New Hampshire's lemon law and your rights as a buyer

What the lemon law protects, what it doesn't, and what rights you keep when you buy used. With the state's exact deadlines.

This guide summarizes the recorded scope for New Hampshire (RSA, chapter 357-D (New Motor Vehicle Arbitration)). Eligibility, deadlines and notice requirements depend on the law and applicable coverage; read the state conditions below, including used-vehicle conditions where relevant.

What it covers

Passenger cars, light trucks up to 11,000 lb, motorcycles, off-highway recreational vehicles (OHRVs) and snowmobiles, bought or leased (2 years or more) in New Hampshire, with a defect covered by the maker's warranty that substantially impairs use, market value or safety.

Rights period: The defect must appear during the maker's express warranty (it lasts as long as that warranty says). The case must be started within 1 year after the later of: the end of the warranty or the maker's final repair attempt (RSA 357-D:11).

When it is presumed a lemon

Three repairs of the same defect during the warranty without fixing it, or 30 cumulative business days out of service (RSA 357-D:3, VII). Each attempt must be on a written repair order; the dealer cannot refuse to give you one. Then you notify the maker in writing, on the official form, and the maker gets one final chance to repair.

The presumption does not replace the other requirements. Check the official conditions and procedure for your situation.

The process

In the notice you choose the maker's dispute program or the state Board; the choice is exclusive. The Board charges the consumer $50, holds the hearing within 40 days (extendable by 30) and decides within 30 days after. Its decision can be appealed to Superior Court within 30 days.

Who handles it: New Hampshire Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board (adscrita al DMV).

Hotline: (603) 227-4385 · lemonlaw@dos.nh.gov.

What you get if you win

Replacement with a comparable new car or a refund, at the consumer's choice: the full contract price, whatever you were given for the car you traded in and your down payment, license and registration fees, finance and credit charges, and incidental and consequential damages, minus a use offset (price × miles before the first repair attempt ÷ 100,000; for a motorcycle, snowmobile or OHRV the divisor is 20,000 if the engine is 250 cc or smaller and 40,000 if it is larger) (RSA 357-D:3, V). The maker pays within 30 days of the decision.

What it does not cover

Defects from accident, abuse, neglect or unauthorized modifications; mopeds and tractors; government vehicles; vehicles over 11,000 lb; and any non-passenger vehicle that does not have 4 wheels, other than the motorcycles, OHRVs and snowmobiles the law names (RSA 357-D:2, X); buyers for resale; consumers who stopped paying the loan or lease (unless the maker is at fault). Dealers are not liable under this law, except for their own written warranty.

I bought used: what do I have left

More than it seems, even if it isn't the lemon law:

• The Buyers Guide (FTC). The guide states the dealer warranty. "As Is" describes that warranty; it does not by itself resolve other state-law rights or remaining manufacturer coverage. The federal rule applies in 48 states (Maine and Wisconsin have their own equivalent rules). If the sale is conducted in Spanish, the dealer must post a Spanish-language Buyers Guide.
• Remaining manufacturer warranty. Check the warranty contract and its duration and transfer conditions; vehicle age does not guarantee coverage.
• In New Hampshire: NH has no used-car lemon law of its own and no cooling-off period. But if the used car is still inside the maker's express warranty, you count as a “consumer” under RSA 357-D:2, III, which includes any person the car is transferred to while that warranty lasts: you can use the state lemon law against the maker. You are protected by: written disclosure of salvage or rebuilt status with the right to undo the purchase within 3 business days (RSA 261:22); if you believe the car is unsafe, the dealer must inspect it on request (it may charge a reasonable amount) and, if it comes out unsafe, hand you a written notice listing the defects before the sale; on top of that, at every used-car sale the dealer must give you one of three written statements: that the car meets the RSA 266 equipment requirements, that it does not (with the defects listed), or that no examination was done (RSA 358-F:2, as in force since May 18, 2026); the Consumer Protection Act (RSA 358-A) against deception; and the federal Buyers Guide on the window, which says whether there is a warranty or it is sold "As Is". These rules apply to dealers, not private sellers.