Audi lease return and every other lease-end option

You can also buy the car at any time, extend for a limited time if AFS approves, or sell it to a dealer, though outside dealers get a separate payoff that lessees report is often higher than an Audi dealer's. The turn-in fee is waived if you lease or purchase a new or Certified Pre-Owned Audi through AFS within 90 days of the return.

Your options when an Audi lease ends

• Turn it in for a new Audi. Getting your next Audi through AFS waives the turn-in fee, and AFS says it may also waive the security deposit on the new car and offer a loyalty bonus or pre-approval.

• Return it without a new Audi and pay the final invoice.

• Buy it at any point in the lease, plus California tax. Buying means no turn-in fee, excess wear or excess mileage charges.

• Sell or trade it to a dealer if it's worth more than the payoff.

• Extend for a limited time, if AFS approves.

AFS lays these out on its lease transition page. The general rules are in every lease-end option explained, and My lease is ending sorts them for your dates and miles.

How an Audi lease return works

1. Prepare the car. Finish any scheduled maintenance and warranty repairs before the lease ends. About 90 days before the end, AFS mails a wear and use booklet with a small measuring tool.

2. Book the AiM inspection. It's free and can happen at your home, office or a dealership. Call AiM at (844) 264-9704 or use AiM's online scheduler. AFS uses only AiM inspections to decide excess wear charges, and the report is valid for 90 days.

3. Repair, or pay later. Repairs must be done at an Audi Authorized Collision Repair Facility; you can't fix listed items yourself. Email itemized, paid receipts showing the VIN, make, model and year to repairreceipt@audifs.com before turn-in. Damage that happens after the inspection must also be repaired, or it will be charged.

4. Turn it in. Contact your original or preferred Audi dealer to schedule it before the lease ends. Only the original dealer is required to take the car, so call any other dealer first. The dealer gives you a Lessee Vehicle Return Receipt and an Odometer Disclosure Statement; upload both in the AFS Message Center in myAudi. Once AFS has them, you can cancel your insurance.

5. Final invoice. It arrives within six weeks of AFS receiving the odometer statement, by mail and in myAudi. It may include unrepaired damage, excess miles, outstanding payments, taxes, late fees and the turn-in fee. Any security deposit is applied toward the charges, and the rest comes back to you.

AFS also asks California lessees to file a California release of liability after the return, naming Audi Financial Services as the new owner with a selling price of zero; its AFS FAQ page lists the exact details. More on turn-in day: returning a leased car.

What the Audi lease return inspection looks for

AFS expects the car back in the same condition as when the lease began, apart from normal wear. AiM's inspector records anything beyond that, using the wear and use guidelines in the AFS lease transition guide and your lease agreement. A few points specific to Audi:

• Accessories you added, such as a remote start kit, can count against you if they change the car's original condition.

• The inspection report sets the repair list. AFS accepts repairs only from an Audi Authorized Collision Repair Facility, and you can't fix listed items yourself.

• Eligible customers get an offer to buy extra miles at the halfway point of the lease. After that, miles over your allowance are billed at the rate in your lease.

Whether to repair first: excess wear and tear on a leased car.

Buying your Audi at lease end

You can buy the car at any time. In myAudi, choose Get a payoff quote to receive a purchase package with a bill of sale or agreement, an odometer disclosure statement, a titling page and a checklist. Pay online the way you make a monthly payment, or by check to VCI Account Services, LLC; a cashier's check speeds up the title. A security deposit lowers the payoff, and the title and final papers take two to four weeks. At maturity, the price is the purchase option price in your lease (the residual value); before then, it's the payoff. You can also ask your Audi dealer for payoff instructions.

California treats a lease buyout as a taxable purchase. When a dealer handles it, the dealer collects the tax. When you buy straight from the lender, the lender may not collect it, and you pay use tax to the DMV when you transfer the registration (CDTFA guide for vehicle purchasers). Financing and the DMV steps are in buying out your lease in California.

Can a third party buy out an Audi lease?

Yes, but it can cost you. AFS doesn't publish a third-party policy. The latest lessee reports we found (November 2024) say AFS accepts payoffs from outside dealers such as CarMax or a dealer of another brand, but quotes them a separate third-party payoff that is often well above the payoff an Audi dealer gets. That gap comes out of your equity, so an Audi dealer is usually the better buyer.

• Ask AFS or the buyer for the exact payoff that buyer will pay, next to your own payoff.

• A private buyer can't buy it straight from AFS: AFS won't release the title in a third party's name, so you buy the car first. CDTFA presumes your buyout is a sale for resale, so it isn't taxed, if you transfer title and registration to the buyer within 10 days of getting the title and don't use the car yourself in between.

More on payoff quote types: third-party lease buyouts.