Maine Lemon Law Refund Calculator

How the Maine buyback is calculated

Under the Maine Lemon Law.

• The manufacturer replaces the vehicle with a comparable one or accepts it back and refunds you. You may reject a replacement and receive a refund instead (10 M.R.S. § 1163(2)). The refund goes to you and the lienholder as your interests appear.
• The refund starts with the full purchase price or, for a leased vehicle, the lease payments made to date, including any paid finance charges. In arbitration the Attorney General's rules count the price before any rebates, deposits or trade-in credit, and for a lease the payments include any down payment, trade-in allowance and security deposit (26-239 C.M.R. ch. 106, §§ 1.B.5, 1.B.8). For a lease the rules take the allowance on the vehicle's gross capitalized cost, a retail price estimate at the time of the lease (§ 20); enter it in the lease section, otherwise the allowance is taken on what you paid and is understated.
• It adds all collateral charges, including sales tax, registration fees and similar government charges, and reasonable towing, storage and alternative transportation costs while the vehicle could not be driven because it did not conform. In arbitration the rules say local excise taxes are not collateral charges (§ 11.B). The Attorney General's guide says attorney's fees, lost time and lost wages are not included in a refund.
• A reasonable allowance for use is subtracted. The statute says it cannot exceed the lesser of two figures: one third of the IRS per-mile business rate times the mileage reported on the accepted arbitration application, plus all mileage directly attributable to use by a consumer beyond 20,000 miles; or 10% of the purchase price (10 M.R.S. § 1161(4)). The Attorney General's guide reads the cap as "never more than 10% of the purchase price"; the sentence could also be read to apply the 10% only to the part beyond 20,000 miles. Our estimate uses one third of the IRS rate (76 cents per mile for July to December 2026) times the mileage you enter as the one on the arbitration application, capped at 10% of the price. If you leave it out, it uses your odometer at the first defect, which is never higher than the application mileage, so the real per-mile figure can then be higher. The beyond-20,000-mile part is not included.
• In state arbitration the Attorney General's rules also let damage to the vehicle beyond reasonable wear and tear, unrelated to the defect, be repaired, paid for or deducted from the award (26-239 C.M.R. ch. 106, § 17.A). You can enter it as an optional amount; it is a rule of the arbitration, not in the statute.
• Maine's Lemon Law states no general multiplier on the refund. Two exist after arbitration: a prevailing consumer who has brought an action is entitled to no less than 2 times the actual award if the manufacturer fails to abide by the decision or file a timely appeal, and a court doubles the award for an appeal with no reasonable basis (10 M.R.S. § 1169(5), (8)).

Maine lemon law: frequently asked questions

How much can I recover under the Maine lemon law?

The refund is the full purchase price (or lease payments to date, with paid finance charges), plus collateral charges such as sales tax and registration fees, plus reasonable towing, storage and alternative transportation costs, less a reasonable allowance for use. The Attorney General says that allowance can never be more than 10% of the purchase price. Run your numbers through our calculator for a personalized estimate.

How is the allowance for use worked out in Maine?

The statute caps it at the lesser of (1) one third of the IRS per-mile business rate times the mileage reported on the accepted arbitration application, plus all mileage directly attributable to use by a consumer beyond 20,000 miles, or (2) 10% of the purchase price. Our estimate takes the first figure on the mileage you enter for the application (or, if left blank, your odometer at the first defect, which is at or below it), and leaves out the beyond-20,000-mile add-on, so the allowance shown can be lower than the one an arbitrator computes.

Is sales tax refunded?

The refund includes all collateral charges, including sales tax, registration fees and similar government charges (10 M.R.S. § 1163(2)). In arbitration, the Attorney General's rules say local excise taxes are not collateral charges.

Who pays the attorney?

In a consumer's successful action a court may award reasonable attorney's fees and costs (10 M.R.S. § 1167), and in an appeal of an arbitration decision a prevailing consumer must be awarded them. Fees are not part of the calculator's figures.

Can I get more than the refund?

Possibly, but only in the arbitration context. If an arbitration award is upheld in court, recovery may include continuing damages up to $25 per day, unless the manufacturer made a comparable vehicle available free of charge. A manufacturer that fails to abide by the decision or file a timely appeal owes a prevailing consumer who has brought an action no less than 2 times the actual award, unless it proves the failure was beyond its control or resulted from a written agreement with you.