CARY, N.C. -

Ford is giving its online used-vehicle marketplace an upgrade, adding a 14-day/1,000-mile money-back guarantee to the Ford Blue Advantage platform.

In a news release Thursday, Ford called the new guarantee the “best offered from full-line automakers and its dealers” with an aim to provide a better experience for the customer and stand out in a competitive landscape.

Ford is adding the money-back guarantee after getting feedback from its dealers, who said such a provision in the program would be a “differentiator,” Ford used-vehicle manager Andrew Ashman told Auto Remarketing.

“When launched Ford Blue Advantage, it really was a partnership between Ford and our dealers,” Ashman said.

News of the enhancement to the platform comes just over two weeks after rival General Motors announced the upcoming launch of its omnichannel used-car platform, CarBravo.

Pilot program & growth of Ford's used site

The automaker conducted a pilot of the money-back guarantee during the third quarter with 16 dealers. Ashman said the pilot dealers reported climbing sales and sales growth at a higher clip.

And by and large, customers did not find the need to actually return the vehicles.

It was more about having that “peace of mind,” for consumers. While the Ford Blue Advantage already provided a number of elements to drive that assurance — factory-trained technician inspections and additional Ford-backed warranty coverage —the money-back guarantee added another layer.

Ashman said dealers told the automaker, “We need to go national. This is a differentiator.”

The money-back guarantee program begins in February and will be applicable to vehicles in both levels of Ford Blue Advantage certification: Gold Certified and Blue Certified.

“The Ford Blue Advantage platform provides the opportunity to build long-term relationships with our customers by offering the peace of mind of a certified used vehicle, a comprehensive warranty and the power of FordPass Rewards points — Ford’s industry-leading loyalty platform,” said Andrew Frick, Ford’s vice president of sales, U.S. and Canada, in a news release.

Ford launched the Blue Advantage platform, which is powered by Autotrader, about a year ago.

Since launch, its traffic has climbed 500% from the previous Ford CPO site. And there was a 26% hike in Ford CPO sales last year, the automaker said.