BMW lease return and every other lease-end option
A BMW lease return goes through BMW Financial Services (BMW FS): a free pre-inspection at a BMW center or through BMW's inspection app, repairs if you choose, then a final inspection and turn-in at a BMW center, ideally the one that wrote your lease.
BMW Financial Services (BMW FS)
Your choices when a BMW lease ends. Only you or a BMW center can buy the car.
Return it
Turn it in at a BMW center and pay what the Vehicle Return Statement lists.
FeeThe disposition fee is waived if you lease your next BMW through BMW FS.
Buy it
Pay the purchase price in your contract, or the payoff if you buy early, plus California tax.
Watch forBMW FS doesn't negotiate either number.
Sell or trade it
If the car is worth more than the payoff, a BMW center can buy it and pay you the difference.
Watch forBMW FS won't accept payoffs from other dealerships.
Extend
BMW FS may extend the lease up to six months, subject to eligibility.
WhenOptions show in My Account only in the final two months of the lease.
As of September 2026. You can also end early: pay the early termination amount, buy or trade the car, or use the Pull-Ahead Program when it's offered.
Key takeaways
As of September 2026, only you or an authorized BMW center can buy the car out; BMW FS won't accept payoffs from other dealerships, including CarMax and Carvana. If you lease your next BMW through BMW FS, the disposition fee is waived.
Your options when a BMW lease ends
Return it. Turn it in at a BMW center and pay what the Vehicle Return Statement lists.
Buy it. Pay the purchase price in your contract, or the payoff if you buy early, plus California tax. BMW FS doesn't negotiate either number.
Sell or trade it to a BMW center. If the car is worth more than the payoff, a BMW center can buy it and pay you the difference or put it toward your next car.
Extend. BMW FS may extend the lease up to six months.
End early. Pay the early termination amount, buy or trade the car, or use the Pull-Ahead Program when it's offered.
The general rules are in every lease-end option explained, and My lease is ending sorts them for your dates and miles.
How a BMW lease return works
Pre-inspection. A BMW FS representative contacts you when it's time, or you can book a complimentary pre-inspection with a BMW center. Eligible customers can do it on their phone with the NEXT Inspect app; look for it in the End-of-Term Center of the My BMW app within 120 days of maturity. Depending on the BMW center that wrote your lease, you may need an inspection by BMW's third-party inspection company.
Estimate. Your Vehicle Return Estimate appears in My BMW with estimated charges, recommended repairs and remaining payments.
Repairs. BMW recommends a BMW center and original BMW parts. If the third-party company did your inspection, upload itemized, paid-in-full receipts through Upload Repair Receipts in My Account to have the charges removed.
Return. Book the final inspection and return with your BMW center, and sign the Federal Odometer Statement there. Only the center where your lease started is required to accept the car; another center may if it agrees, so call first. For an electric BMW, leave the charging cables in the car and charge the battery to at least 50%.
Statement. The Vehicle Return Statement shows in My BMW shortly after turn-in and arrives by mail in about two to three weeks.
Bring all keys, manuals and accessories the car came with, plus paid receipts for any repairs; BMW says you don't need other paperwork. More on turn-in day: returning a leased car. BMW's own guide is its vehicle return page, and the BMW FS lease-end line is 800-959-4269.
What the BMW lease return inspection checks
Body: dents and scratches of 2 inches or less that don't break the paint are fine unless several sit on one panel. Larger ones, cracks, creases, collision damage and buckled or gouged bumpers need repair. Remove any vinyl wrap before the return, and avoid damage when taking off decals.
Tires: at least 4/32 of an inch of tread, and the same size, quality and speed rating as the originals. A car delivered on run-flats must come back on run-flats. Seasonal tires, retreads and sidewall plugs are chargeable.
Wheels: minor curb rash is fine; scuffed or scratched painted or chrome wheels, and bent, broken or mismatched wheels, are chargeable.
Glass: chips, cracks, stars and repaired windshields are chargeable. A replacement windshield must match the original's features, such as the rain sensor and head-up display.
Maintenance and add-ons: past-due oil or brake-pad service, warning lights, and any aftermarket parts (including BMW parts added after delivery) count against you.
Miles: the Mileage Adjustment Program lets you buy extra miles at a discount up to the day before turn-in, in My BMW or at 800-959-4269.
If you bought BMW Lease-End Protection, it can cover some or all excess wear charges; My BMW shows whether your car has it. The repair-or-pay math is in excess wear and tear on a leased car.
Buying your BMW at lease end
You can buy the car at any point in the lease. Find the number under Payoff Information in My Account or the My BMW app, along with the documents to print, complete and send with certified funds. At maturity, the price is the purchase option price in your lease, which is the residual value set when you signed; before then, it's the payoff. BMW FS does not negotiate payoffs or residual values. If you finance the purchase through BMW FS, the disposition fee is waived.
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 a BMW lease?
No. As of September 2026, BMW FS says your payoff quote is meant for you alone and won't be honored if a third-party dealership sends it. Your lease lets you buy the car yourself, or return or trade it in at an authorized BMW center. BMW has held this line since 2021, and in 2023 a federal judge dismissed a California used-car dealer's lawsuit over it, finding that state law gives no absolute right to trade in a car wherever you choose.
If CarMax, Carvana or a dealer of another brand offers more than a BMW center will:
Show the offer to a BMW center. Ask it to match the offer as a purchase or trade-in, since it can pay BMW FS directly.
Buy it, then sell it. Pay BMW FS yourself, get the title, then sell. 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. Title release timing varies by state, so ask BMW FS how long it takes before you promise the buyer a date.
More on payoff quotes and lender rules: third-party lease buyouts.
BMW FS rules
What BMW FS allows, and what to confirm first.
