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Published before you sign, not after

What the inspector measures, and what it costs

Every lessor has a wear standard. Most will not show it to you until the inspector is in your driveway. Here is ours, with the measurement that decides each item and the dollar figure if it goes the wrong way.

A technician inspecting a vehicle before return
Areas inspected
6
Tread minimum
4/32 inch
Returns with no invoice
96%
Free pre inspection
Around month 33
Why this page exists

The charges are avoidable. The surprise is not.

Almost everything that gets billed at turn in is cheaper to fix in Austin than to be charged for by a lessor. Paintless dent removal is about $85 a ding locally against $95 to $240 a panel from the lessor. A matched pair of tyres fitted here is roughly $340 against $370 to $620 at their rate. A chip repair is often free on a Texas comprehensive policy.

The only reason people get caught is timing. If the first time you see the standard is the day the car goes back, every item on the list is now a charge rather than a job you could have booked. So Daniel inspects at around month 33 against the same standards the lessor's inspector uses, hands you a written list with dollar figures, and tells you which items are cheaper to sort locally. It is free and it takes forty minutes in your driveway.

If you would rather not think about any of it, the Current Wear Waiver covers up to $5,000 of chargeable wear for $11 a month and drops the tyre threshold from 4/32 to 2/32 of an inch.

A vehicle on a lift being checked over
96%

of the cars we hand back go with no wear invoice at all. That is the pre inspection doing its job, not luck.

Published before you sign, not after

Wear and tear standards, with the threshold and the charge

Every lessor has a wear standard. Most of them will not show it to you until the inspector is standing in your driveway. Ours is published here with a photograph, the measurement that decides it, and the dollar figure attached if it goes the wrong way.

Read the full return guide
6 areas, scroll sideways
  • Tyres inspected against the Current lease return standard

    Tyres

    4/32 inch minimum tread, all four matched

    Acceptable

    • Tread at or above 4/32 inch across the full width
    • Matching brand and speed rating on each axle
    • Even wear with no cupping or feathering

    Chargeable

    • Any tyre below 4/32 inch
    • A mismatched or lower speed rated replacement
    • Sidewall damage, bulges or plug repairs

    Sample charge$185 to $310 per tyre

    A tyre shop on Airport Boulevard will fit a matched pair for around $340. That is cheaper than two tyres at the lessor's rate, so measure your tread at month 30, not month 35.

  • Glass inspected against the Current lease return standard

    Glass

    Chips under 1/4 inch, outside the driver's sight line

    Acceptable

    • Stone chips smaller than a quarter inch
    • Light sandblasting on the leading edge
    • Professionally resin filled chips

    Chargeable

    • Any crack, of any length
    • Chips inside the wiper sweep in front of the driver
    • Cracked or missing mirror glass

    Sample charge$420 windscreen, $160 side glass

    Most Texas comprehensive policies repair a chip with no deductible. Fix it the week it happens, because a chip turns into a crack on the first 40 degree morning after a 100 degree afternoon.

  • Wheels inspected against the Current lease return standard

    Wheels

    Kerb rash under 1 inch on the rim face

    Acceptable

    • Scuffs shorter than an inch on the outer rim
    • Light pitting on the spoke faces
    • Original wheels refinished to factory colour

    Chargeable

    • Gouges, bends or cracks in the rim
    • Missing centre caps or lug nut covers
    • Aftermarket wheels without the originals returned

    Sample charge$180 per wheel refinish

    Mobile alloy repair in Austin runs about $110 a wheel and takes an hour in your driveway. Keep the original wheels in the garage if you fit anything aftermarket.

  • Paint and panels inspected against the Current lease return standard

    Paint and panels

    Dings under 2 inches, four per panel

    Acceptable

    • Dents smaller than a 2 inch circle with the paint intact
    • Up to four of them on any single panel
    • Light polishing marks and car park door taps

    Chargeable

    • Any dent with broken paint or visible primer
    • Creases longer than 4 inches
    • Mismatched repaints and overspray on trim

    Sample charge$95 to $240 per panel

    Paintless dent removal is around $85 a ding locally and leaves no repair history. We hand out a printed 2 inch circle gauge at delivery so you can check a panel in ten seconds.

  • Interior inspected against the Current lease return standard

    Interior

    Soiling that cleans, wear that does not hole through

    Acceptable

    • Normal seat bolster polish on the driver's side
    • Carpet wear under the pedals
    • Marks that come out with standard valeting

    Chargeable

    • Burns, tears or holes in any surface
    • Permanent staining or odour, including smoke and pets
    • Cracked screens or missing trim pieces

    Sample charge$150 to $400 per area

    Book a full interior detail a fortnight before turn in, around $180 in Austin. Car seat pressure marks in the second row are acceptable wear, so do not panic about those.

