How a Mazda Lease Return Works

It’s time to prepare for the end of your Mazda lease. Here are the simple steps to follow to ensure the return process is a breeze.
Written by Sophie Boka
Reviewed by Jessa Claeys
Time to return your Mazda lease? When your lease is up, you’re required to schedule a vehicle inspection and make an appointment with your issuing dealership to complete the transaction. 
Leasing is a great option for drivers who aren’t quite ready to commit to any one vehicle. Maybe you prefer driving cars during their prime, then moving on. Or perhaps you like the lower monthly payments that come with leasing. 
Whatever the case, before your lease expires, there are a few steps you’ll need to follow. They’re simple—but important! Follow each step carefully if you want to avoid fees and hassles.
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How a Mazda lease return works

The end of a Mazda lease is a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure situation. Here are your three basic options:
  • Return the vehicle and walk away 
  • Return the vehicle and lease a new one from the same dealer
  • Buy out the lease (aka purchase the vehicle)
We’ve dedicated a separate article to
Mazda lease buyouts
, so we’ll just walk through the first two options here.

If you want to return your leased Mazda and walk away

We’ll start with option No. 1: a simple return. Mazda makes returns pretty easy. Generally speaking, you’ll want to start preparing one to two months before the lease termination date.
  • One to two months out: Schedule your pre-inspection appointment
    online
    . Be prepared to provide your leased vehicle’s VIN and your Mazda Financial account number.  
  • One week out: Contact your originating dealership to make an appointment for your vehicle return. 
  • On the day of your Mazda lease return appointment: Return your vehicle cleaned and in top condition, along with its keys, toolkit and spare tire (if applicable), all original equipment, the owner’s manual, your maintenance records, receipts for completed repairs, the vehicle inspection report, and the vehicle return receipt. Remember to ask the dealer to note your vehicle’s mileage. Don’t forget to sign the Odometer Statement and get a copy to take home.
  • After the return: If you owe anything on your vehicle, you’ll receive an invoice. Security deposits will be returned if applicable.

If you want to lease a new Mazda

You and your Mazda have seen a lot during your time together. But all good things must come to an end. 
Luckily, the process of moving on to your next Mazda is pretty painless. Come the end of your lease, you’ll simply go through most of the steps laid out above for walking away from a lease. But instead of closing your account, you’ll work with someone at the dealership to pick out your upgrade.
You may think you can figure out a new lease on your own. But it’s worth consulting a specialist at your dealership before signing a new lease. Oftentimes, they’ll be able to offer you cost-efficient packages that you won’t have access to without their intel.

If you want to return a Mazda lease early

Although it’s easiest to set and forget a Mazda lease, riding it out until the end, there’s always an escape route if you need to get out early. 
Sometimes circumstances change. Mazda gets that. So the carmaker makes it easy to end a lease at any point. You just need to do a bit of legwork.
Your first move is to schedule a pre-inspection appointment. Just note that a pre-inspection expires after 60 days. So you’ll need to complete the rest of the process promptly or else have another pre-inspection performed.
When you return a lease early, your dealership will calculate your early return balance. From there, you can get a lease-end invoice anywhere from 60 to 120 days after the return.

How to find the best Mazda insurance

Returning a Mazda lease isn’t so bad! Now insuring your Mazda—that’s a different story.
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FAQs

In theory, yes! You should be able to return your Mazda lease to any dealership. However, it’s still a good idea to call the dealership first to make sure that they can accept your vehicle.
Your disposition fee depends on your contract. Oftentimes, you can negotiate the disposition fee out of a contract. But if your contract includes a disposition fee, it will likely range between $300 to $600.
Yes, it is possible and easy to return your Mazda lease early. To do so, simply request a pre-inspection appointment and settle any existing debts.
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