Lease Return Valeting

Each year leasing companies charge British Businesses millions of pounds in penalties for vehicles that are returned in a sub-standard condition and fail to meet the minimum BVLRA fair wear and tear requirements.

Before you return your car, you should seek professional help to assess the condition of your vehicle and to assist you in deciding what steps you can take to reduce the possibility of being charged excessively for cleaning and repairing it.

Firstly, you need to ensure that it is clean as the BVLRA Fair Wear & Tear Standard clearly states that “The vehicle should be sufficiently clean to allow a detailed inspection” and Upholstery must be clean and odourless with no staining”. It is therefore prudent to get your vehicles professionally valeted in advance of your vehicle lease return date in order that a careful assessment of the condition of your vehicle can be made.

It is not necessarily essential for you to have a Full Valet service at this point and, what you decide to do is going to be dependant on the individual state of your vehicle. This is where our expertise at Smart Car comes in as we can offer our full range of valeting services to assist you, as well as more detailed paintwork rectification work through machine polishing. Perhaps more importantly, we also offer the free, friendly advice of our staff who have many years experience of vehicles being returned to leasing companies. 

Here are FIVE questions that we recommend you ask before returning your vehicle.

1. Ask the lease company if you have to pay for excess wear and tear ie, small dents, scuffed bumpers, scratches to the bodywork and kerbed wheels etc.
2. Find out how much you will be charged for any damage and if they can provide you with a list of their charges for specific repair items.
3. Does the lease company inspect cars to the BVRLA fair wear & tear standard or do they have their own variations and, if so, can they provide you with a copy.
4. Do they give the option of a pre-inspection which will tell you what you are likely to be charged for and will they give you a chance to put it right yourself?
5. Does the lease company require you to have the car valeted before it is returned?