  • Equipment and cables inspected against the Current lease return standard

    Equipment and cables

    Everything that came with the car comes back

    Acceptable

    • Normal scuffing on the mobile connector case
    • One key fob with a worn button
    • Load liner and cargo cover with everyday marks

    Chargeable

    • Missing mobile charge connector
    • Missing second key fob
    • Missing cargo cover, load floor, tow eye or tyre kit

    Sample charge$290 connector, $310 key fob

    This is the single most common charge at turn in and the easiest to avoid. Put the second fob and the mobile connector in a labelled box on day one, and check the frunk the morning of the return.

Sample charges for demonstration. Final assessment is made by the funding lessor's inspector against the lessor's own published standards, which we supply with your contract. Our own pre inspection at around month 33 is free and is the reason 96 percent of our returns carry no wear invoice.

Everything in one table

Thresholds and sample charges

Print this, or ask us for the laminated version that comes in the delivery pack along with the two inch ding gauge.

Wear and tear thresholds with sample charges
AreaThresholdSample chargeCheaper option
Tyres4/32 inch minimum tread, all four matched$185 to $310 per tyreA tyre shop on Airport Boulevard will fit a matched pair for around $340. That is cheaper than two tyres at the lessor's rate, so measure your tread at month 30, not month 35.
GlassChips under 1/4 inch, outside the driver's sight line$420 windscreen, $160 side glassMost Texas comprehensive policies repair a chip with no deductible. Fix it the week it happens, because a chip turns into a crack on the first 40 degree morning after a 100 degree afternoon.
WheelsKerb rash under 1 inch on the rim face$180 per wheel refinishMobile alloy repair in Austin runs about $110 a wheel and takes an hour in your driveway. Keep the original wheels in the garage if you fit anything aftermarket.
Paint and panelsDings under 2 inches, four per panel$95 to $240 per panelPaintless dent removal is around $85 a ding locally and leaves no repair history. We hand out a printed 2 inch circle gauge at delivery so you can check a panel in ten seconds.
InteriorSoiling that cleans, wear that does not hole through$150 to $400 per areaBook a full interior detail a fortnight before turn in, around $180 in Austin. Car seat pressure marks in the second row are acceptable wear, so do not panic about those.
Equipment and cablesEverything that came with the car comes back$290 connector, $310 key fobThis is the single most common charge at turn in and the easiest to avoid. Put the second fob and the mobile connector in a labelled box on day one, and check the frunk the morning of the return.
Excess mileageThe contracted allowance$0.25 a mileBuy miles up front at $0.16 each, or move up a band at signing.
DispositionCharged when you hand the car back and walk away$395Waived entirely if you start another Current lease within 30 days.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Sample charges for demonstration. Final assessment is made by the funding lessor's inspector against the lessor's own published standards, a copy of which is supplied with your contract. Local repair prices quoted are typical Austin figures and will vary.

The last six months

What happens, and when

  1. Month 30The equity call

    We compare your payoff against private party market value and tell you whether there is money sitting in the lease. If there is, buying and selling can be worth more than handing the keys back.

  2. Month 33Free pre inspection

    Forty minutes in your driveway against the lessor's own standards. You get a written list with dollar figures and a note on what is cheaper to fix locally.

  3. Month 34You fix what is worth fixing

    Paintless dent removal, a chip repair on your comprehensive policy, a matched pair of tyres. Nothing on this list needs us to do it.

  4. Month 35Find the box

    Second key fob, mobile charge connector, cargo cover, load floor, tow eye, tyre kit. This is the most common charge at turn in and the easiest one to avoid.

  5. Month 36Turn in, or do not

    Hand it back and pay the disposition fee, lease again and have it waived, or buy at the residual. We will have told you which one is cheapest three months earlier.

Turning the car back in

Returningthe car

If a question you have is not here, call and ask for a lease advisor. Nobody will read you a script.

(512) 555-0168Monday to Friday, 9 am to 7 pmSee all 22 questions

The thresholds are published on our wear and tear page with photographs. In short: tyres at or above 4/32 inch, no cracks in any glass, kerb rash under an inch, dings under two inches with the paint unbroken and no more than four per panel, and every item that came with the car returned including the second key fob and the mobile connector. Missing equipment is the most common charge and the easiest to avoid.

It is the lessor's cost of getting the car ready to sell again, and it is $395. It is waived entirely if you start another Current lease within 30 days, and it does not apply if you buy the car at the residual.

There are four routes and they are not equally priced. A pull ahead in the last six months can waive up to three payments. A lease transfer after month seven costs $595 and passes the car to a new driver. An early buyout makes sense when the car is worth more than the payoff, which happens more often than people expect. Straight early termination, where you owe the payoff minus wholesale value, is the expensive last resort.

