Maine Lemon Law Buyback Calculator

In Maine, a lemon law buyback (repurchase) refunds what you paid for the vehicle minus an allowance for the use you got from it. Maine Revised Statutes title 10, section 1161(4) caps that allowance: it can never exceed 10% of the purchase price, and the statute also limits it by a per-mile figure tied to one-third of the Internal Revenue Service business mileage rate. The statute sets no mileage divisor, so our calculator's allowance is only an estimate: it divides the mileage you enter for when the defect first appeared by 120,000, the figure California's and Florida's lemon statutes use, and multiplies by the price, then holds the result to the lesser of the statute's caps: one-third of the Internal Revenue Service business mileage rate for each mile (the rate is 76 cents a mile from July 1, 2026, so about 25.3 cents) and 10% of the price. A licensed attorney can confirm how the allowance applies to your purchase or lease.

Maine recognizes a "lemon presumption" that shifts the burden to the manufacturer once your repair history crosses set thresholds. If the dealer cannot fix the same substantial, warranty-covered defect after 3 repair attempts, or if the vehicle is out of service for a cumulative 15 business days, the vehicle is presumed to be a lemon. This presumption generally applies within the first 36 months or 18,000 miles of ownership.

Maine's state lemon law generally covers new vehicles purchased with a manufacturer's warranty. If your vehicle is used or falls outside the state statute, you may still have a claim under the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, which applies to written warranties nationwide.

Maine's lemon law (Maine Revised Statutes title 10, sections 1161 to 1169) states no deadline of its own for filing a lawsuit, and a general time limit that may apply has not been confirmed for this page. The statute does limit state-certified arbitration, run by the Department of the Attorney General: manufacturers must submit to it if the consumer requests it within 3 years from the date of original delivery or within the term of the express warranties, whichever comes first (section 1169(1)). Other time limits can apply, so act promptly, well within 3 years of delivery and while the warranty is still in force; a licensed attorney can confirm which deadline applies to your vehicle. When a vehicle qualifies, Maine requires the manufacturer to repurchase or replace it rather than keep attempting repairs. Maine's lemon law lets a court award reasonable attorney's fees and costs to a consumer who successfully sues under it (Maine Revised Statutes title 10, section 1167), and a consumer who prevails when a state arbitration decision is appealed must be awarded them (section 1169(5)).