Minnesota Lemon Law Buyback Calculator

In Minnesota, a lemon law buyback (repurchase) refunds what you paid for the vehicle minus an allowance for the use you got from it. Minnesota Statutes section 325F.665, subdivision 3(a) caps that allowance at 10 cents per mile driven or 10% of the purchase price, whichever is less, and counts use by you and any previous consumer during any period when the vehicle's use and market value were not substantially impaired. 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: 10 cents for each of those miles and 10% of the price. A licensed attorney can confirm how the allowance applies to your purchase or lease.

Minnesota 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 4 repair attempts, or if the vehicle is out of service for a cumulative 30 business days, the vehicle is presumed to be a lemon. This presumption generally applies within the first 24 months of ownership.

Minnesota is among the states whose lemon law extends to qualifying used vehicles sold with a manufacturer's warranty, not just new cars.

Minnesota Statutes 325F.665, subdivision 10, requires a civil action under the lemon law to be commenced within 3 years of the date of original delivery of the vehicle. If you apply to an informal dispute settlement mechanism within those 3 years and are aggrieved by its decision, any civil action must be commenced within 6 months after the date of the mechanism's final decision, which can fall before or after 3 years from delivery. A licensed attorney can confirm which deadline applies to your vehicle. When a vehicle qualifies, Minnesota requires the manufacturer to repurchase or replace it rather than keep attempting repairs. Minnesota's lemon law provides for an award of attorney fees to a consumer who wins (Minnesota Statutes 325F.665, subdivision 9).