NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Volkswagen's certified used car program was ranked best among non-luxury brands by IntelliChoice in rankings released Monday. Honda's was rated as second among non-luxury brands.

Mazda, DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands and Ford rounded out the top five among non-luxury brands.

Jaguar's was rated as the best among luxury brands while Cadillac's was rated as second. This marks the first time in the six years IntelliChoice has been publishing the annual rankings that Cadillac finished in the top five.

Among luxury brands, Volvo, Lexus and Audi finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively.

IntelliChoice, a company that analyzes ownership costs of automobiles, selected winners based on criteria identified by consumers as most important in a certified used car program. Those aspects included manufacturer warranties, inspection processes and roadside assistance.

Car manufacturers began offering certified used car programs, also referred to as certified pre-owned (CPO) programs, in the early 1990s. Under such plans, manufacturers certify that a given used car meets a set of criteria the manufacturer has specified.

A certified used car will usually be relatively new and will have been driven relatively sparingly. The manufacturer will also certify that the vehicle has passed a specific inspection process.

Manufacturers also offer extended warranties on certified used cars. Not all automakers have certified used car programs.

Correction An earlier version of this story incorrectly defined the "Required score" column in the table. We regret the error.

The table below lists the top three cars in each category. For each brand, the warranty benefits beyond the remaining new-car warranty are listed. Also listed is the number of specific items inspected on the car. The "Required score" is how the manufacturer's list of inspection points stacks up to IntelliChoice's list of 141 possible inspection points. The percentage represents the percentage of items in IntelliChoice's list that are included in the manufacturer's certification inspection.

Best non-luxury certified programs Brand  Benefits beyond new-car warranty  Inspection points  Required score  Volkswagen  24-month/24,000-mile comprehensive  112  73 percent  Honda  12-month/12,000-mile comprehensive and 48-month/64,000-mile powertrain  150  83 percent  Mazda  12-month/12,000-mile comprehensive and 48-month/50,000-mile powertrain  100  72 percent   Source:  IntelliChoice Best luxury certified programs Brand  Benefits beyond new-car warranty Inspection points  Required score  Jaguar  24-month/50,000-mile comprehensive  140  100 percent  Cadillac  comprehensive 24-month/50,000-mile comprehensive  100+  98 percent  Volvo  24-month/50,000-mile comprehensive  130+  98 percent   Source:  IntelliChoice

More details on the programs are available at IntelliChoice.com.

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