Our Tesla leasing return experience: process and things worth knowing

The downside of leasing: The day comes all too quickly when you have to return your beloved Tesla. We at Teslabs recently had to experience this ourselves. Tesla Lease Return Experience do this when a Model 3 reached the end of its "rental period".

The advantage: We can now pass on to you the valuable and helpful information we learned during the process – and that is exactly what this article aims to do.

Tesla lease return: What needs to be done?

To return a leased vehicle to Tesla, a so-called Inspection report This is required. It records whether there are any defects or damage and what the actual mileage was. Based on this information, it will then be determined whether you will incur any additional costs.

The great thing about this is that you can take care of fixing the reported defects yourself before returning the item, thus ensuring the Reduce costs or even avoid it altogether. The prerequisite for this, of course, is that you take care of the inspection report in good time – Tesla recommends at least 18 days before the lease expires.

What options are there?

Tesla has commissioned DEKRA to assess the vehicle and prepare the report. DEKRA offers you three options.

Self-inspection: About the free DEKRA handover Web portalsSimply upload images and information about your vehicle. The software guides you through the process and explains exactly where and how to take pictures. Finally, you digitally sign – and you're done!

Remote inspection: If you prefer to be guided through the inspection by a person, you can choose the second option, which is also free of charge. You will be connected via video call to a DEKRA employee who will guide you through the process. An appointment is required for this option. e-mail or telephone (0049 69587096339) required.

Inspection by DEKRA experts: If you prefer to leave the work entirely to a professional, an expert can also visit you. This service costs €127.75; you can arrange an appointment using the contact details above.

Tesla Lease Return Experience: Our Journey

Our return journey began with an email from Tesla. "Your Tesla mileage lease ends in 120 days."“This was the information we received, along with a request to obtain the inspection report. We opted for the self-inspection – the method Tesla “preferred” and explicitly mentioned in the email – and can therefore only report on this option.

A DEKRA handover account was quickly created. All that's needed is the VIN and, of course, an email address. Here you can read what the Tesla VIN actually is.

Then it all started and we were allowed to busily taking picturesInformation about any damage could also be easily provided by selecting the relevant component. It always helps to clean the car beforehand and then park it in an easily accessible and well-lit location such as a garage.

Finally, contact details were requested, a signature was obtained, and our work was done!

The status report

A few days later, the completed inspection report arrived with – thankfully – only two minor issues. The vehicle inspection certificate (HU) was no longer valid for a sufficient period, for which a flat fee of €150 was charged. A quick trip to the TÜV (vehicle inspection agency), where the certificate was renewed for €95, at least got us one small savings.

Furthermore, the vehicle photos showed a sticker for which Tesla would have charged €15 for removal. Naturally, we took care of that ourselves and saved ourselves this fee.

It's important to actively dispute the defects you want to resolve yourself so that Tesla can remove them from the condition report – and fortunately, there are quite a few. Even minor paint and Rim damage Thanks to the Teslabs touch-up paint fix.

The handover

Once all the defects were rectified, we arranged a handover appointment with Tesla and completed it without any further problems. Anyone who cannot or does not want to resolve all the issues themselves must pay the corresponding amount. before handover Pay in the Tesla app.

Tesla Lease Tire Return: Further Insights

It is also important to return all accessories that were included upon delivery. This includes the charging equipment as well as the original key cardsTires are also a much-discussed topic.

The tires you receive upon pickup (usually these are summer tires) Tesla would naturally like to have the original summer tires back as well. Since we had all-season tires fitted, we contacted Tesla and were able to return them. simply in the trunk Bring your own clothes – there was no need to change clothes.

Do you have any further questions about our experience with returning a Tesla leased vehicle? Feel free to leave us a comment!