The Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association (MADA) is making it easier for dealers to comply with the Minnesota Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights, which requires that certified used vehicles come with a warranty if sold after Jan. 1.

“Since the mid-1980s, Minnesota has required dealers to include a warranty on most used vehicles,” said Jim Schutjer, legal counsel for the MADA. “Now, dealers can use that mandatory warranty to certify a vehicle to satisfy the obligations of the Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights.”

The mandatory warranty set forth in the 1980s requires 60-day/2,500-mile coverage for used vehicles with less than 36,000 miles, and 30-day/1,000-mile coverage for used vehicles with 36,000 to 75,000 miles.

According to a MADA fact sheet on the Minnesota Used Vehicle Warranty, “the 60-day warranty is more comprehensive than the 30-day warranty and provides protection for the radiator, alternator, generator and starter.”

Dealers may not sell these warranties independent from the vehicles. However, just as manufacturers build the cost of factory warranties into the vehicle price, dealers can build the cost of these mandatory warranties into the prices of used vehicles.

The Minnesota Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights does not require a dealer warranty for new vehicles.