Can You Receive Compensation for Hardship Caused by a Lemon Law Car?You depend on your car to get to work and to get to medical appointments, so when your car is not functioning properly, you could not only miss days of work, but your health and welfare could be at risk. If the defective car is new and you have cause for a Lemon Law claim, you may be wondering if you can recover for other losses you suffered as a result of the car not working. Unfortunately, the answer is usually no.

What You Cannot Recover Under Virginia’s Lemon Law

Unlike in a personal injury claim, you cannot recover money for other types of damages caused by the loss of your car under a Lemon Law claim. This means that you cannot ask to be compensated for lost wages, missed medical appointments, or general hardship and suffering, even if the defects in your new car were the direct cause of these economic and non-economic damages.

What You May Be Awarded in a Lemon Law Claim

However, a successful Lemon Law claim will either replace your car or reimburse you for the total value of the car, plus additional expenses, including the following:

  • Sales tax

  • License fees

  • Registration Fees

  • Title Fees

  • Finance charges and interest

  • Transportation charges

  • Dealer preparation charges

  • Any other charges for service contracts, undercoating, rustproofing, or installed options, not recoverable from a third party

  • An amount for mileage, expenses, and reasonable loss of use necessitated by attempts to conform the motor vehicle to the express warranty

  • Attorney’s fees

If the manufacturer fails to conform to the decision of an informal dispute settlement procedure and resolution of your claim is delayed, the court may also award enhanced damages of up to three times the value of the claim, plus additional attorney’s fees.

A Virginia Lemon Law Attorney Can Help

If your Lemon Law claim involves special circumstances, including injury or exceptional hardship that was the direct result of the defective car, you should work with the Lemon Law attorneys at The Consumer Law Group, P.C. We will assess your case to determine if you are entitled to additional damages. We are here to help you protect your rights as a consumer in Virginia, call us today at 804.282.7900. Connect with us today to learn more.

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