Ninety days before your lease ends, start a countdown. Read your lease for the maturity date, mileage limit, purchase price and fees. Project your final mileage. Book a pre-inspection inside the final 60 days and the turn-in about 30 days out. Decide whether to return, buy or trade, and line up your next car before the old one goes back.
Our guide to what happens at lease end explains your options. This one is the to-do list: what to check, when, and what to keep in writing. It is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Your lease agreement and your leasing company's instructions always come first.
Why start 90 days before your lease ends?
Because the deadlines bunch up at the end. Ford Credit, for example, tells customers to "complete lease-end transactions by your lease-end date to avoid additional charges as described in your Red Carpet Lease Agreement" (Ford Credit). Three months gives you time to fix damage, weigh a buyout and get quotes on your next car.
Starting early doesn't mean returning early: Toyota Financial Services warns that "early termination fees may apply" (Toyota Financial Services).
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What should you do 90 days before your lease ends?
Pull out your lease agreement. If federal leasing rules (Regulation M) cover your lease, it must spell out the numbers that matter at lease end (12 CFR 1013.4). They cover leases up to a threshold, "$73,400" for leases signed in 2026 (12 CFR 1013.2).
| Find this in your lease | Why it matters at lease end |
|---|---|
| Maturity date | The date the car is due back, unless you buy it. |
| Mileage allowance and per-mile charge | The wear-and-use notice must "specify the amount or method for determining any charge for excess mileage." |
| Wear and use standards | Leases covered by federal Regulation M carry a notice like this: "You may be charged for excessive wear based on our standards for normal use." |
| Purchase option price | If you can buy the car at lease end, a covered lease must state "the purchase price." |
| Disposition fee and other end-of-lease charges | These are set by your contract. Note each one so nothing on the final bill surprises you. |
Also log in to your leasing company's account and make sure your contact details are current, so lease-end letters reach you.
How do you project your final mileage?
Divide the miles you've driven by the months you've had the car, then add the months you have left. The CFPB notes that "most leases restrict your mileage to 10,000-15,000 miles per year," and the FTC warns that if you go over, "you'll probably be charged an additional fee when you return the car" (CFPB; FTC).
The figures below are illustrative only. They are not a quote or a typical result, and they assume the odometer read zero at lease start.
| Illustrative 36-month lease | Miles |
|---|---|
| Allowance (10,000 a year for 3 years) | 30,000 |
| Odometer at month 33 | 29,000 |
| Average a month (29,000 ÷ 33) | about 880 |
| Projected at month 36 (29,000 + 3 × 880) | about 31,640 |
| Projected miles over the allowance | about 1,640 |
Multiply your projected overage by your per-mile charge. If you'll be well over, a buyout or trade-in may beat a return. Our guide to going over the mileage on a lease walks through those choices.
What should you do 60 days before your lease ends?
When should you book a pre-inspection?
Many leasing companies offer an inspection before turn-in. Ford Credit says "you can schedule a complimentary pre-inspection within 60-days of your lease-end date." Toyota Financial Services describes its courtesy pre-inspection as one that "assesses the condition of your vehicle and provides an estimate of wear and use charges that could be due at lease-end." Book it for a date inside that window, early enough to fix damage before the turn-in, and ask your own lessor whether it offers one and how it works.
Should you fix damage before turn-in?
Compare the inspection report with a repair shop's price. If you repair first, Toyota Financial Services suggests you "keep all of your receipts for repairs made and review your insurance policy to see if any items may be covered." Our guide to excess wear and tear charges covers what typically counts.
What would it cost to keep the car?
Know this number even if you plan to return the car. The CFPB explains that the residual value "is what you will pay for the car if a purchase option is included." Ford Credit says that "to obtain your vehicle's purchase price prior to lease-end, login to Account Manager or contact Customer Support." Ask what the quote includes and how long it is good for.
When should you shop for your next car?
Starting about two months out gives your next car time to be ready when the old one goes back. Final terms on the next lease are set by the licensed dealership and the lessor, subject to credit approval.
What should you do 30 days before your lease ends?
- Book the turn-in appointment. Toyota Financial Services recommends "contacting the dealer to schedule your lease turn-in appointment approximately 30 days prior to your lease maturity date."
- Confirm the dealer will take the car. At Toyota Financial Services, "only your originating Dealer is required to accept your lease return." Most other Toyota and Lexus dealers will, it says, but it recommends "contacting them to confirm." Other lessors have their own rules, so ask yours.
