If you’ve ever bought a brand-new car only to watch it spend more time in the repair shop than in your driveway, you know the special kind of frustration that comes with owning a “lemon.” The good news for Connecticut drivers? The state has one of the oldest and most effective programs in the country for dealing with exactly that problem—and it just had its best year on record.
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) recovered more than $8.1 million in refunds and replacement vehicles for consumers in 2025, a program record. DCP released its Lemon Law Annual Report this week covering the 2025 calendar year, and the numbers are worth a closer look.
A Forty-Year Head Start
DCP administers the Connecticut Automobile Dispute Settlement Program, better known simply as the “Lemon Law.” Back in June 1982, Connecticut became the first state in the nation to create an informal arbitration process between consumers and manufacturers. Four decades later, that pioneering program has returned over $100 million to Connecticut consumers.
“We are proud of the hard work our Lemon Law team does on behalf of Connecticut consumers,” said DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli. “Buying a new car is a big investment, and sometimes things can go wrong even when you do everything right. Frequent repairs are frustrating, costly, and inconvenient. That’s why our program creates an opportunity for consumers and manufacturers to communicate and work to resolve the problem and get back on the road.”
Does Your Vehicle Qualify? The Five Requirements
This is where I get a lot of questions from folks, so let me break it down. To be eligible for arbitration, a vehicle has to check all five of these boxes:
- The right kind of vehicle. It must be a new motor vehicle registered as a passenger car, combination (passenger and commercial), or motorcycle, purchased or leased in Connecticut.
- A warranty problem. The vehicle does not conform to the manufacturer’s express warranty.
- A serious, persistent defect. There’s a defect or condition that substantially impairs the use, safety, or value of the vehicle after a reasonable number of repair attempts. The law presumes “reasonable” to mean four attempts.
- Within the eligibility window. The defect occurred during the first 2 years from the original delivery date or the first 24,000 miles—whichever comes first.
- The defect persisted or went unverified. The vehicle either couldn’t be immediately repaired and was returned to you with the defect still present, OR you brought it to the dealer’s attention and the dealer determined it wasn’t a defect (or the mechanic couldn’t replicate the issue).
A couple of important caveats: the program does not cover defects caused by a consumer’s abuse, neglect, or unauthorized modification of the vehicle. It also won’t help with defects that fall outside the manufacturer’s express warranty.
2025 At A Glance
Here’s how last year shook out:
- 165 applications received
- 24 deemed ineligible
- 141 cases proceeded to arbitration hearings
Of those hearings, the outcomes broke down into 13 no-action decisions, 15 cash-and-keep settlements, and 113 decisions to refund or replace the vehicle. The single largest refund came in at a staggering $204,000. Worth remembering: those refunds and replacement vehicles are provided by the manufacturers themselves.
The Trend Line Is Climbing
What stands out to me reviewing the multi-year data is how steadily this program has grown. Applications have been on a clear upward march—80 back in 2021, climbing to 146 in 2024. And as the caseload has grown, so have the recoveries. The program returned $2.3 million to consumers in 2021. By 2024, that figure had nearly tripled to more than $6.19 million—before this year’s record-breaking $8.1 million.
For the curious, the five manufacturers that drew the most arbitration-eligible complaints between 2021 and 2025 were Jeep, Hyundai, Ford, Toyota, and Honda.
What You Can Actually Win
When a consumer prevails, the award is typically either a replacement comparable new vehicle or a refund of what you originally paid. Awards may also include reimbursement for incidental or consequential damages and costs—things like towing, rental cars, and similar out-of-pocket expenses tied to the defect.
My Two Cents
I’ll add this as someone who handles consumer matters in Connecticut: the Lemon Law program is genuinely one of the better consumer-protection tools on the books, and it’s free to use. The catch is the eligibility window. Those 2-year and 24,000-mile limits move fast, and the clock doesn’t care that you’ve been patient with your dealer’s service department. If your new vehicle is racking up repair visits, document everything—every repair order, every date, every conversation—and don’t sit on it. The paper trail is what wins these cases.
Resources
To find out whether your vehicle might qualify, DCP offers a short Eligibility Quiz.
To learn more about the program and how to apply, visit ct.gov/dcp/lemonlaw.
You can view the 2025 Lemon Law Annual Report online or download the full report here.
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