What is a lemon law?

A lemon law protects the purchaser of a new or almost-new car from the risk that the car is defective. Under a lemon law, you may return a new car that was leased or sold with a manufacturer’s warranty that cannot be repaired in a reasonable number of attempts or at all. Most lemon laws also apply to used cars that are still under full warranty and that meet the mileage and time requirements.