Fees Involved in Leasing

Mention auto-leasing and most people will automatically assume a low-monthly payment. There is actually more than what meets the eye, and a number of fees are involved at various stages of the lease process.

At the beginning of the lease, you have to pay a refundable security deposit, typically equivalent to one monthly payment, to safeguard against non-payment and any incidental damage done to the car at the end of the lease. You are also required to pay an administrative charge, called acquisition fee. Other fees include licenses, registration, title and any state or local taxes.

During your lease, and you expected to honour your monthly payment obligations. Any failure to do so will result in late-payment charges. You have to pay any traffic tickets, emission and safety inspections and ongoing maintenance costs.  Ending your lease early will result in substantial early termination charges.

At the end of the lease, expect to pay any excess mileage costs, charged at 10 to 20 p a mile. Any incidental damage done to the car, and deemed to be above normal, will result in excess tear-and-wear charges. Finally, if you choose not to purchase the vehicle, then you have to pay a disposition fee.

Go green and save on your lease

Hybrid vehicles’ popularity has sharply grown from a couple of thousands in early 2000 to close to 300, 000 by the end of 2005. The trend is rapidly catching with the auto-leasing industry with generous tax credits and incentives on offer if you go green.

Beginning in 2006, businesses and taxpayers who lease, or purchase, an environmentally-friendly and fuel-efficient vehicle will be eligible to claim federal income tax credits worth thousands of dollars. Individual states also offer generous incentives, including hybrid state tax credits, new High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes access and discounted thruway tolls for alternative-fuelled vehicles. And that’s not all you can save from going green! You can now save on your parking fees at a number of universities and some auto-insurance companies are offering insurance discounts for hybrid-vehicle owners nationwide. 

If you want to take advantage of these incentives and contribute to energy conservation then visit HybridCenter.org and complete a personal profile about your driving needs and habits. You will get in-depth advice on hybrid models that would make economic sense to you and local, state and federal incentives available where you live.

How to avoid extra costs at the end of your lease

$250 to dispose of your vehicle, $1000 for extra miles you put on the clock and $200 to replace the light bulb and the worn tyres—lease agents constantly nickel-and-dime consumers when their lease runs out.  Here’s a rundown of what can trigger those fees, and some steps to take in self-defense.

Disposition fee : leasing companies charge you if you choose not to buy the  vehicle at the end of your lease. This fee is set as compensation for the expenses of selling, or otherwise disposing of the vehicle. It typically includes administrative charges; the dealer’s cost to prepare the car for resale and any other penalties. Make sure this fee is stated clearly in the contract and is agreeable by you before signing on the dotted line. At lease-end, you are left in no position to negotiate as the dealer can apply your refundable security deposit towards this fee. 

Excess mileage charges : Almost all leasing companies will charge a premium for each mile over the agreed upon mileage stated in your contract. This penalty can be as high as 25 cents per mile and can add up quickly. To avoid the risk of running thousands of dollars in excess mileage penalties at the end of your lease, always check the “per mile” charges in your contract and be realistic about your mileage before you sign any contract.If you think the limit is unrealistic given your commutation needs, then negotiate with the dealer to get a higher mileage or contract for additional miles. 

Excess tear-and-wear charges: Another potential cost at the end of the lease is any incidental damage done to the car during the lease. This is deemed any excessive damage done to the normal tear and wear of the vehicle. Notice the use of the terms “deemed”, “excessive” and “normal”. There is no standard formula to define what’s “excessive” and “normal” and it’s up to the leasing company to assess – or deem – the damage and determine what they are going to charge. This leaves you at the mercy of unscrupulous leasing agents who set stringent tear-and-wear standards. Make sure you read the description of these standards, understand them and agree to them. If your leased vehicle is damaged prior to the end of the lease, you may find it cheaper to repair the damage yourself than pay the excessive charges of the leasing agent. In the event of a dispute over the charges at the end of your lease, get an independent third party to do a professional appraisal detailing the amount required to repair any damaged parts or the amount by which tear-and-wear reduces the value of the vehicle.