If you’re coming to the end of your car lease, then you might be wondering what your next steps are to prepare for return. Our team have put together the 5 essential activities that you need to do to prepare for handover.
5 things you need to do before returning your lease car
1. Check for damage
The first thing you want to do is check for any damage, inside and out. We recommend doing this about a month or so before the end of your lease, so that there's time for any repairs to be completed if needed.
Obviously, the car isn't expected to be in perfect condition as it’s been in use for a number of years. However, there are clear fair wear and tear guidelines that detail what's classed as expected wear and what would be considered excessive or damage.
If you arrange for any damage to be repaired, you should make sure this is done to a high standard and won't need further work as you may still be charged for this at collection.
We recommend doing another damage check around a week before collection to make sure no damage has occurred since you last checked the car.
2. Arrange collection
It's up to you, as the driver, to arrange collection at the end of your lease agreement. This is so that you can arrange collection on a date that’s convenient for you, and if you need to, you can keep the vehicle for a little longer.
There are a few things to know about arranging collection of your car. Firstly, collections will usually only be available Monday to Friday. This may mean that you need to arrange collection a day or two before the end of your contract. You can arrange for collection to be after the contract end date, but you'll be charged for the extra days you have the car.
Something else to be mindful of is that a collection booking will usually be for a day rather than a specific time slot so you'll need to be available to do the handover at any time that day. Some funders may offer an am or pm slot when arranging collection but this isn't guaranteed as there may be circumstances on the day that affect the arrival time.
It's rare but if a funder has a high volume of collections, they may arrange for the pre-collection inspection to be completed separately and then collection to be done by another member of their team. When collection is confirmed you should be advised if this could be the case for you.
3. Clean it
The next thing you need to do won’t be until closer to the collection date – in fact we recommend doing this the day before collection if you're able to. Cleaning the car as close to collection as you can will reduce the risk of dirt building up that could be misinterpreted as damage marks.
Clean the car inside and out as both will be inspected at collection. You might want to take the car to a valet service but there's no requirement to do this, and you can clean it yourself.
4. Top up the fuel
You don’t need to put in a full tank before collection, but we recommend making sure that there’s at least enough to get the driver to a fuel station. This is the same guideline that’s given by the funder at delivery and the collection agents will be expecting to fill up on the collection route.
5. Read the collection report
Every lease vehicle should be inspected before collection and a detailed report created, based on the condition of the car at this point. This prevents you from being charged for the mileage and any damage that might happen once the car has left you.
It's important that you take the time to do this and add any comments you may have about the condition of the car as this is the last point before handover you can do so.