Leased Vehicles Under Utah Lemon Law

Utah’s New Motor Vehicle Warranties Act expressly covers leased vehicles under § 13-20-2’s definition of “consumer” (includes lessees under leases of 12 months or more). The Lemon Law’s refund/replacement remedy under § 13-20-5 applies with the distinctive mileage-during-repair exclusion.

How lease refund math works

Consumer’s economic stake:

• Cap-cost reduction at signing.
• Monthly lease payments to date.
• Sales tax on payments.
• Fees — acquisition, doc, registration.
• Security deposit (if any).

Refund covers these plus collateral, less mileage offset reduced by Utah’s distinctive mileage-during-repair exclusion.

Lessor’s residual buyout is paid by manufacturer directly to lessor.

Example calculation with mileage-during-repair exclusion

$45,000 lease (cap cost). 15,000 miles before first repair attempt. 1,500 miles accrued during 4 repair visits (total 30 business days OOS).

Effective offset miles: 15,000 − 1,500 = 13,500 miles (vs. 15,000 in peer states without repair-period exclusion).

For lease cases with extended repair tenures, this can substantially reduce the offset.

Replacement structure

When manufacturer elects replacement under § 13-20-5:

• Same lease structure on replacement.
• Residual buyout adjusts to replacement’s residual.
• Manufacturer warranty restarts at replacement delivery.

Bottom line

UT Lemon Law covers leased vehicles. Refund math benefits from Utah’s distinctive mileage-during-repair exclusion. Consumer is not responsible for residual buyout. The UCSPA $2,000 statutory floor applies equally to lease cases, with the federal Magnuson-Moss claim as the reliable fee anchor.

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