Washington D.C. Lemon Law Buyback Calculator

In Washington D.C., a lemon law buyback (repurchase) refunds what you paid for the vehicle minus an allowance for the use you got from it. D.C. Code section 50-502(b) caps that allowance at 10 cents per mile for use beyond the first 12,000 miles, plus an allowance for damage not caused by normal wear or by the defect. The statute sets no mileage divisor, so our calculator's allowance is only an estimate: it divides the mileage above 12,000 that 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 statute's cap of 10 cents for each of those miles. A licensed attorney can confirm how the allowance applies to your purchase or lease.

Washington D.C. 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 24 months or 18,000 miles of ownership.

Washington D.C.'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.

You generally have 4 years to bring a lemon law claim in Washington D.C., longer than the national average of 2.4 years. Acting before the warranty expires and while repair records are fresh protects your claim. When a vehicle qualifies, Washington D.C. requires the manufacturer to repurchase or replace it rather than keep attempting repairs. D.C.'s lemon law works through arbitration; the arbitrator or panel may award the consumer reasonable attorneys' fees (D.C. Code 50-503(q)(2)).