Today’s truck shopping gives you options. You can easily purchase a new or used pickup truck from your local dealership, or you can choose the perfect in-between option. A Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) pickup truck gives you some of the perks new car owners receive while still paying a discounted price that used cars offer. Two of the most popular Certified Pre-Owned pickup trucks are the Chevy Silverado 1500 and Ford F-150. Before you set off to your Certified Pre-Owned Silverado dealer or Ford dealer, here is your guide to the two CPO programs and each truck so you can make the most informed decision.
What Is Certified Pre-Owned?
If you’re new to car buying or it’s been a while, Certified Pre-Owned might be a relatively new term to you. Basically, a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle is a used vehicle that meets strict criteria by the manufacturer to be certified as high quality. Each car manufacturer has its own certification process and perks available, so understanding the nuts and bolts of both the Chevy and Ford CPO programs will help you know what’s best for you.
The Chevrolet Certified Pre-Owned program has a long list of criteria its vehicles must meet to become certified, plus great warranties and benefits that come with each vehicle. Each Certified Pre-Owned Chevy is less than six years old, doesn’t exceed 75,000 miles, passes a 172-point inspection, and has a clean title. You can surely be confident that you are purchasing the best of the best with a vehicle that has such strict parameters it has to meet.
That alone would be a good reason to choose a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle from Chevy, but the extra benefits are icing on the cake. Every CPO Chevy vehicle comes with a 6 year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and a 12 month/12,000-mile bumper-to-bumper limited warranty. Drivers also enjoy 24/7 roadside assistance and two free scheduled maintenance visits. The provided SiriusXM and OnStar trials don’t hurt either. The Chevrolet Certified Pre-Owned program is built to give drivers confidence and peace in their used vehicle.
The Ford Certified Pre-Owned program (known as Ford Blue Advantage) has two tiers, and the tier that most closely matches Chevy’s program is the Gold Certified tier. Ford’s Gold Certified program includes a 172-point inspection, 12 month/12,000-mile limited warranty, a 7 year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, 24/7 roadside assistance, and a SiriusXM trial. Ford Gold Certified vehicles are six years old or less and have fewer than 80,000 miles. Ford’s Blue Advantage program is very comparable to Chevrolet’s and gives you similar benefits you would expect.
Battle of Performance & Capability
Now that you know what each Certified Pre-Owned program requires out of its vehicles and offers to owners, it’s time to put the two pickup trucks head-to-head. The two categories that are most notable in pickup trucks are performance and capability. How do the Chevy Silverado 1500 and Ford F-150 compare in these areas?
The Chevy Silverado 1500 is a powerful pickup truck that’s packed with strength. It’s a pickup truck that has the complete package, comfort, and capability. One of the advantages of the Chevy Silverado 1500 is the amount of engine options available. Even purchasing as Certified Pre-Owned, you can find a Chevy Silverado 1500 with the exact engine you desire. For example, the 2019 Chevy Silverado introduced a new set of engines, including a 4-cylinder and diesel engine.
The Silverado 1500’s engine options give this full size pickup truck a wide range of performance abilities. In the 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500, you can get up to 420 horsepower. The Chevy Silverado 1500 shines in capability as well. You’ll find the Silverado 1500 consistently ranks near or at the top in its segment for towing, like the 2017 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab beating out its competition at 12,500 lbs of maximum towing. The more recent 2020 Chevy Silverado 1500 gets a maximum towing of 13,400 lbs. Without a doubt, the Chevy Silverado 1500 can get your job done.
The Ford F-150 is always positioned next to the Chevy Silverado 1500 as the most popular full size pickup truck in America. It also has impressive performance and capability, starting with its engine options. The F-150 offers a variety of engine options, including diesel engines, making it one of the most high-performing pickup trucks in its segment. We see this especially in the 2020 Ford F-150, reaching a maximum of 450 horsepower. As far as capability goes, the Ford F-150 is another big leader in this category. In several model years, it has best-in-class towing, like the 2019 F-150’s 13,200 lbs maximum towing.
Both of these pickup trucks constantly trade places at the top with their performance and capability features. The bottom line is both pickup trucks are very capable and high-performing. For most jobs that full size pickup truck owners have, the Chevy Silverado and Ford F-150 will get it done with ease.
Don’t Forget the Interior
Long ago were the days when a pickup truck’s interior was rough and uncomfortable. The interior of the Chevy Silverado and Ford F-150 rival some luxury vehicles with its level of comfort, premium materials, and features. Because pickup trucks also serve as a vehicle for your day-to-day life, the interior has to be loaded. Both Chevrolet and Ford bring their top game to the interior and technology features to the Silverado 1500 and F-150.
The Chevy Silverado 1500 was redesigned in 2019 and included a host of convenience and technology features. Features like an updated infotainment system, heated leather seating, head-up display, and wireless charging upgrade the interior of the Silverado to be a premium experience for every drive. Also, popular safety and driver assist features like automatic braking, collision alert, parking assist, and more are available in the Chevy Silverado 1500. One of the best interior features of the Silverado 1500 is its quiet cabin. No matter what’s going on outside, your inside ride is peaceful.
Inside the Ford F-150, you’ll find a number of technology, convenience, and safety features with premium-level materials. More recent models, like the 2020 Ford F-150, offer available leather heated seating, an intuitive infotainment system, an advanced audio system, and navigation. Plus Ford’s safety suite of driver assist technologies is a popular feature in the F-150. You will have no shortage of features and comfort in the Ford F-150.
Which Certified Pre-Owned Truck Is Right for You?
When you’re considering a Certified Pre-Owned Chevy Silverado or Ford F-150, it’s important to first consider the benefits of the program offered by that manufacturer and then the features of the vehicle. Chevy has a lower mileage limit for their Certified Pre-Owned program at 75,000 miles than Ford’s 80,000, but Ford offers an extra year of warranty if the 100,000 miles aren’t met first. Overall, Chevrolet’s Certified Pre-Owned program seems to make the most sense because you don’t have to wonder which tier your vehicle falls in. All the Chevy CPO vehicles meet the same criteria with the same benefits.
The Chevy Silverado 1500 and Ford F-150 are comparable in almost every category. It comes down to how much power and capability you are looking for in your pickup truck. The F-150 has an incredible size and strength some pickup drivers need or desire for their jobs. The Silverado has long been known as the well-rounded pickup truck for anything. If you want our opinion, we’d have to say the Certified Pre-Owned Chevy Silverado will exceed your expectations for the daily drives and heavy workloads.
