Toyota Certified Used Hybrid Program: Who Needs New Batteries Anyway?

Not impulsive enough to buy a new Toyota Prius, but too scared of the world to buy a used one? Toyota has the certified used car program for you.

Toyota announced today a special version of their Certified Used Vehicle program specially designed for their growing fleet of hybrid vehicles. How is it different from the regular program? Like the existing Toyota certified used programs the cars get a three-month/3,000-mile comprehensive warranty and a seven-year/100,000-mile extended warranty with roadside assistance.

Is there a special warranty for the battery? Nope. The company announced the program "brings added awareness to a pre-existing eight-year/100,000-mile factory hybrid battery warranty." Yes, by getting a certified used hybrid from Toyota you're reminded of the existing warranty — something impossible for a private seller to duplicate unless they can somehow say the words: "this car also has a pre-existing battery warranty."

The only difference, other than the name, is the addition of 14 inspection points involving the examination of hybrid components, which is something you'd sort of hope they've been doing the entire time. Full details in the press release below.

Toyota Introduces Certified Used Hybrid Program

TORRANCE, Calif. (January 20, 2009) – In an effort to attract new buyers to the hybrid market, Toyota today launched the all-new Toyota Certified Used Hybrid (TCUH) program, an extension of the Toyota Certified Used Vehicles (TCUV) brand which provides added inspection and warranty coverage on certified used Toyota hybrids.

“The program is a great way to increase awareness of certified used hybrid vehicles,” said TCUV Marketing Manager, Steve Gallagher. “As more hybrids enter the used vehicle marketplace, Toyota Certified Hybrids offer high-quality options to customers interested in purchasing these fuel-efficient vehicles.”

As the industry’s first dedicated certified pre-owned program for hybrid vehicles, TCUH was designed to drive sales of certified used hybrids while expanding Toyota’s customer base for these types of vehicles.

Customers benefit from additional inspection and warranty coverage on Toyota hybrids within the program. Each vehicle comes with the three-month/3,000-mile comprehensive warranty, seven-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty and roadside assistance plan offered on traditional TCUV models. The program also brings added awareness to a pre-existing eight-year/100,000-mile factory hybrid battery warranty. The TCUH quality insurance inspection also includes 14 additional inspection points beyond the current TCUV 160-point quality assurance inspection. This expanded 174-point Toyota Certified Hybrid inspection includes examination of key hybrid components, such as the hybrid transaxle, control modules and battery.

The Toyota Certified program combines the confidence of purchasing a new vehicle with the value of a used vehicle to provide a "like new" ownership experience. Toyota certified used vehicles offer consumers a smart alternative to traditional used car options and give them the peace of mind they seek when purchasing a used vehicle.

[Source: Toyota via KickingTires]

Send an email to Matt Hardigree, the author of this post, at matt@jalopnik.com.

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