General Motors Co.'s online marketplace CarBravo is extending warranties on certified pre-owned models as it seeks to meet demand for used vehicles and online car shopping.

GM now will provide 12-month or 12,000-mile warranties on used vehicles under 10 years old and with less than 100,000 miles that are listed through CarBravo, program leader John Fitzpatrick said Thursday. The marketing program previously offered warranties for six months or 6,000 miles.

GM created CarBravo in 2023 to appeal to the used market and compete with online dealerships such as Carvana Co. and CarMax Inc., although GM does not use the site to sell directly to customers. Participating GM dealerships can certify used models outside GM brands — as well as Chevrolet, Buick and GMC vehicles — that are then advertised on the online marketplace.

The expansion comes three years after the program's start and as new vehicle prices become increasingly unaffordable. Edmunds reported average monthly payments on new vehicles reached an all-time high of $772 between October and December 2025, and a fifth of new vehicle buyers signed up for payments of at least $1,000 a month in that same period.

Fitzpatrick said CarBravo was designed to make it easier for customers to compare vehicles and to build confidence in the certified models, which he said can be serviced at GM's roughly 4,000 dealerships under warranty.

"They can go in educated and confident that they're going to get a really good, dependable used car," Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said CarBravo lengthened its typical warranty from six months to a year in response to feedback from dealers. Fitzpatrick wrote in a Thursday post that the new warranty length "helps customers manage the total cost of ownership at a time when affordable vehicle options are at the forefront."

Dealer services provide Cox Automotive Inc. last year reported that 55-60% of new vehicle transactions start online. Autotrader reported that about half of car shoppers start their search on a marketplace and nearly a quarter visited a search engine first.

Fitzpatrick said about 700 dealerships and a third of the Chevrolet and GMC network have enrolled in GM's used marketplace so far. Roughly 100,000 sales were conducted via CarBravo last year, he said.

"We've had a slow growth. The dealers at first couldn't get their minds around: Why would GM do this? Why would they want us to sell a Honda?" Fitzpatrick said. "And we've explained to them: this is about attracting more customers into your showroom and giving you the opportunity to build a relationship with that customer."

Fitzpatrick said connecting potential buyers with dealerships also helps put more eyes on GM brands, even if customers were not seeking those out.

"Dealers started to understand this is not just about the used cars," Fitzpatrick said. "It's bringing more people in the store and attracting more people and building relationships with them and earning their trust so that, when they have future needs they'll consider me."

The marketing site could also push business to GM service departments, which industry-wide make up more than 13% of dealership income, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association.

GM is not the only automaker seeking to compete with digital retailers. Ford Motor Co. in 2021 launched an online used-vehicle store dubbed Ford Blue Advantage.

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