There are a lot of good reasons to lease a new Kia. Besides the biggest benefit, that is, driving a brand new Kia, most of the time, you are able to avoid the hassle of major repairs while also having lower monthly payments than if you bought the vehicle outright. Typical car lease terms are 36 months, but 48 is not usual. On occasion, leases are 24 or 60 months; that’s more rare, but they do exist. This means that every couple of years, after your Kia lease turn in, you have the opportunity to switch to another new vehicle without dealing with selling the old one or fighting for a good value on your trade-in.
Of course, maybe you’ll decide you love it so much you want to make the relationship permanent. Whichever choice you make when it comes to ending your Kia lease, Kia Finance will provide you with detailed directions from the start and will check-in four months before the end of your term. Let’s take a look at what those directions will be when it’s time for your Kia lease turn in and bring up some other tips and hints about the process.
Prep Work
The first thing you should do as you begin to contemplate the end of your Kia lease is to use their self-assessment tool to determine the wear and use you’ve put on the vehicle. A physical copy of this tool should be included in your turn in information, or you can download and print one out. You can also use an online assessment tool. However you choose to inspect your lease, this tool will help you measure defects to the body and glass.
Acceptable regular use includes scratches, dings, and dents that are less than four inches in length, windshield cracks under two inches long, and window and paint chips that are no bigger than one-half of an inch. In addition, tread on the tires has to be over ⅛ of an inch from the lowest point. Even if you don’t have any body damage on your leased car, you’ll also want to consider the interior, like a coffee spill on light-colored cloth seats.
If during your self-assessment, you find a damaged area that exceeds the set limits, you’ll want to let Kia know. They will plug the information into their algorithmic calculator to let you know what the cost will be, approximately, for the additional wear and tear so that you can decide whether to let them do it or have the repairs done at your own garage for potentially a lower price before turning in the vehicle.
Alternatively, after you’ve done your own self-assessment, you can contact the Kia dealership that organized your lease for a pre-inspection. It’s a good idea to have extra outside eyes to know exactly what will be looked for during the final inspection after you turn in your vehicle. You’ll want to do this assessment at least 90 days ahead of the end of your lease to ensure you have time to fix any issues.
Closer to the time of your turn-in, you’ll want to clean the interior and exterior of your leased Kia. Extra cleaning charges could be added to your final invoice if you don’t clean up all those crumbs where the car seat used to sit. You also need to make sure you remove your garage door opener and toll road tags for transferring to your next new car.
Be sure you return anything you may have taken out of the leased car, like the owner’s manual, cargo covers, floor mats, and headrests. And don’t forget to get any spare keys from the drawer where you stashed them for safekeeping! You’ll need to, of course, turn in all keys and remotes, too. Another final task is the Odometer Disclosure Statement. You have the option of faxing it to the company ahead of time or completing it at the dealership during your turn in appointment.
For Your Consideration
If you decide you want to keep your Kia, you can learn how much that will cost through your dealership or by calling one of the company’s lease-end advisors. There’s also an estimation tool on the Kia website. Once you get your buyout number, you can let your finance team or your local bank figure out the payment plan that works best for your budget. Your leased Kia may qualify as a Certified Pre-Owned, which would give you extra benefits if you choose to keep it, like a six-year/100,000-mile protection plan and roadside assistance. A Kia Lease-End Advisor, either on the phone or at the dealership, will be happy to provide all the details around qualification.
Kia has gone through a glow-up from bare-bones budget rides to designs and features that help the newest models fit in with – and stand out from – the rest of the competition across all market segments. The sporty Stinger won J.D. Power’s first-ever Engineering Award for Highest Rated All-New Vehicle, and the Telluride mid-size SUV was lauded with top marks from everyone from Kelley Blue Book to MotorTrend.
If you enjoy always having the newest, most cutting-edge rides, Kia is happy to oblige. The manufacturer has a loyalty plan in place to save you money if you park your old lease and immediately hop into another brand new Kia. They’ll even let you end your old lease early to move to the newest model. Check with your dealership for all the current deals.
The end of a lease will include lots of final bits and details. With a pre-inspection, you’ll know if you’ve exceeded normal wear and tear, so you’ll know what to expect when it comes to final repair charges if there are any. Likewise, shining those tires and vacuuming all the gravel and grass from the floor mats can help to prevent extra cleaning charges. But there are other additional charges that may come with the end of your lease.
First of all, if you are behind on any regularly scheduled maintenance, like oil and filter changes, or the brakes are shot, that will incur an extra fee on top of the labor and parts charges. Likewise, be sure you’re caught up on all your tolls and taxes. All leases come with mileage maximums. If you have driven more than “allowed” by the terms and conditions of your lease, you can contact Kia to know what the extra fee per mile will be ahead of time, so it’s not a surprise when you get your final bill. Lastly, whenever you turn in a leased vehicle, there will be a disposition or return fee. This fee will have been included as part of your lease contract, so it shouldn’t be a surprise. However, if you’re immediately leasing another Kia, that Loyalty Reward kicks in, and that fee will be waived.
Time to Turn In
If your Kia lease is ending and you are ready to move on to a new brand new car, the manufacturer provides excellent instructions along with handy tools to make the process as quick and painless as possible. With the Wear and Use Estimation Tool, there’s no guessing if that scratch is too long or that windshield chip too big. By having your leased Kia pre-inspected, you won’t be surprised by any extra charges at turn-in time.
You can find helpful and knowledgeable Lease-End Advisors online, on the phone, or at your local dealership. No matter where you originally leased your vehicle, you can set up a turn in appointment at any authorized Kia dealer. But do set up an appointment, so the dealership is prepared to accept the vehicle and has an expert advisor ready to help. As long as you’re prepared, the process is smooth and easy, and you’ll be back on the road in a brand new ride in no time.
