States
Rhode Island lemon law: when a new car is a lemon
What R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 31-5.2 (new) and ch. 31-5.4 (used) asks before a manufacturer must repurchase or replace a car, the steps on the way and the last day to act.
Does your car meet the Rhode Island lemon law tests?
Rhode Island, November 5, 2026 read in the statute
Not yet: one more repair attempt
| Protection period | 1 year or 15,000 miles, whichever comes first: until January 5, 2027 or 15,000 miles. You are inside it. |
| Repair attempts, same defect | Not met: needs 4, you have 3 |
| Days out of service | Not met: needs 30 calendar days, you have 12 |
| Also | The statute says 30 or more calendar days; the Attorney General’s page says more than 30. The site follows the statute; if your count is exactly 30, expect the point to be argued. |
| Notice | If the manufacturer never had a chance, it gets a final opportunity of 7 calendar days, which starts when it learns of the problem. |
| Dispute step | Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board within the Attorney General’s office (new vehicles), or the manufacturer’s program. |
Tests as written in the law; a court or arbitrator decides. R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 31-5.2 (new) and ch. 31-5.4 (used) · Rhode Island Attorney General
The Rhode Island lemon law in detailRhode Island’s new car lemon law, chapter 31-5.2 of the General Laws, protects a new vehicle for one year or 15,000 miles from delivery, whichever comes first. The chapter presumes a reasonable number of attempts after four repairs of the same defect, or when the car has been out of service for 30 or more calendar days in that period; the Attorney General’s page says more than 30, and this site follows the statute. If the manufacturer never had a chance to repair the defect, it gets a final opportunity of seven calendar days, starting when it learns of the problem. Owners can bring the claim to the Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board or to the manufacturer’s program. We read sections 31-5.2-1, 3, 5 and 7 in archived copies dated from February 12, 2025 to September 23, 2026, and the Attorney General’s page in an archived copy of May 15, 2026.
What notice does your state ask for?
Rhode Island
Written notice
| Rule: If the manufacturer never had a chance, it gets a final opportunity of 7 calendar days, which starts when it learns of the problem. | |
| Law: R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 31-5.2 (new) and ch. 31-5.4 (used) |
State laws read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
A board inside the Attorney General’s office
The Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board is a state body, and its decision can order a refund or a replacement. Owners keep the right to use the manufacturer’s own program instead. We did not read section 31-5.2-12, so this page gives no time limit to file.
Thirty days, exactly
The statute and the Attorney General’s page differ by a single day. If your count is exactly 30, expect the point to be argued, and keep the repair orders that prove each day.
The used car chapter, 31-5.4, makes Rhode Island one of a handful of states where a dealer’s warranty on a used car carries a lemon law remedy: three attempts or 15 days within that warranty, according to the Attorney General. The refund deduction on a new car is the price times the miles before the first report, divided by 100,000.
The Rhode Island lemon law at a glance
| Law | R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 31-5.2 (new) and ch. 31-5.4 (used) |
| Protection period | 1 year or 15,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| Repair attempts | 4 attempts on the same defect |
| Serious safety defect | no separate test |
| Days out of service | 30 calendar days |
| Also | The statute says 30 or more calendar days; the Attorney General’s page says more than 30. The site follows the statute; if your count is exactly 30, expect the point to be argued. |
| Written notice | If the manufacturer never had a chance, it gets a final opportunity of 7 calendar days, which starts when it learns of the problem. |
| Dispute step | State-run program. Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board within the Attorney General’s office (new vehicles), or the manufacturer’s program. |
| Deadline | Not set in the text we read |
| Use offset in a buyback | Price × miles before the first report ÷ 100,000 (§ 31-5.2). |
| Vehicles covered | Cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles under 10,000 lb, bought or leased; not campers. |
| Used cars | Used vehicles: 3 attempts or 15 days within the dealer warranty (Attorney General). |
| State page | Rhode Island Attorney General |
| Level of reading | read in the statute |
| What we read | Sections 31-5.2-1, -3, -5 and -7 in archived copies dated from February 12, 2025 to September 23, 2026, and the Attorney General’s page in an archived copy of May 15, 2026. Section 31-5.2-12 was not read. |
From written notice to a decision
Certified mail, return receipt requested.
Earliest decisionbetween Oct 23, 2026 and Dec 2, 2026
1. Done · milestone
Written notice reaches the manufacturer
Oct 16, 2026
If the manufacturer never had a chance, it gets a final opportunity of 7 calendar days, which starts when it learns of the problem.
R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 31-5.2 (new) and ch. 31-5.4 (used)2. Done · 7 days
Final repair window
Oct 23, 2026
7 calendar days for a final repair opportunity (R.I. Gen. Laws 31-5.2).
R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 31-5.2 (new) and ch. 31-5.4 (used)3. In progress · 0 day – 6 weeks
Dispute program decides
Oct 23, 2026 – Dec 2, 2026
A program that follows 16 CFR Part 703 must decide within 40 days of receiving your dispute. Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board within the Attorney General’s office (new vehicles), or the manufacturer’s program.
16 CFR 703.5(d)4. Upcoming · milestone
Accept, refuse or go further
Oct 23, 2026 – Dec 2, 2026
If you refuse the decision, the next step is the state program or a court.