Wear and tear guide

When taking a lease car finance option, you have a responsibility to return the car to the finance company in as good a condition as possible.

If you keep your leased vehicle within the BVRLA’s ‘fair wear and tear’ guidelines you won’t incur any additional charges. However, if your car or van has damage which falls outside of these guidelines, you may be liable for an additional charge. This is to compensate the leasing company who will pay to rectify the damage or replace missing items such as lost keys for example.

But what constitutes ‘fair wear and tear’? To ensure consistency across leasing and rental companies and to avoid misinterpretation, the BVRLA has produced a set of guidelines which acts as an industry-standard accepted level of fair wear and tear which AMT adhere to.

Fair wear and tear is simply defined as any acceptable deterioration that occurs on the vehicle during normal usage over the period of the contract. This will include affects to the tyres, bumpers, windows and any interior issues. You can read the full guide here.

We've summarised some of the key points below:

  1. The car should be returned in a safe and roadworthy condition, with all the appropriate documentation, spare keys and equipment.
  2. Cars should be serviced according to the manufacturer’s service schedule. Books should be stamped at the time of service to keep the history of the car.
  3. Before the car is returned, the car should be in a clean condition to allow a thorough inspection.
What Acceptable Unacceptable
Windscreens / windows Light scratching outside of drivers’ eye sight. Holes, chips and cracks in the glass, and scratches inside the drivers' direct line of site.
Wheels and tyres Minor scuffage up to 25mm in length. Wheels and tyres also meet minimum legal requirements. Scoring and other damage to wheel and tyres surface. Damage to side walls or uneven tread wear.
Wing mirrors Minor scuffage as long as no paintwork is damaged. Missing, damaged, or cracked wing mirrors.
Bumpers Minor scuffing up to 25mm in length. Deep scuffs where paint is broken, dented and cracked areas.
Bodywork Small areas of chipping. Light scratches up to 25mm in length, relative to the vehicle’s age. Dents up to 10mm provided paint is not broken. Stone chips or scratches over 15mm in length that have exposed the bare metal or primer or have rusted. Multiple dents on a single panel. Any impact damages.
Decals All decals need to be removed and all glue residue removed. Any damage caused by the removal of such badges and advertising.
Interior upholstery Should be clean and tidy, with only slight wear and soiling through normal use. Burns, tears or permanent staining. Any damage caused by the fitting of equipment such as mobile phones. Holes in carpet.

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