When a lease ends, the car goes back and is inspected. You pay for damage beyond fair wear and tear, for anything missing and for miles over the allowance. Start early and most of it can be sorted before collection day.
What gets charged
On personal contract hire you never own the car, so at the end you hand it back. Three things can cost you:
- Damage beyond fair wear and tear.
- Missing items, such as a spare key, the locking wheel nut key or the service record.
- Extra miles over your allowance, at the rate in your contract. MoneySavingExpert says it's usually about 10p a mile.
An independent inspector goes over the car at collection, and anything they find goes on a report you both sign. The BVRLA recommends you're there. If you don't agree with the report, sign it and say so.
Fair wear or damage
Wear is what normal use does to a car, and you don't pay for it. Damage comes from a knock, carelessness or neglect, and that's what gets charged. BVRLA members judge returns against its fair wear and tear guide, so ask your lease company for their copy.
It covers more than paint: tyres, the windscreen, warning lights, and burns or tears inside.
Is that mark wear or damage?
Pick the mark, measure it in daylight, and the checker says which side of the line it falls.
The figures
- Stone chips
- Under 3mm across
- No more than four on a panel, six on a door edge, or eight on a forward-facing panel
- A chip inside a dent
- Dents
- 15mm or less
- No more than two on a panel
- The paint not broken
- A dent on the roof
- A dent on the swage line of any panel
- Scratches
- Surface scratches of 25mm or less
- No primer or bare metal showing
- No more than four on a panel
- Wheels
- Scuffs up to 50mm in total round the rim
- Dents in a wheel rim or wheel trim
- Damaged wheel spokes
- Rust
- Rust, corrosion or discolouration on any painted part, painted bumpers, mouldings and mirrors included
Figures from the AA's summary of the BVRLA fair wear and tear guide. Your lease company's copy of the guide is the one the car is inspected against, so check it there too.
What to do and when
- Ten to twelve weeks out. Wash the car and go over every panel in daylight. Start moving a private plate off now.
- Two months out. Book any repairs. Check the service history, MOT and tyres.
- A week or two out. Book the collection. Lease companies want between three and seven working days' notice.
- On the day. Leave at least a quarter of a tank or a full charge. Be there, take your own photos and read the report before you sign.
A mark you find ten weeks out is a choice. A mark the inspector finds is a bill.
How much it could save you
Pick your lease company and count the marks to see what they publish for them.
Three UK lease companies publish these charges for damage and missing items: Lex Autolease (prices as of March 2023), Ayvens (August 2024) and Alphabet (the list on its site in October 2026). Every lease company sets its own, so check yours.
Some charges are lower than a proper repair, so pay those. Some small damage isn't charged at all. Missing items need no repair, just finding. And a poor repair gets charged too, so a cheap fix can cost you twice.
Your end of lease checklist
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Disputing a charge
Complain to the lease company in writing first, with your photos and the report. If that doesn't settle it and your lease company is a BVRLA member, its conciliation service can look at it. So can the Financial Ombudsman. Both are free.
How we help
We put right scratches, dents, scuffed bumpers and stone chips before the car goes back, colour matched and painted in our own booth at Sible Hedingham. Send us photos of every mark, your collection date and your lease company's list of charges, and we'll tell you which repairs are worth doing and which charges are cheaper to pay.
See lease return repairs for the work itself, or send photos from the quote form.
Questions people ask
What happens at the end of a car lease?
The car goes back and is inspected, and you pay for damage beyond fair wear and tear, for anything missing and for miles over your allowance. On personal contract hire you never own the car, so at the end you hand it back.
When should I start getting a lease car ready to go back?
Ten to twelve weeks before it's due back. That's the BVRLA's suggestion, and it leaves time to get anything outside the return standard put right.
How much do lease companies charge for damage?
Each one sets its own. Ayvens publishes £135 a panel for a scratch through to primer, Alphabet £160 for a scratch to the metal, and Lex Autolease £56 to refurbish an alloy wheel.
How much is the excess mileage charge on a lease car?
It's set out in your contract. MoneySavingExpert says it's usually about 10p a mile.
What do I need to hand back with a lease car?
Both keys if two came with it, the locking wheel nut key, the service record, the handbook and any radio or security codes, the V5C if it was supplied, and every charging cable. Anything missing can be charged.
Do I need to be there when my lease car is collected?
You don't have to be, but the BVRLA recommends it. You check and agree the condition with the inspector, and you both sign the collection sheet.