Returning your vehicle
A guide for business lease customers
Now that you’re nearly at the end of your contract, you may be starting to think about preparing to return your vehicle. It’s important that the whole experience runs as smoothly as possible.
To help make sure this happens, we’ve included some important information you’ll need to know beforehand along with some handy hints and tips. There’s also a guide with more detail if you’d like to take a look.
View our useful guide (PDF, 686KB)
What's the difference between vehicle damage and fair wear and tear?
We won’t charge for fair wear and tear^ but may charge you for damage**. So, before you hand your vehicle back to us, checking for damage in plenty of time should help to manage both your expectations and any final costs.
You may decide to organise any necessary repairs before your contract ends. Or, if you’re comfortable, you can wait for us to carry out our formal inspection after you’ve returned your vehicle. If we do find any damage, we will send you an invoice for the amount it would cost to repair.
Damage cost examples for cars
If you do have to pay for any damage, here's what you could be charged depending on vehicle size.
-
These are indicative costs for a small car.
Indicative costs for a small car Item
Cost
Further information
Item
Doors
Cost
£145
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Wheels
Cost
£56
Further information
Fixed cost for scuffs and scratches over 50mm on total circumference of wheel, under 50mm there is no charge. Spoke damage, rust or corrosion is chargeable.
Item
Bumpers and body panels
Cost
£148
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Missing keys
Cost
£155
Further information
Cost varies by vehicle manufacturer, figure based on an average across all manufacturers.
Item
Missing service history
Cost
£256
Further information
Fixed cost across all vehicle manufacturers and age of vehicle on non-maintained contracts.
For more significant damage repair, we calculate the charge on a parts and labour basis and charge labour at £27 per hour.
-
These are indicative costs for a medium car.
Indicative costs for a small car Item
Cost
Further information
Item
Doors
Cost
£174
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Wheels
Cost
£56
Further information
Fixed cost for scuffs and scratches over 50mm on total circumference of wheel, under 50mm there is no charge. Spoke damage, rust or corrosion is chargeable.
Item
Bumpers and body panels
Cost
£178
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Missing keys
Cost
£155
Further information
Cost varies by vehicle manufacturer, figure based on an average across all manufacturers.
Item
Missing service history
Cost
£256
Further information
Fixed cost across all vehicle manufacturers and age of vehicle on non-maintained contracts.
For more significant damage repair, we calculate the charge on a parts and labour basis and charge labour at £27 per hour.
-
These are indicative costs for a large car.
Indicative costs for a small car Item
Cost
Further information
Item
Doors
Cost
£203
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Wheels
Cost
£56
Further information
Fixed cost for scuffs and scratches over 50mm on total circumference of wheel, under 50mm there is no charge. Spoke damage, rust or corrosion is chargeable.
Item
Bumpers and body panels
Cost
£207
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Missing keys
Cost
£155
Further information
Cost varies by vehicle manufacturer, figure based on an average across all manufacturers.
Item
Missing service history
Cost
£256
Further information
Fixed cost across all vehicle manufacturers and age of vehicle on non-maintained contracts.
For more significant damage repair, we calculate the charge on a parts and labour basis and charge labour at £27 per hour.
Damage cost examples for vans
Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs), such as vans, have different damage costs. The examples below will help to give you an idea of what you could be charged.
-
These are indicative costs for a small van.
Indicative costs for a small car Item
Cost
Further information
Item
Doors
Cost
£195
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Wheels
Cost
£56
Further information
Fixed cost for scuffs and scratches over 50mm on total circumference of wheel, under 50mm there is no charge. Spoke damage, rust or corrosion is chargeable.
Item
Bumpers and body panels
Cost
£167
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Missing keys
Cost
£155
Further information
Cost varies by vehicle manufacturer, figure based on an average across all manufacturers.
Item
Missing service history
Cost
£256
Further information
Fixed cost across all vehicle manufacturers and age of vehicle on non-maintained contracts.
For more significant damage repair, we calculate the charge on a parts and labour basis and charge labour at £27 per hour.
