After posting about my experience of buying a used car in Germany, I had an interesting comment from a reader. He asked me weather or not Germany had anything like a “lemon law” since he had been ripped off by someone who he bought a car from.

I am not very informed on the subject, but do believe that they have one. My husband has talked about it and I have heard several conversations about this subject here in Munich. Although I am not very informed on this subject, I have done a little research so I can help inform you all about Germany’s very own “lemon law”.

I did not find a whole lot of good information in English on the subject but found a helpful article that was written in 2004. Here they describe the “lemon law” here in Germany.

German lemon law

The basics of the Bürgeliches gesetz buch, para. 434ss (German lemon law):

• By law, German dealerships must honor a one-year warranty for all used cars they sell.
• The dealer is responsible for defects determined (usually by a third party appraisal) to have been there at the time of sale; not resulting from regular wear and tear or negligence. For example, worn brake pads.
• The buyer must file a claim with the dealer before the one-year term has expired.
• The bylaws of this consumer directive, which other countries in the European Union have also adopted, also apply to other property, such as mobile homes, computers and other immobiles.

According to the article, he says that it is a lot easier said than done to get your money back if you have bought yourself a lemon. But at least there is hope.

I know that when we were trying to buy a car, at the first dealership we went to, the guy decided not to sell us the car.  He changed his mind about selling us the car once we told him that we were aware of this lemon law. As soon as we mentioned it, he immediately said he would not sell us the car any more (even though we were there with cash in hand and about to sign the papers). So knowledge is power! :)

I know that this information is incomplete and outdated, so I welcome anyone with any more knowledge about it to share it with us in a comment below!

Do you know about Germany’s Lemon Law? Tell us about it in a comment below!