(a) A retail seller of motor vehicles may charge, contract for, receive or collect a finance charge expressed as an annual percentage rate on any retail installment contract covering the retail sale of a motor vehicle in this state, which charge shall not exceed the rates indicated for the respective classifications of motor vehicles as follows: (1) On sales made prior to October 1, 1985, of (A) new motor vehicles, eighteen per cent; (B) used motor vehicles of a model designated by the manufacturer by a year not more than three years prior to the year in which the sale is made, nineteen and one-quarter per cent; and (C) used motor vehicles of a model designated by the manufacturer by a year more than three years prior to the year in which the sale is made, twenty-one and one-half per cent; (2) on sales made on or after October 1, 1985, and prior to October 1, 1987, (A) new motor vehicles, sixteen per cent; (B) used motor vehicles of a model designated by the manufacturer by a year not more than two years prior to the year in which the sale is made, eighteen per cent; (C) used motor vehicles of a model designated by the manufacturer by a year more than two years prior to the year in which the sale is made, twenty per cent; and (3) on sales made on or after October 1, 1987, (A) new motor vehicles, fifteen per cent; (B) used motor vehicles of a model designated by the manufacturer by a year not more than two years prior to the year in which the sale is made, seventeen per cent; (C) used motor vehicles of a model designated by the manufacturer by a year more than two years prior to the year in which the sale is made, nineteen per cent.

(b) A retail seller of goods other than motor vehicles may charge, contract for, receive or collect a finance charge on any retail installment contract made on or after July 1, 1981, covering the retail sale of goods other than motor vehicles in this state, which charge shall not exceed an annual percentage rate of twenty-one per cent on sales made prior to October 1, 1985, nineteen per cent on sales made on or after October 1, 1985, and prior to October 1, 1987, and eighteen per cent on sales made on or after October 1, 1987.

(c) The finance charge under subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall be computed on the principal amount financed as determined under sections 36a-675 to 36a-686, inclusive, and the regulations adopted under said sections. On contracts providing for installment payments extending for a period which is less than or greater than one year, the finance charge shall be computed proportionately. The finance charge may be computed on the basis of a full month for any fractional month period in excess of ten days. A minimum finance charge of fifteen dollars may be charged on any retail installment contract in which the finance charge, when computed at the rates indicated, results in a total charge of less than that amount. Nothing contained in sections 36a-770 to 36a-788, inclusive, 42-100b and 42-100c shall be construed to prohibit the computation of the interest component of the finance charge by application of an interest rate to the actual balance of such principal amount financed as may be outstanding from time to time.

(1955, S. 2866d; 1957, P.A. 361, S. 1(i); P.A. 76-325; P.A. 77-391, S. 1; P.A. 78-11; P.A. 80-116, S. 1, 2; P.A. 81-158, S. 15, 17; 81-163, S. 2, 4; 81-362, S. 2, 4; 81-452, S. 1, 2; 81-472, S. 145, 159; P.A. 82-18, S. 2, 4; 82-105, S. 2, 3; 82-108; P.A. 83-226, S. 2, 3; 83-231; P.A. 85-522, S. 1; P.A. 15-235, S. 22.)

History: P.A. 76-325 expressed finance charges as annual percentages where previously charges were expressed as so many dollars per $100 per year and raised maximum rates: In Subdiv. (1) from 7% to 12.75%, in Subdiv. (2) from 9% to 16.25%, in Subdiv. (3) from 12% to 21.5%, in Subdiv. (4) from 14% to 25% and in Subdiv. (5) from 15% to 26.75%; P.A. 77-391 incorporated previous provisions as Subsecs. (a) and (c) and inserted new Subsec. (b) re finance charge on goods other than motor vehicles; P.A. 78-11 substituted “subsection (a)(5) of section 36-405 and regulations implementing chapter 657” for “subsection (b)(5) of section 42-84” in Subsec. (c); P.A. 80-116 raised rates on new motor vehicles to 16% temporarily (from May 5, 1980 to January 1, 1982), restoring previous rate on or after January 1, 1982, applied 21.5% rate to used vehicles designated by a year “not more than two years prior to the year in which the sale is made” rather than to used vehicles designated by a year “not more than four years and not less than two years prior to the year in which the sale is made” and deleted Subdivs. (4) and (5) which had set rates for those vehicles more than four model years old; P.A. 81-158 amended Subsec. (c) by replacing “subsection (a)(5) of section 36-405”, which had been repealed, with “chapter 657” and replacing “regulations implementing chapter 657” with “regulations adopted under that chapter”, effective March 31, 1982; P.A. 81-163 amended Subsec. (c) by providing that the computation of the interest component of the finance charge by applying the interest rate to the outstanding balance of the principal amount financed is permitted; P.A. 81-362 amended Subsec. (b) to provide that on contracts made on or after July 1, 1981, the maximum finance charge shall be 21% on sales made prior to March 1, 1983, and 18% thereafter; P.A. 81-452 amended Subsec. (a) to increase the finance charge on sales made prior to March 1, 1983, to 18% for new motor vehicles, 19.25% for used motor vehicles not more than three years old, and 21.5% for used motor vehicles more than three years old; P.A. 81-472 made technical changes; P.A. 82-18 changed effective date of P.A. 81-158 from March 31, 1982, to “the effective date of Title VI of Public Law 96-221, as contained in Section 625(a) of Public Law 96-221, as amended”, i.e. October 1, 1982; P.A. 82-105 amended Subsec. (b) by extending from March 1, 1983, to October 1, 1983, the expiration date for the increase in finance charges enacted in 1981; P.A. 82-108 amended Subsec. (a) by extending from March 1, 1983, to October 1, 1983, the expiration date for the increase in finance charges enacted in 1981; P.A. 83-226 amended Subsec. (b) to extend the sunset date for the current maximum statutory interest rate for retail installment sales contracts from October 1, 1983, to October 1, 1985; P.A. 83-231 amended Subsec. (a) to extend from October 1, 1983, to October 1, 1985, the sunset date for the current maximum finance charge which dealers may charge on the sale of new and used automobiles; P.A. 85-522 amended Subsec. (a) to establish a maximum finance charge of (1) 16% for new motor vehicles, 18% for used motor vehicles not more than two years old and 10% for used motor vehicles more than two years old, on sales made on or after October 1, 1985, and prior to October 1, 1987, and (2) 15% for new motor vehicles, 17% for used motor vehicles not more than two years old and 19% for used motor vehicles more than two years old, on sales made on or after October 1, 1987, and amended Subsec. (b) to establish a maximum finance charge on retail sales other than motor vehicles of 19% on sales made on or after October 1, 1985, and prior to October 1, 1987, and 18% on sales made on or after October 1, 1987; Sec. 42-85 transferred to Sec. 36a-772 in 1995; P.A. 15-235 amended Subsec. (c) to change “36a-685” to “36a-686”, effective August 1, 2015.

See Sec. 42a-9-203 re attachment and enforceability of security interests.