There were 20 different brands represented among the more than three dozen segment category winners in the second annual Vincentric Best Certified Pre-Owned Value in America awards released earlier this week.

That’s up from 17 different brands in last year’s inaugural list, but the key here, says Vincentric president David Wurster, is to compare this breadth of value in certified cars and the emphasis on the segment with five years ago.

More certified programs have come on board during this time period, he said, and along with that has been a great focus on the CPO market from these automakers.

Having 20 different brands with vehicles honored for offering a CPO value proposition this year says a lot about the automakers themselves.

“I think what it tells us is that the brands, the automakers, are all taking the CPO programs and customers very seriously and putting a lot of emphasis on making sure that these programs and these vehicles provide value to customers,” Wurster told Auto Remarketing in a recent interview.

“And I think they’re doing that because it’s good for their business, in terms of creating a market for their used vehicles, keeping residuals high. And it’s good for their dealers, and it serves a big need in the marketplace for consumers,” he continued.

One of the success stories in the last few years, Wurster said, has been Buick, which actually earned the best CPO value luxury award this year in the Vincentric awards program.

“I think Buick is a success story, competing in the premium segment. I think the fact that they offer a maintenance program is significant. I think that’s an area where you can distinguish yourself by providing a certain amount of free maintenance in the CPO marketplace, but it’s also an area that absolutely adds value to the whole concept,” Wurster said.

“We’re not really comparing CPO programs,” he added. “We’re measuring value behind CPO vehicles. And part of the concept of adding value is that you’re trying to get more for the money that you spend.

“The way we measure it is, we’re trying to look at comparable vehicles, and say, ‘If they cost the same amount to purchase, which one costs less to own and operate?’ And that’s the one with the greater value,” he continued. “A brand like Buick is trying to lower that cost of ownership, thereby, providing better value.”

That sends a positive message about CPO, Wurster says.

“I think other brands that allow their free maintenance programs to transfer over to the second owner are making good decisions, and I think that hits to the heart of why people have an interest in CPO vehicles to begin with: the fact that they can get a fairly new vehicle, but one that — even more so than an extended warranty — actually puts dollars back in their pocket by not charging for maintenance,” he said.