California lemon law calculator

California's lemon law sets a specific formula for manufacturer repurchases. Two parts determine your result:

The mileage offset — your one deduction: The manufacturer deducts a usage fee representing the miles you drove before the defect the vehicle is being repurchased for was first reported. The formula is:

California uses 120,000 miles as the vehicle lifespan.

Your Simplified Net Buyback:

Worked Example

* Remaining Balance Owed on the Vehicle Purchase Price to be Paid Off by the Manufacturer.

The manufacturer also pays attorney's fees separately. That $11,450.83 would be yours.

What's included in your recovery

What's deducted

One more thing the calculator doesn't show

If the manufacturer willfully refused to repurchase a vehicle they knew was defective, California law may allow a civil penalty of up to two times your actual damages on top of the buyback. That requires a case evaluation — not a formula.

The formula looks fixed, and most of it is. The purchase price is the purchase price. The 120,000-mile average vehicle lifespan is set by statute. However, there is one variable decides how much money is returned to you, and that number is determined the day you first notify the manufacturer of your vehicle problems.

The mileage offset is calculated from your odometer reading at the first documented repair visit for the defect — not today's mileage, not the mileage when you start a claim. Every mile you drive before that first visit increases the deduction.

On a $50,000 vehicle, a first repair visit at 8,000 miles can produce a $3,333 offset. The same vehicle, same defect, with the first repair visit at 20,000 miles can produce an offset of $8,333.

Same car, same problem, $5,000 difference — decided entirely by when the problem was first brought up at the service center.

This is why we tell clients to take the vehicle in as soon as a problem appears without delay and to make sure the specific symptoms are written on the repair order. A conversation with a service advisor that never makes it onto paper does not count.

The offset must be calculated from the first repair attempt for the defect. In practice, manufacturers try to calculate it from a later visit, which inflates the deduction and reduces what you get back. They want to save themselves money at the cost of giving you the short end of the stick. If you are not represented by an attorney on average 8 out of 10 initial offers use a higher offset. It is in your best interest to speak with a lemon law attorney that has your best interest in mind.

When a repurchase offer comes in, compare the mileage figure in their calculation against the odometer reading on your earliest repair order for that problem. If the numbers do not match, the offer is short and the difference can be yours to recover.

The calculator gives you the baseline. Your actual recovery depends on whether your vehicle legally qualifies, how the manufacturer handles the demand, and whether any civil penalty applies.

If your number looks substantial — and for most California owners with documented repair visits, it will — the next step is a free case review.

We'll tell you whether your vehicle qualifies, what your realistic recovery looks like, and how long the process typically takes. No cost, no pressure.