Idaho Lemon Law Refund Calculator

How the Idaho buyback is calculated

Under the Idaho New Motor Vehicle Warranties Act.

• After a reasonable number of repair attempts, Idaho Code § 48-903(1) requires the manufacturer to replace the vehicle with a comparable one or accept it back and refund the amount you paid, including the value of any trade-in. If it offers a replacement, you may reject it and require a refund.
• The refund is capped at 105% of the manufacturer's suggested retail price. That price includes factory-installed options, and the cap includes options or modifications the dealer arranged or installed within 30 days after original delivery. Enter the suggested retail price and the calculator holds the price and options to the cap; without it no cap is applied.
• On top of that, the manufacturer must refund other charges, including sales or excise tax, license fees and registration fees, and reimbursement for towing and rental vehicle expenses incurred because the vehicle was out of service for warranty repair. The refund is made to you and any lienholder as their interests appear on the records of the division of motor vehicles, with an itemized statement of each amount.
• A reasonable allowance for your use is deducted, but not more than the miles attributable to you up to the date of the arbitration hearing, multiplied by the purchase price and divided by 120,000. On a $30,000 vehicle, 12,000 such miles would mean an allowance of at most $3,000. The statute does not say which miles are attributable to you, so the calculator uses your odometer reading as an estimate, and it deducts that ceiling at the low, estimated and high figures alike.
• By statute the sales or excise tax the manufacturer pays you is the tax you paid, less the tax multiplied by the allowance and divided by the purchase price (§ 48-903(8)); this estimate applies that reduction. A lessee gets a refund only, not a replacement: the pro rata share of any down payment and the additional charges actually paid, with the lease payments made as the allowance (§ 48-904). For a lease the calculator follows that formula: enter the months in the lease and the months remaining (and, optionally, the residual value plus early termination charges and the MSRP for the 105% limit).

Idaho lemon law: frequently asked questions

How much can I recover under the Idaho lemon law?

A refund of the amount you paid, including the value of any trade-in, up to 105% of the manufacturer's suggested retail price, plus sales or excise tax, license and registration fees, and towing and rental vehicle expenses, minus a reasonable allowance for your use. The calculator applies the tax reduction and, when you enter the MSRP, the 105% cap.

How is the deduction for my use calculated?

Idaho Code § 48-903(1) says the allowance may not exceed the miles attributable to you up to the date of the arbitration hearing, multiplied by the purchase price and divided by 120,000. The statute does not say which miles are attributable to you, for example whether miles before the first repair attempt count. Because it is a ceiling, the allowance can be smaller.

Is there a penalty or multiplied damages?

Not on the refund itself. Three times actual damages, with costs and attorney's fees, goes to the prevailing party only when the district court finds a party removed an arbitration decision in bad faith, and either side can be liable (§ 48-908). The Attorney General may also sue a manufacturer under the Idaho Consumer Protection Act when in the public interest (§ 48-909).

Do I have to pay my attorney out of my recovery?

A consumer injured by a violation may bring a civil action and recover costs and disbursements, including reasonable attorney's fees incurred in the civil action, but not attorney's fees previously incurred in informal dispute resolution (§ 48-909).

What if I lease my vehicle?

A lessee has the same rights but gets only a refund, not a replacement. The consumer gets the pro rata share of any down payment and the additional charges actually paid, the lessor gets its early termination charges plus the vehicle's residual value, and the down-payment refund plus the lessor's refund cannot exceed 105% of the vehicle's original suggested retail price (§ 48-904). The allowance for a lessee's use is the lease payments made. The calculator follows that formula for a lease.