-
These are indicative costs for a medium van.
Indicative costs for a small car Item
Cost
Further information
Item
Doors
Cost
£237
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Wheels
Cost
£56
Further information
Fixed cost for scuffs and scratches over 50mm on total circumference of wheel, under 50mm there is no charge. Spoke damage, rust or corrosion is chargeable.
Item
Bumpers and body panels
Cost
£218
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Missing keys
Cost
£155
Further information
Cost varies by vehicle manufacturer, figure based on an average across all manufacturers.
Item
Missing service history
Cost
£256
Further information
Fixed cost across all vehicle manufacturers and age of vehicle on non-maintained contracts.
For more significant damage repair, we calculate the charge on a parts and labour basis and charge labour at £27 per hour.
-
These are indicative costs for a large van.
Indicative costs for a small car Item
Cost
Further information
Item
Doors
Cost
£237
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Wheels
Cost
£56
Further information
Fixed cost for scuffs and scratches over 50mm on total circumference of wheel, under 50mm there is no charge. Spoke damage, rust or corrosion is chargeable.
Item
Bumpers and body panels
Cost
£232
Further information
Charges provided are based on a Level 1 repair and paint†. The figure shown accounts for over 80% of damage charges applied for the relevant panel.
Item
Missing keys
Cost
£155
Further information
Cost varies by vehicle manufacturer, figure based on an average across all manufacturers.
Item
Missing service history
Cost
£256
Further information
Fixed cost across all vehicle manufacturers and age of vehicle on non-maintained contracts.
For more significant damage repair, we calculate the charge on a parts and labour basis and charge labour at £27 per hour.
Damage to your car?
If you want to assess what could be charged on returning your car please visit our damage calculator. Costs quoted are an estimate and exact costs may vary.
Costs do not apply to vans.
Preparing to hand back your vehicle
Our short video gives an overview of fair wear and tear and explores different types of damage.
It also includes some tips for getting ready to return your vehicle at the end of your contract.
FAQs
-
When your vehicle is collected by our agent, they’ll complete a report detailing any obvious damage. Once we receive the vehicle a full assessment will be carried out using the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) fair wear and tear guidelines. We’ll then share the report with you, highlighting any repair charges.
-
If charges apply, your invoice will be sent to you (usually within 72 hours). Any charges will be taken from your account on your usual direct debit day. If you don’t pay by direct debit, payment is due by the date shown on your invoice. This is 10 working days from the date of the invoice.
-
We review charges every year to make sure they are:
- Benchmarked against the market and industry insight
- Applied using a consistent pricing matrix
- Informed by our own in-life accident repair costs
- Aligned with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) if increases are proposed
-
Other Important Information and references
Smart Repairs are defined as:
- Damage <75mm where this is no paint damage, cost £43;
- Damage >75mm where this is no paint damage, cost £86;
- Smart Paint Repair may be applied for minor paint damage where there is not a requirement to replace or respray multiple panels, cost £77.
In the event that the damage is deemed unrepairable a replacement part may be charged for.
Costs will be calculated using the Thatcham-based estimating system. Costs will be greater than those quoted above.
As a rule this is where >30% of the panel is damaged.
The Thatcham-based estimating system provides advice for insurance engineers and damage assessors and gives vehicle repairers access to the latest methods and technical information around vehicle repairing to ensure fair parts pricing.
^Full details of what counts as fair wear and tear can be found in the Lex Autolease BVRLA handbook that can be found at https://driver.lexautolease.co.uk/login/wearandtearguide.
*The figures included in this communication are examples of potential damage charges you may incur at the end of your agreement and are not exact. As such, the figures included should not be relied upon other than for general information only. We accept no responsibility for any actions taken or not taken on the basis of this communication.
**Costs for Light Commercial Vehicles vary. You can download costs here.
†Level 1 repair and paint is defined as: Panel damage with paint damage between 15mm and 75mm in size/diameter.
Level 2 repair and paint is defined as: Panel damage with paint damage greater than 75mm in size/diameter.