Products
PowerBuy
PowerBuy is an equity-protection program that provides a defined credit toward a customer’s next vehicle when they return to the selling dealership within the program’s terms. It belongs to the depreciation-protection family rather than the total-loss family, which means it addresses the trade-in outcome most customers actually experience.
Also called: PowerBuy program, Guaranteed trade program
Where it sits among F&I products
PowerBuy is a branded program within the equity and depreciation protection category. Understanding the category is what makes the program comprehensible: these products respond to the routine erosion of a vehicle’s value over ownership, not to accidents, theft, or mechanical failure.
That places it alongside products a customer is far more likely to use than a total-loss product, because trading in a vehicle is ordinary, while totalling one is not. The trade-off is that the benefit typically comes as a credit within a relationship rather than as a payment.
Terms that decide whether the customer benefits
As with equity protection generally, the operative terms are where the next purchase must happen, the window in which the benefit is available, the size of the cap, and what condition and mileage requirements apply to the returned vehicle.
Those conditions are not fine print in a negative sense; they are the mechanism that makes the program work. But they do mean the product suits a customer who expects to return to the same dealership, and suits a customer who does not far less.
How to present it honestly
The clearest presentation states the condition first rather than last. A customer who understands from the outset that the benefit is a credit at this dealership within a stated window can decide whether that matches their plans, and can decline for a good reason rather than discovering the constraint later.
Because the specific terms are program-defined and change over time, the program documents are the authority on caps, windows, and eligibility, and the details should be confirmed there rather than assumed from the category.
Key points
- A branded program within the equity and depreciation protection family.
- Responds to trade-in value rather than to a total loss or a mechanical failure.
- The benefit is a credit toward a next vehicle, subject to program terms.
- Typically requires returning to the selling dealership within a defined window.
- Caps, windows, and vehicle condition requirements are set by the program documents.
Related terms
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Learning centers
PowerBuy: common questions
Is PowerBuy the same thing as GAP?
No. GAP responds to a total loss and addresses the loan shortfall. PowerBuy is an equity-protection program addressing the value of the vehicle at trade-in. They cover different events.
What happens if I do not return to the same dealership?
Because these programs generally tie the benefit to a repeat purchase at the selling dealer or its group, a customer who buys elsewhere typically cannot use the benefit. That condition should be understood before purchase.
Where are the exact terms defined?
In the program documents. Caps, eligibility windows, and vehicle condition requirements are program-specific and change over time, so the paperwork rather than the category description is the authority.
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