Lease car return: what counts as fair wear and tear?

The BVRLA fair wear and tear limits, item by item

• Scratches: acceptable up to 25mm, as long as no primer or bare metal is showing, and no more than four on a panel. A short scratch that has gone through to primer is charged, even if it's well under 25mm.
• Dents: 15mm or less is acceptable, with no more than two per panel and the paint unbroken. On the roof or a swage line (the crease or styling line pressed into a panel, usually along the side of the car), no dent is acceptable at all.
• Stone chips: under 3mm, and up to four per panel. The bonnet and front bumper collect the most, so count those first.
• Alloy wheels: scuffs up to 50mm in total around the rim. It's a total, so two 30mm kerb marks on the same wheel add up to 60mm and go over.
• Tyres: a damaged sidewall isn't acceptable, however much tread is left.

The guide also covers the interior, glass, keys and paperwork, but the bodywork and wheel limits above are the ones people ask us about most. Lease companies set their own terms, and some are stricter than the BVRLA guide, so read the return conditions in your agreement.

Check the car before the inspector does

Do this a few weeks before the collection date, so there's time to act on what you find:

• Wash the car and look at it in daylight, not under a garage strip light.
• Go round panel by panel with a ruler, noting the length of every scratch and the size of every dent and chip.
• Look into the bottom of each scratch. If you can see primer (often grey) or bare metal, it's outside the guide.
• Check each wheel rim all the way round, and the tyre sidewalls for cuts and bulges.
• Look at the top of the rear bumper, where things get dragged in and out of the boot, and along the door edges.
• Gather the bits: every key, the locking wheel nut key, the service record and anything else that came with the car.

Photograph every panel and wheel with the date showing, so you have your own record if the inspection report says something different.

Repair before handback, or pay the charges?

This is where a bodyshop is supposed to say "repair it". The honest answer is that it depends on the numbers.

Start with two figures. Ask your lease company for its damage charges; many work from a set price list for common items. Then get a repair quote for the same items, and compare them line by line.

Repairing first usually makes sense when:

• there are several small items just outside the guide, such as a kerbed wheel and a scuffed bumper corner, which smart repair and wheel refurbishment can deal with in one visit
• the lease company's charge for an item is more than the repair would cost
• you'd rather know exactly what you're paying before the car leaves

Paying the charge can make more sense when:

• it's one small item and the charge is lower than the repair
• the damage needs a new panel or a lot of paintwork, and the lease company's figure comes out cheaper
• you've got lease return or damage cover that pays for it
• there isn't time to repair it properly before collection

Two mistakes to avoid. Don't pay to fix anything already inside the guide, because the lease company wouldn't have charged for it. And don't chase the cheapest repair you can find: a patchy colour match or overspray on the trim can be charged as damage in its own right, and then you've paid twice. We'll tell you if an item isn't worth repairing.

On collection day

Be there if you can. Walk round the car with the inspector and ask for a copy of the condition report. If the charges that follow include things you don't recognise, or things inside the guide, challenge them in writing with your photos. If your lease company is a BVRLA member and you can't settle it with them directly, the BVRLA has a conciliation service for disputes with its members.

Lease return checks at Newbridge

We'll inspect the car against your lease company's terms and tell you which items are likely to be charged, and which of those are worth repairing. Scuffs, scratches and small dents go through our minor car repairs service, and our express repairs line helps when the collection date is close. Kerbed wheels can be put right with alloy wheel refurbishment, unless a wheel is cracked or buckled, in which case it needs assessing and may need replacing. Businesses handing back several vehicles, including taxis and dual-control learner cars, will find our de-fleet packages on the lease return repairs page.

To book a check, call our Basildon workshop on Burnt Mills (01268 590 722), our Dartford workshop in Stone (01322 930 719) or our Sydenham workshop off Southend Lane (020 8659 2221), or send photos for a lease return quote. Google reviews for each site are here: Basildon, Dartford and Sydenham.