Rhode Island Lemon Law Buyback Calculator

In Rhode Island, a lemon law buyback (repurchase) refunds what you paid for the vehicle minus a "mileage offset" for the use you got before the defect appeared. Using the common statutory formula, the offset equals the miles driven before your first repair attempt divided by 120,000, multiplied by the purchase price. On a $35,000 vehicle with 6,000 miles at the first repair attempt, the offset is about $1,750 — so the buyback would be roughly $33,250, plus incidental costs like taxes, registration, and towing. Our calculator applies this same formula to your numbers.

Rhode Island 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 days, the vehicle is presumed to be a lemon. This presumption generally applies within the first 12 months or 15,000 miles of ownership.

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

Rhode Island General Laws section 31-5.2-12 requires a lemon law action to be commenced within 3 years of the date of original delivery or within 2 years of the date on which the vehicle's mileage reached 15,000 miles, whichever is earlier. The period is tolled from the start of a dispute settlement procedure until 30 days after its final decision (section 31-5.2-7). A licensed attorney can confirm which deadline applies to your vehicle. When a vehicle qualifies, Rhode Island requires the manufacturer to repurchase or replace it rather than keep attempting repairs. Rhode Island's lemon law provides for an award of attorney fees to a consumer who wins (Rhode Island General Laws 31-5.2-11).