The Rhode Island Lemon Law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5.2)

Rhode Island’s lemon law is codified at R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-5.2-1 to -14. It is built around the Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board — established and run by the Attorney General — and it is consumer-favorable in several respects: the consumer elects refund or replacement, the use offset uses a 100,000-mile basis, attorney fees are mandatory, and the statute carries strong appeal-stage teeth.

The core promise

Section 31-5.2-3 requires the manufacturer, when it cannot conform the vehicle to the warranty after a reasonable number of attempts, to — at the consumer’s or lessee’s option — refund the full contract price or replace the vehicle with a comparable new motor vehicle. The manufacturer has 30 calendar days to deliver a replacement or must refund.

Who’s covered

Section 31-5.2-1(8) covers an automobile, truck, motorcycle, or van with a registered gross vehicle weight under 10,000 lbs, purchased or leased in Rhode Island. Leases are covered. Motorized campers are excluded. Motorcycles are expressly covered — a distinctive inclusion (like Hawaii).

The one-year / 15,000-mile term of protection

The term of protection runs one year or 15,000 miles from original delivery, whichever comes first (§ 31-5.2-1(10)) — among the shorter windows in the country. For a replacement vehicle, the term restarts on delivery of the replacement.

The presumption: 4 attempts or 30 calendar days

Section 31-5.2-5 presumes a reasonable number of attempts where, within the term of protection:

• The same nonconformity has been subject to repair 4 or more times and persists or recurs; OR
• The vehicle has been out of service for repair a cumulative 30 or more calendar days.

Plus the manufacturer is afforded one additional opportunity to cure — not to exceed 7 calendar days — after it knows or should know the threshold is met, even if the term has expired. Rhode Island has no one-attempt rule for serious safety defects. See repair-attempt presumption.

The consumer-elected remedy and the 100,000-mile offset

The consumer elects refund or replacement (§ 31-5.2-3(1)). The refund returns the full contract price plus collateral charges (sales tax, registration fee, finance charges) and towing/rental costs (§ 31-5.2-3(1)(c)) — less a reasonable allowance for use.

The offset (§ 31-5.2-3(1)(e)) multiplies the total price by a fraction:

• Numerator — miles traveled before the first nonconformity report, plus miles during periods the vehicle was not out of service for repair.
• Denominator — 100,000.

The 100,000-mile denominator keeps the deduction small — a Rhode Island refund stays close to the full price.

Attorney fees — mandatory

Section 31-5.2-11 provides that a prevailing plaintiff shall be awarded reasonable attorney fees — mandatory in the lemon law itself (stronger than the discretionary standalone fees of Maine or New Hampshire). See attorney fees.

The Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board (§ 31-5.2-7.1)

Disputes are decided by the Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board, established by the Attorney General — five members (the AG or designee as director, a public member, the revenue director or designee, the auto dealers’ association president or designee, and the DMV administrator or designee). The consumer pays a $20 filing fee; a decision issues within 90 days. Distinctive teeth on appeal: only the manufacturer may appeal to Superior Court (within 30 days, posting a bond equal to the award plus $2,500); the consumer collects $25 per day for continued loss of use; and a frivolous or unreasonable appeal doubles the award. See state arbitration board.

How Rhode Island compares

Feature	Rhode Island	Maine	New Hampshire	Hawaii
Enforcement	AG arbitration board	AG arb (mandatory)	State board (MVAB)	State arb (SCAP)
Same-defect attempts	4	3	3	3
Safety-defect attempts	None	1 (braking/steering)	None	1 (any serious)
OOS threshold	30 calendar days	15 business days	30 business days	30 business days
Term of protection	1 yr / 15,000 mi	3 yr / 18,000 mi	Warranty + 1 yr	2 yr / 24K
Remedy election	Consumer	Consumer	Consumer	Consumer
Use offset	÷100,000-mi	10%-of-price cap	÷100,000-mi	1%/1,000 mi
Appeal	Manufacturer only, bond	Trial de novo	Narrow (no de novo)	Trial de novo option
Appeal teeth	$25/day + double award	$25/day + double	(per se CPA violation)	(UDAP treble)
Lemon-law fees	Mandatory	Discretionary standalone	Discretionary	Discretionary (arb)

Rhode Island stands out for its manufacturer-only, bonded appeal, the $25/day + doubled-award deterrent, mandatory lemon-law fees, and the consumer-favorable 100,000-mile offset.

Bottom line

The Rhode Island Lemon Law gives consumers an AG-run Arbitration Board, a consumer-elected refund/replacement with a small (100,000-mile) offset, mandatory attorney fees, and a powerful appeal deterrent (only the manufacturer can appeal — bonded — with $25/day and a doubled award for a frivolous appeal). Mind the short one-year/15,000-mile term. Pair it with the DTPA and Magnuson-Moss.

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