CARRUSLiNK

    Quick answer · Dealer ↔ leasing

    Lease agreement expiry — what should the dealer do?

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    TL;DR

    When a lease agreement is approaching its expiry, the dealer should initiate the repurchase workflow 90 days prior: contact the customer with an offer to renew or get a new vehicle, assess the vehicle's return condition, coordinate the return with the leasing company, and match the customer's wishlist against incoming vehicle inventory. Dealers who do this systematically achieve a 35-50% repurchase rate; without a workflow, the rate is 15-25%.

    The timeline is crucial. Day T-90: SMS to customer + task for salesperson. Day T-60: concrete offer for either renewal of the same vehicle or 2-3 wishlist matches. Day T-30: salesperson call, possibly a test drive of a new vehicle. Day T-7: agreement on return. Day T-0: vehicle returned, contract overlap if the new vehicle has not yet been delivered.

    The most common mistake is waiting for the customer to call. 6 out of 10 leasing customers start looking for a new car 4-5 months before expiry — if you haven't made contact by day T-90, the customer is already booked with a competitor.

    Key facts

    • T-90 days: SMS + salesperson task starts automatically
    • T-60 days: concrete offer — renewal or wishlist matches
    • T-30 days: salesperson call + potential test drive
    • T-7 days: agreement on return and residual value assessment
    • T-0: vehicle returned, contract overlap if new vehicle not ready
    • Repurchase rate with workflow: 35-50% — without: 15-25%

    See the 90-day repurchase workflow live with your own contract data.