Lease-end buyout policy by brand
Lessee purchase-option rules and third-party buyout language, taken only from captive or OEM pages.
6 min read
A closed-end lease usually prints a purchase-option price. Whether anyone besides you can send that payoff is a different question — and captives have clamped down.
BMW Financial Services says it in public: the payoff is intended for you and will not be honored if a third-party dealership sends it in. Honda tells the lessee they can buy at a guaranteed price and then keep or resell. That is not the same as letting CarMax pay Honda directly.
Rows below are only what OEM or captive pages state as of August 2026. Forum consensus is not a source.
TLDR Quick Guide
- Honda Leadership Leasing: guaranteed purchase price, no purchase-option fee. Lessee buys; third-party payoff is not described.
- BMW FS: lessee can buy anytime; residual is not negotiated; third-party dealership payoffs are not honored.
- Audi USA 2026 Q3 ad: $395 fee if you purchase the lease vehicle.
- Ford Credit: purchase option may exist; EVs may be ineligible — read the contract. Path is a Ford dealer.
- Nissan: lessee purchase option, possible purchase-option fee; end-of-lease options exclude EVs.
- Tesla, Mercedes, Hyundai, Stellantis: no public third-party rule we could cite. Ask the captive for a written payoff policy.
Published buyout rules
| Brands | Captive lender | Lessee buyout | Third-party payoff | Published on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda, Acura | Honda Financial Services | Honda Leadership Leasing publishes a guaranteed purchase price at lease end. Honda.com: you may purchase the vehicle at that price or return it. The Leadership Leasing PDF states there is no purchase-option fee. | Not stated. Honda tells the lessee they can keep or resell after buying at the guaranteed price — that is a lessee buyout, not a third-party payoff. | automobiles.honda.com |
| Toyota, Lexus | Toyota Financial Services / Lexus Financial Services | TFS: at lease end you may purchase the vehicle, lease another, or return it. Purchase option is a published end-of-term choice. | Not stated on the public TFS lease pages. | toyotafinancial.com |
| Nissan | Nissan Motor Acceptance (NMAC) | Nissan.com end-of-lease: you may buy at the predetermined purchase-option price plus incidental charges in the contract (tax, registration, a purchase-option fee if the contract names one). Nissan also says end-of-lease options exclude EVs. | Not stated. | nissanusa.com |
| Ford, Lincoln | Ford Credit | Ford Credit: you may have a lease-end purchase option; the price is in the Red Carpet Lease agreement or from the originating dealer. Electric vehicles may not be eligible for purchase at lease end — Ford says to read the contract. | Not stated. Ford directs purchase through the originating dealer or any participating Ford dealer if you have moved. | ford.com |
| Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac | GM Financial | GM Financial publishes a purchase option and Mode by GM Financial lease-buyout loans. Buying the car avoids excess wear, mileage, and the disposition fee. GM says a dealer should not add a doc fee to facilitate your contractual payoff. | Not stated as allowed. Payoff path is the lessee or Mode. | gmfinancial.com |
| BMW | BMW Financial Services | BMW FS: you can purchase at any point. Payoff is in My BMW Account. Residuals are not negotiated. Financing the buyout through BMW FS waives the disposition fee. | BMW FS states the payoff is intended for you and will not be honored if sent in by a third-party dealership. | bmwusa.com |
| Audi | Audi Financial Services | 2026 Audi USA Q3 lease disclaimer: a $395 fee applies if you purchase your lease vehicle, plus the purchase-option price in the contract. | Not stated. | audiusa.com |
What “third-party buyout” means
Two different transactions get lumped together. (1) You exercise the purchase option, take title, then sell or trade the car. Honda’s “keep or resell” language is this. (2) A dealer or broker sends a payoff check and takes title without you becoming the owner. BMW’s “will not be honored” language is aimed at (2).
If you need (2) and the captive will not do it, the remaining path is (1) plus a same-day sale — tax and timing risk sit with you. Get the payoff quote in writing first.
Brands that do not publish a rule
| Brands | Captive lender | Lessee buyout | Third-party payoff | Published on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyundai, Kia, Genesis | Hyundai Capital America | Not published online | Not published online | — |
| Subaru | Subaru Motors Finance (Chase) | Not published online | Not published online | — |
| Mazda | Mazda Financial Services | Not published online | Not published online | — |
| Volkswagen | Volkswagen Credit | Not published online | Not published online | — |
| Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler | Stellantis Financial / Chrysler Capital | Not published online | Not published online | — |
| Mercedes-Benz | Mercedes-Benz Financial Services | Not published online | Not published online | — |
| Volvo | Volvo Car Financial Services | Not published online | Not published online | — |
| Tesla | Tesla Finance | Not published online | Not published online | — |
Tesla’s U.S. current-offers page names acquisition fee and mileage, not a purchase option. Do not treat a Canadian support page or a 2024 news item as current U.S. policy — ask Tesla Account for the payoff rules on your VIN.
Key Takeaways
- Lessee purchase options are common. Third-party dealer payoffs are not.
- BMW FS will not honor a third-party dealership payoff.
- Honda publishes a guaranteed price and no purchase-option fee for the lessee.
- Audi’s current Q3 ad adds a $395 purchase fee. Nissan may add a purchase-option fee if the contract says so.
- Ford flags some EVs as ineligible for lease-end purchase.
FAQs
Honda Leadership Leasing publishes a guaranteed purchase price at lease end and says there is no purchase-option fee. You can keep the car or resell it after you buy it. Honda does not describe a third-party dealer sending the payoff.
BMW Financial Services says the payoff is intended for you and will not be honored if sent in by a third-party dealership. You can still buy the car yourself at any time through My BMW Account.
Often yes — the purchase price is in the Red Carpet Lease agreement. Ford Credit says electric vehicles may not be eligible; read the contract. Handle the purchase through a participating Ford dealer.
Nissan.com says you pay the predetermined purchase-option price plus incidental charges in the contract, which may include a purchase-option fee, tax, and registration. End-of-lease options exclude EVs.
From the captive portal or lease-end phone line — Honda Financial Services, TFS, BMW FS My Account, Ford Account Manager, GM Financial MyAccount. A dealer quote is not the lender’s payoff.
Related guides
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