Normal wear or excess wear? Reading your own vehicle before turn-in

A lease expects the vehicle back showing normal wear. What that actually covers is what separates a turn-in with no charge from an excess wear invoice. There is no universal answer — but there are recognizable criteria, and most leasing companies publish theirs.

Start with your own standard

Almost every leasing company publishes a wear-and-use guide describing, item by item, what is accepted and what is billed — usually with a size threshold measured against a card or a circle template. Ask for yours, or download it. Reading it in advance is the single best use of ten minutes before a turn-in, because it tells you exactly which of your defects are even in scope.

Two things follow from how these guides are written:

Mileage and age count. What is unremarkable on a four-year-old vehicle with 60,000 miles is not on a two-year-old with 15,000.
The nature of a defect matters more than its size. A stone chip is a road risk; a dent is an impact.

Usually treated as normal wear

Light wash swirls spread across the paint.
Small stone chips on the front bumper and rocker panels.
Even tire wear above the required tread depth.
Shine on the steering wheel, shifter and driver's seat bolster, in proportion to mileage.
Floor mat wear under the heel.
Light marks in the cargo area from ordinary loading.

Usually treated as excess wear

A scratch through to primer or metal, whatever its length.
A dent with broken paint, or a distorted panel.
A curbed wheel with metal removed.
A chip or crack in the windshield.
A cracked headlight, a fogged lamp assembly, a broken mirror.
A burn, a tear or a stubborn stain inside.
A persistent smell of smoke or animals.
Missing items: second key fob, cargo cover, charging cable, tools.
Aftermarket accessories, wraps or holes drilled in bodywork.
Maintenance not performed, or not on schedule.

Use the pre-inspection

Many leasing companies offer a complimentary pre-inspection several weeks before the turn-in date. It is worth taking, for one reason: it converts guesswork into a written list while you can still act on it. Take your own photos on the same day, so you have a record of the condition the pre-inspection was based on.

Handling the grey area

Photograph it beforehand, with a card or a coin in frame for scale.
Put it against the mileage. A high-mileage vehicle is expected to show more wear, and that is an argument you can make.
Get a second opinion. A body shop will tell you in two minutes whether a defect is a buff or a repaint. That is the information that decides it.

Things that are never normal wear

Missing items. A missing second key fob is a certain line item, and a costly one. Look for it now.
Maintenance. An incomplete service history cannot be recovered in a week.
Tires below the required tread depth. A safety matter before it is a billing one.
Modifications. The vehicle goes back as it was delivered.

Preparing a vehicle means fixing what can be fixed and documenting the rest. It does not mean disguising anything: a visible touch-up or a buff that has gone through the clear coat gets spotted, and works against you.