vehicles that are less than 10 years old and have fewer than 100,000 miles, doubling the previous coverage of six months or 6,000 miles, program leader John Fitzpatrick said in a statement.
The Detroit automaker launched CarBravo in 2023 to compete with online used-car retailers such as Carvana and CarMax, though GM does not sell vehicles directly through the site. Instead, participating GM dealerships certify used vehicles — including non-GM brands as well as Chevrolet, Buick and GMC models — and list them on the marketplace.
High Prices Play Role
The expansion comes as higher new-vehicle prices push more buyers into the used market. As the CU Daily reported earlier, Edmunds reported that average monthly payments on new vehicles reached a record $772 between October and December 2025, with about one-fifth of buyers committing to payments of $1,000 or more a month during that period.
Fitzpatrick said the longer warranty is intended to build buyer confidence and reflects feedback from dealers. In a post Thursday, he said the change helps customers manage total ownership costs “at a time when affordable vehicle options are at the forefront.”
Capitalizing on Shift
CarBravo also aims to capitalize on the shift toward digital shopping. Cox Automotive has reported that 55% to 60% of new-vehicle transactions now begin online, while Autotrader says about half of shoppers start on a marketplace website.
About 700 dealerships have enrolled in CarBravo so far, including roughly one-third of the Chevrolet and GMC dealer network, Fitzpatrick said. About 100,000 sales were completed through the platform last year.
Beyond used-vehicle sales, the program could drive additional service revenue for dealers, analysts said. Service departments account for more than 13% of dealership income industrywide, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association.
