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States with the Best Lemon Laws
February 21, 2019
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 |
3 Steps Every Car Buyer Needs to Take to Save Maximum Money
The key to getting the best deal is to gather price or lease bids from as many local dealers as possible. Then shop that best price around until no one can beat it. Here are the steps:Step 1 Get Prices From My Trusted Network
Select the vehicle you're interested in to see if there are local dealers in my network who will provide you with their best upfront price. You will get direct access to an internet sales manager who you can further negotiate with online (no need to visit dealership).Select Vehicle to Get Local Pricing
Step 2 Get Prices From TrueCar / CarsDirect
TrueCar, and CarsDirect are my top 2 online price quote recommendations. These services show you pre-negotiated prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually pretty decent. But remember, you can still negotiate further.Step 3 Complete my Checklist
Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
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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
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