A 1310 New Jersey General Assembly · 2026-2027 Regular Session

"Used Car Buyers' Bill of Rights"; prohibits certain "as is" sales of used motor vehicles.

This bill, "Used Car Buyers' Bill of Rights," prohibits dealers from selling used vehicles as "certified" or similar terms if they conceal specific issues like odometer fraud, flood damage, frame repairs, or undisclosed title problems (e.g., "salvage" or "Lemon Law Buyback"). It also requires dealers to offer buyers a contract cancellation option, allowing returns within a defined timeframe (with a minimum 250-mile allowance) for a capped fee based on the vehicle’s price (e.g., $250 for $10k-$30k vehicles). The law directly affects used car dealers and consumers purchasing vehicles under $40,000, excluding high-value, salvage, or insurance-total-loss vehicles. Key provisions include mandatory disclosures of vehicle defects and standardized return terms to reduce misleading sales practices.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Mar 19, 2026

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What changed between versions

Introduced → Reprint · 8 edits

MODERATE

The First Reprint of A1310 (Used Car Buyers' Bill of Rights) incorporates committee amendments reported on March 19, 2026. The most significant substantive change is a new exemption removing motorcycles and off-road vehicles from the contract cancellation option requirement. Other changes include a revised standard for when a dealer's inadvertent transfer of title to a trade-in vehicle is excused, a narrowed trigger for when dealers must return trade-in vehicles upon cancellation, and minor clarifying language edits throughout.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by adding an explicit exemption for motorcycles and off-road vehicles from the contract cancellation option agreement requirement in Section 3. The original introduced version did not contain this specific exemption in that section (though the removed legislative statement noted the bill did not apply to motorcycles or off-road vehicles generally).

SCOPE

New subsection 3(i) exempts sales of motorcycles (as defined by R.S.39:1-1) and off-road vehicles (as defined by C.39:3C-32) from the contract cancellation option agreement requirement. This narrows the bill's applicability by carving out two vehicle categories that were previously covered.

REQUIREMENT

Section 3(d)(3): The standard for excusing a dealer who inadvertently sold or transferred title to a consumer's trade-in vehicle was changed from requiring both a 'bona fide error' AND 'reasonable procedures to avoid that error' to simply requiring 'reasonable measures to prevent the sale or transfer of title.' This removes the specific 'bona fide error' legal standard and replaces it with a broader reasonableness test.

Section 3(d)(2): The condition triggering the dealer's obligation to return a trade-in vehicle upon cancellation was changed from 'if the consumer was not charged for the contract cancellation option agreement' to 'if a dealer accepts a used motor vehicle in lieu of the fee for the contract cancellation option agreement.' This narrows the circumstance under which the return obligation applies.

Section 3(f): The lookback period for when a dealer is not required to offer a new contract cancellation option was changed from 'the immediately preceding 30 days' to 'the preceding 30 days,' removing the word 'immediately.'

DEFINITION

Sections 4 and 10: The disclosure standard for total loss and salvage vehicles sold 'as is' was changed from the consumer having been 'advised in writing' to the information being 'reported to the consumer in writing at or prior to the time of sale.' This shifts the framing from an advisory obligation to a reporting obligation.

TECHNICAL

Section 2, subsections (4) and (5): Added the word 'and' to read 'after repair and prior to sale' instead of 'after repair prior to sale,' clarifying that both conditions must be satisfied.

Section 10(b): Changed 'over seven or more model years old' to 'over seven model years old,' removing the redundant 'or more.'

The full legislative statement (summary of the bill's provisions) was removed from the end of the document, which is typical when a bill is reported out of committee with amendments.

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Committee

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee

lower

1 primary · 5 co-sponsors