BMW FS won't accept payoffs from other dealerships, including CarMax and Carvana.
It can pay BMW FS directly. Ask it to match an outside offer as a purchase or trade-in.
Pay BMW FS yourself, get the title, then sell. Ask how long the title takes before you promise a date.
Marketplaces list BMW FS as accepting transfers with credit approval. Confirm the current rules first.
Subject to eligibility. Ask before the maturity date and confirm the new end date in writing.
If you lease your next BMW through BMW FS. Ask whether your return date has to fall within a set window.
Only the center where your lease started is required to accept the car. Another may if it agrees.
As of September 2026. BMW has held its third-party rule since 2021. Its FAQ says the fee is also waived if you finance buying your current BMW through BMW FS.
Ending a BMW lease early
Early termination. BMW FS says the fee is based on your remaining payments and the car's current value; your figure is in My Account. California caps what you owe at unpaid payments to date, other amounts due, a reasonable disposition fee, and the gap between the remaining lease balance and the car's value.
Buy or trade it. A BMW center can pay off the lease when the car is worth more than the payoff. If you buy the car early, or trade it in toward another car, California caps the price at the remaining lease balance plus unpaid payments, other amounts due and any purchase-option fee in your contract. If the car is worth more, the difference goes to you.
Pull-Ahead Program. When offered, it lets eligible customers end the lease early with remaining payments waived when they move to a new BMW. Terms vary and it runs on a limited basis, so ask a BMW center or BMW FS.
Transfer. Lease-transfer marketplaces list BMW FS as accepting transfers (called assumptions) with credit approval of the new lessee and a release for the original one. Confirm the current rules with BMW FS first.
How each exit is priced: getting out of a car lease early.
Extending a BMW lease
BMW FS may extend a lease up to six months past the maturity date, subject to eligibility. Extension options show in My Account only in the final two months of the lease, and your BMW center can also help. Ask before the maturity date and confirm the new end date in writing.
The BMW disposition fee and how it's waived
Your lease lists a disposition fee, charged when you return the car. As of September 2026, BMW FS waives it if you lease your next BMW through BMW FS, and its FAQ says it's also waived if you finance the purchase of your current BMW through BMW FS. Ask whether your return date has to fall within a set window. Background: the disposition fee.
BMW lease return timeline: 120, 90, 60 and 30 days out
120 days: Open the End-of-Term Center in My BMW and see whether the NEXT Inspect app is available to you. Check your payoff and miles.
90 days: Do the pre-inspection. Ask a BMW center for a written offer on the car and compare it with the payoff. Start pricing your next car.
60 days: Decide. Book repairs at a BMW center. If you're over your miles, compare the Mileage Adjustment Program price with the overage charge. Extension options appear in My Account in the final two months.
30 days: Book the final inspection and return, preferably with the center that wrote your lease. Gather keys, manuals and accessories, and charge an electric BMW to at least 50%.
After turn-in: File the DMV release of liability and review the Vehicle Return Statement in My BMW.
In California
Early termination rights. Civil Code section 2987 lets you end a lease early and caps what BMW FS can charge. Before the car is sold, the lessor must send written notice at least 10 days ahead, and you can pay for an independent appraisal that binds both sides. If you return the car voluntarily and pay what you owe on time, the early termination can't be reported to credit bureaus as negative.
Tax on a buyout. Buying the car is a taxable purchase, with the 10-day resale exception described above.
Release of liability. The DMV lets a lessee file a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability. Filing it within five days of the return protects you from parking and traffic violations tied to the car afterward.
What to ask BMW FS or a BMW center
What is my payoff today, and what will it be on my maturity date?
Will you match this written offer from another dealer, as a purchase or a trade-in?
Is the Pull-Ahead Program available on my account now?
Does my next lease qualify for the disposition fee waiver, and is there a timing window?
Does my inspection have to go through the third-party company, or can the BMW center do it?
How long can I extend, and does anything else change?
How 021 helps
When your next car comes through 021, we can take care of your BMW lease as well. Most often a dealer in our network takes it in trade, including a BMW center, the only kind of dealer BMW Financial Services accepts a payoff from, and any equity can go toward the next car. We can also handle the return, a buyout or a lease transfer.
021 Auto Leasing is a California-licensed auto broker (license #82402). When you're ready for the next car, BMW or any other make, 021 gets several dealers to quote the same car, negotiates the whole deal and delivers it, and you see one written quote with payment, drive-off, term, miles, taxes, fees and 021's fee before you agree to anything. If a dealer has already quoted you, send it to Beat my deal.
BMW lease return timeline
What to do 120, 90, 60 and 30 days out.
120 daysbefore the lease ends
Open the End-of-Term Center
- Find it in the My BMW app
- See whether the NEXT Inspect app is available to you
- Check your payoff and miles
90 daysbefore the lease ends
Pre-inspection and an offer
- Do the free pre-inspection
- Ask a BMW center for a written offer and compare it with the payoff
- Start pricing your next car
60 daysbefore the lease ends
Decide
- Book repairs at a BMW center
- Over your miles? Price the Mileage Adjustment Program against the overage
- Extension options appear in My Account in the final two months
30 daysbefore the lease ends
Book the final inspection and return
- Preferably with the center that wrote your lease
- Gather keys, manuals and accessories
- Charge an electric BMW to at least 50%
After turn-in: file the DMV release of liability and review the Vehicle Return Statement in My BMW.
Common questions
Does BMW allow third-party lease buyouts?
Can I sell my BMW lease to CarMax?
Can I extend my BMW lease?
What are BMW's tire rules at lease return?
Can I return my BMW to any BMW center?
021 Auto Leasing is a licensed California autobroker (license #82402). All new cars arranged for sale are subject to price and availability from the selling franchised new car dealer.