Ask the lessor for a payoff quote, then compare it with a private party valuation for your mileage and condition. If the value is higher, that difference is yours if you buy the car and sell it, or it can be used as a trade in credit on your next lease. We check this for every customer at month 30 and call if there is anything in it.

Around month 33 Daniel goes over the car against the same standards the lessor's inspector uses and gives you a written list with dollar figures. Almost everything on that list is cheaper to fix locally than to be billed for at turn in. It is free, it takes 40 minutes, and it is the reason 96 percent of our returns carry no wear invoice.

What it costs, and what we promise

Protection packages and the Current Promise

Every lease carries the Standard column at no cost. The two waivers are optional, priced separately and added to the payment rather than buried in it. Whichever you take, the six promises on the right apply.

Standard

$0included with every lease

What every Current lease carries before you add anything.

  • Two years of scheduled servicing
  • Roadside assistance for the term
  • Level 2 home charger and standard install
  • Published wear and tear standards
  • $0 security deposit on tier 1 and 2 credit
See what is included
Most added

Wear Waiver

$11a month, added to the payment

The one most families add. Turn in with no wear invoice.

  • Everything in Standard
  • Up to $5,000 of chargeable wear covered
  • Covers tyres down to 2/32 inch, not 4/32
  • Covers one windscreen replacement
  • Disposition fee waived if you lease again
Add the wear waiver

Wear Waiver Plus

$29a month, added to the payment

For cars that carry tools, dogs, car seats or a ladder rack.

  • Everything in Wear Waiver
  • Excess mileage forgiven up to 2,500 miles
  • Key fob and charge cable replacement covered
  • Interior repair and full detail before turn in
  • One free mileage band change at any point in the term
Add Wear Waiver Plus

Package prices are sample figures added to the monthly payment. Waiver terms, limits and exclusions are set out in the waiver agreement supplied with your contract. Offers are samples, subject to credit approval.

On the ground this month

This month's lease deals

Sample monthly payments on cars we have here now, each with the term, mileage band, due at signing, residual and money factor on the card. Nothing is hidden behind a phone call.

All 10 offers
6 deals, scroll sideways
  • 2026 Nordvik Alto Core, hatchback available to leaseBest value

    Hatchback · 244 mile EPA range

    2026 Nordvik Alto Core

    The cheapest way into an electric car in Austin

    $281a month, sample

    Term and band
    36 mo / 10,000 mi
    Due at signing
    $2,111
    Residual
    59% of MSRP
    Money factor
    0.00145 (3.48%)
    See the full worksheet
  • 2026 Aveon Lume S, sedan available to leaseMost leased

    Sedan · 301 mile EPA range

    2026 Aveon Lume S

    The car we lease more of than anything else

    $342a month, sample

    Term and band
    36 mo / 10,000 mi
    Due at signing
    $2,672
    Residual
    60% of MSRP
    Money factor
    0.00135 (3.24%)
    See the full worksheet
  • 2026 Kestra Ridge SE, suv available to lease

    SUV · 289 mile EPA range

    2026 Kestra Ridge SE

    Five seats, 31.7 cubic feet and a tow rating that is real

    $440a month, sample

    Term and band
    36 mo / 12,000 mi
    Due at signing
    $3,770
    Residual
    57.5% of MSRP
    Money factor
    0.00142 (3.41%)
    See the full worksheet
  • 2026 Solene Drift Estate, estate available to lease

    Estate · 315 mile EPA range

    2026 Solene Drift Estate

    More cargo than the SUV, 26 miles more range

    $506a month, sample

    Term and band
    36 mo / 12,000 mi
    Due at signing
    $4,336
    Residual
    56.5% of MSRP
    Money factor
    0.00139 (3.34%)
    See the full worksheet
  • 2026 Kestra Ridge Ultra 7, suv available to lease

    SUV · 302 mile EPA range

    2026 Kestra Ridge Ultra 7

    Seven seats, and a 39 month term that shaves the payment

    $659a month, sample

    Term and band
    39 mo / 12,000 mi
    Due at signing
    $5,489
    Residual
    54% of MSRP
    Money factor
    0.00149 (3.58%)
    See the full worksheet
  • 2026 Byrne Haul 150 Crew, truck available to lease

    Truck · 271 mile EPA range

    2026 Byrne Haul 150 Crew

    A 9.6 kW generator that also does the school run

    $713a month, sample

    Term and band
    36 mo / 15,000 mi
    Due at signing
    $5,543
    Residual
    51.5% of MSRP
    Money factor
    0.00139 (3.34%)
    See the full worksheet

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