- Gather everything that came with the car. Toyota Financial Services lists all sets of keys, owner's manuals, the tool kit and spare tire if applicable, and any original equipment, and warns that missing items or keys can bring "additional charges based on the terms of your lease agreement." For an electric vehicle, GM Financial's return checklist also lists "power-charger cables" (GM Financial).
- Clear out your data and belongings. GM Financial's checklist says to "clear all personal data from the vehicle," including garage door codes, stored phone numbers, app data and navigation addresses. Take toll tags, parking passes, chargers and garage door openers with you.
- Keep the car serviced and insured. The FTC notes that when you lease, you "have to service the car according to the manufacturer's recommendations, and maintain insurance that meets the leasing company's standards." Talk to your insurer before you change or cancel any coverage.
What if you need more time at lease end?
Ask your leasing company about an extension well before the maturity date; policies vary. GM Financial, for example, says lease customers "can maintain their lease for one month past the original scheduled lease end" by making the regular payment, but "the extension doesn't increase the mileage in your original contract" (GM Financial).
What happens on turn-in day?
The dealership inspects the car and records the odometer. Toyota Financial Services says the dealer "will complete a final inspection at your return appointment," and asks you to sign an odometer disclosure statement. It also suggests you "capture the name of dealer associate that helped with the return." Take dated photos of the condition and the odometer at drop-off; its lease-end guide invites you to.
Then close out:
- Tell your leasing company the car is back, if it asks you to. Toyota Financial Services lets you notify it online or by phone "to minimize any potential delays processing your lease return."
- Cancel automatic payments once the return is confirmed. Toyota Financial Services calls this the step "people forget."
- Deal with your New Jersey plates. Toyota Financial Services says whether plates go back with the car "varies by state." In New Jersey, the Motor Vehicle Commission says you can transfer plates to your next vehicle "so long as the vehicle is registered in the same name as the previous vehicle and the vehicles are the same class." Plates you don't transfer must be surrendered, and the MVC says to keep the surrender receipt "in case any charges are mistakenly linked to those plates later" (NJ MVC).
What charges can show up after you return the car?
A final bill, if anything is owed. Toyota Financial Services says its lease-end bill can include "Excessive Wear and Use charges, Excessive Mileage charges, and Disposition Fee if applicable," and that "these items may be taxable." If you paid a security deposit, it says the deposit is used first to pay any lease-end charges. Check the bill against your pre-inspection report, your repair receipts and your turn-in photos.
Should you return the car, buy it out, or trade it in?
Compare three numbers: the purchase price, what the car is worth today, and what you'd pay in mileage and wear charges if you return it.
- Return it if you're under your miles, the pre-inspection was clean, and the car is worth less than the purchase price.
- Buy it out if you want to keep it, or if you're well over your miles and the purchase price looks fair. GM Financial notes you "can purchase your vehicle at any point during your lease" (GM Financial). Ford Credit adds that "electric vehicles may not be eligible for purchase at lease-end," so check your contract. See whether a lease buyout makes sense.
- Trade it in if the car is worth more than the payoff. Ask your lessor whether a dealer can take it in trade. Start with our New Jersey trade-in page.
- Leaving before the date? That's an early termination, with its own costs. Read about exiting your lease early first.
What does the 90-day lease-end timeline look like?
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 90 days out | Read the lease. Note the maturity date, miles, purchase price and fees. Project your final mileage. |
| 60 days out | Book a pre-inspection inside the final 60 days. Price any repairs. Get the purchase price in writing. Start quotes on your next car. |
| 30 days out | Book the turn-in. Confirm the dealer accepts it. Gather keys, manuals, equipment and any EV charging cable. Clear your data and personal items. Ask about an extension if you need one. |
| Turn-in day | Sign the odometer statement. Photograph the car. Note the associate's name. Sort out your plates. |
| After return | Confirm the return, cancel autopay, and check the final bill. |
Sources
Primary sources, accessed October 1, 2026.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Regulation M, § 1013.4 Content of disclosures
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Regulation M, § 1013.2 Definitions
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, What should I know about leasing versus buying a car?
- Federal Trade Commission, Financing or Leasing a Car
- Toyota Financial Services, Lease-end FAQs and Toyota Lease-End Guide and Checklist
- Ford Credit, Ford Credit Lease-End Process
- GM Financial, Lease Extension, What are my options at the end of my lease? and Your Return Checklist
- New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, About License Plates
Line up your next car before your lease ends
Vantage Auto Group is a licensed New Jersey auto broker. We work with 350+ dealer partners to source the most competitive pricing available. Title and registration for your next car are coordinated with the licensed dealership, and all paperwork and final terms are handled directly by the licensed dealership, subject to credit approval. Request a quote on your next car about 60 days before your lease ends.
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