States with the Best Lemon Laws
Earlier this month, the Center for Auto Safety, (an awesome consumer advocacy organization) released their rankings of State Lemon Laws.
For those of you who aren't aware, Lemon Laws are consumer protection laws that allow car buyers to receive a refund or replacement vehicle if their new car has a defect that can't be fixed after a certain number of attempts.
Lemon Laws are implemented on a State level, which means some states provide much stronger protection than others. New Jersey is ranked #1, while Illinois and Colorado come in last place.
Check out the rankings below to see how well your State protects your rights when buying a new car:
| Rank | State | Letter Grade | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Jersey | A | 84 |
| 2 | Washington | A | 83 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | B+ | 64.5 |
| 4 | Hawaii | B+ | 62 |
| 5 | Ohio | B+ | 61.5 |
| 6 | New York | B+ | 60 |
| 7 | Maine | B | 59 |
| 8 | Florida | B | 58.5 |
| 9 | Texas | B | 58 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | B | 54.5 |
| 11 | Idaho | B | 54 |
| 12 | California | B | 53 |
| 13 | Georgia | B | 53 |
| 14 | West Virginia | B | 53 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | B | 51.5 |
| 16 | Minnesota | B | 51.5 |
| 17 | Iowa | B- | 49 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | B- | 48.5 |
| 19 | Virginia | B- | 48 |
| 20 | Connecticut | B- | 47.5 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | B- | 46.5 |
| 22 | Arkansas | B- | 42 |
| 23 | Maryland | C | 39.5 |
| 24 | Vermont | C | 39 |
| 25 | Delaware | C | 37.5 |
| 26 | North Carolina | C | 36.5 |
| 27 | Oregon | C | 36.5 |
| 28 | South Carolina | C- | 34 |
| 29 | South Dakota | C- | 31 |
| 30 | Indiana | D | 30 |
| 31 | Michigan | D | 29 |
| 32 | Montana | D | 28 |
| 33 | Arizona | D | 27 |
| 34 | Alabama | D | 26 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | D | 24 |
| 36 | New Mexico | D | 23.5 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | D | 23.5 |
| 38 | Tennessee | D | 23 |
| 39 | Wyoming | D | 22 |
| 40 | Nebraska | D- | 20 |
| 41 | Kentucky | D- | 18 |
| 42 | Alaska | D- | 17 |
| 43 | Mississippi | D- | 16 |
| 44 | Kansas | D- | 15 |
| 45 | Utah | D- | 15 |
| 46 | Nevada | D- | 13 |
| 47 | Missouri | F | 5.5 |
| 48 | Louisiana | F | 5 |
| 49 | North Dakota | F | 1 |
| 50 | Colorado | F | -2 |
| 51 | Illinois | F | -3 |
My Recommendation for Car Shoppers
TrueCar, Edmunds, and 1-800 Car Show are the quickest way to see the lowest car prices in your area. These sites show you no-haggle prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually really good. This should be the first step you take when negotiating your car price. Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About: Gregg Fidan
Gregg Fidan + is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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