Lease Return Warning / Question About Lucid End-of-Lease Inspection

Hi everyone,


I recently returned my Lucid Air at the end of my lease and wanted to share my experience—and also ask whether anyone else has dealt with something similar.


Lucid had the vehicle inspected through OPENLANE. The inspection identified a small scratch on the underside of the front bumper, in an area that is essentially not visible during normal use. This is also an unpainted/lower portion of the bumper.


Despite that, the inspection report lists the required action as “Replace” and assesses a charge of $819.48 for the front bumper.


I was genuinely surprised by this. The damage is minor, underneath the bumper, and given how low the Lucid Air sits, this seems like the type of contact that could happen very easily during normal driving—parking ramps, driveways, curbs, etc.


I’m attaching photos of the actual underside of the bumper along with the inspection report so everyone can see exactly what they are calling an $819 bumper replacement.


I already called Lucid Financial Services and told them that I am disputing the assessment and requesting a further inspection/review before accepting this charge.


For those of you who have already returned a leased Lucid:

• Did you receive similar charges for minor scratches underneath the front bumper?
• Did OPENLANE/AutoVIN recommend replacing an entire part for relatively minor cosmetic damage?
• Were you able to successfully dispute or reduce the charge?
• Does Lucid provide any published lease-return wear-and-tear guidelines showing what is considered acceptable versus chargeable?

I understand that lease returns can include charges for excess wear and tear, and I’m not suggesting that every mark should automatically be ignored. But charging $819.48 to replace the front bumper over minor damage underneath the car seems excessive to me, especially considering the location and how low these vehicles sit.


I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through the Lucid lease-return process and how your inspection/final billing was handled.


I’ll also update this thread once Lucid responds to my request for a further review.

alatp said:

Hi everyone,


I recently returned my Lucid Air at the end of my lease and wanted to share my experience—and also ask whether anyone else has dealt with something similar.


Lucid had the vehicle inspected through OPENLANE. The inspection identified a small scratch on the underside of the front bumper, in an area that is essentially not visible during normal use. This is also an unpainted/lower portion of the bumper.


Despite that, the inspection report lists the required action as “Replace” and assesses a charge of $819.48 for the front bumper.


I was genuinely surprised by this. The damage is minor, underneath the bumper, and given how low the Lucid Air sits, this seems like the type of contact that could happen very easily during normal driving—parking ramps, driveways, curbs, etc.


I’m attaching photos of the actual underside of the bumper along with the inspection report so everyone can see exactly what they are calling an $819 bumper replacement.


I already called Lucid Financial Services and told them that I am disputing the assessment and requesting a further inspection/review before accepting this charge.


For those of you who have already returned a leased Lucid:

• Did you receive similar charges for minor scratches underneath the front bumper?
• Did OPENLANE/AutoVIN recommend replacing an entire part for relatively minor cosmetic damage?
• Were you able to successfully dispute or reduce the charge?
• Does Lucid provide any published lease-return wear-and-tear guidelines showing what is considered acceptable versus chargeable?

I understand that lease returns can include charges for excess wear and tear, and I’m not suggesting that every mark should automatically be ignored. But charging $819.48 to replace the front bumper over minor damage underneath the car seems excessive to me, especially considering the location and how low these vehicles sit.


I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through the Lucid lease-return process and how your inspection/final billing was handled.


I’ll also update this thread once Lucid responds to my request for a further review.



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That’s not a small scratch , and it seems to be extending onto the side, it just the underside.

This is the problem with leasing. That’s why I never lease. Yeah, maybe you got a good deal but you never know what they will charge for when you return the car.

The inspection report itself lists the damage as only 1" x 1.5". It looks much larger in my photo because I took the picture very close to the area so the scratch would be visible.


My main question is whether a scratch of that size, especially on the underside of the bumper, really justifies replacing the entire bumper assembly for $819. I would think this type of cosmetic damage could be repaired rather than requiring complete replacement.


That’s really what I’m questioning here—not whether there is a scratch, but whether the proposed remedy and charge are reasonable.

alatp said:

The inspection report itself lists the damage as only 1" x 1.5". It looks much larger in my photo because I took the picture very close to the area so the scratch would be visible.


My main question is whether a scratch of that size, especially on the underside of the bumper, really justifies replacing the entire bumper assembly for $819. I would think this type of cosmetic damage could be repaired rather than requiring complete replacement.


That’s really what I’m questioning here—not whether there is a scratch, but whether the proposed remedy and charge are reasonable.

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The challenge with a lease is that you have no real input on the remedy for damage at turn in. The area in question is plastic so I don’t think a repair is going to be feasible.

Given the location, it might not be suitable to repair. It is plastic that has been scraped/cut. The labor time associated with buffing out the abrasions (if possible) could likely exceed the replacement cost. If the scrapes were fully beneath the bumper (as many of us have), I think that would be different. These abrasions would be apparent to a prospective buyer. Good luck with the complaint.

alatp said:

The inspection report itself lists the damage as only 1" x 1.5". It looks much larger in my photo because I took the picture very close to the area so the scratch would be visible.

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The image of the report you posted lists it as a 5" scratch, not 1.5". Seems like you may have clipped a curb at some point? If I was buying that car I'd want it repaired before taking delivery.

Admittedly no expert on body work, but from what I've seen reported on the forum on other stuff, I'm actually surprised that it'd cost only $819 and change to replace a bumper.
If this is a 3 year lease, that's like $22 extra for each month for the damage incurred.
If it's me, I'd sign the check and move on, but I know everyone is different and it may be a principle thing for some.

800 is cheap for that, it’s a painted bumper trim, not the under panel.

I'm sorry to say this, but does seem like a legit charge to me.

Replace the bumper?? It looks repairable with some light body and paint work... There are tons of guys doing plastic bumper repairs in every city. . It is now hindsight, but would have been better to have gotten this repaired before turning it in... I had a larger scrape into the plastic on the visible part of the bumper repaired before my inspection for about $325.