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A little less than half a million vehicles were leased in the US in 2023, a slight increase from 2022. This statistic proves leasing is still an immensely popular way to acquire a new vehicle.
However, leasing does have its fair share of challenges. For example, if you lease a car, you don’t own it; a third party, like a leasing company or dealership, owns the vehicle. This is not usually an issue unless you get into an accident.
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely gotten into an accident with your leased car and are unsure about what to do now. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place as the Andrew Law Firm team of Boise, Idaho attorneys have compiled this blog detailing what happens if you crash a leased car.
Much like a car accident with a non-leased car, your first step will be to get yourself to safety and determine if anyone else has been harmed. Regardless of whether anyone else has been hurt, you must call 911 and report the accident to the police.
Usually, 911 will send the police to the scene of the accident so that they can compile a police report surrounding what happened. Depending on whether you plan on filing a claim with an insurer or suing a liable party, you may or may not need access to this report.
You will also need to call the leasing company to report the accident since they are technically the legal owner of the vehicle you’ve leased.
After you’ve followed the accident process, you’ll need to decide if the vehicle’s damages are repairable. If there are, you can fix your car and keep the lease. You can also choose to cancel the lease with your insurance policy and gap insurance covering any losses.
In addition, you should note that if you choose to fix the car, your insurance should pay for any necessary repairs minus your deductible.
Unfortunately, if the car you’ve leased has been totaled, it’s a write-off. This means that it cannot be repaired. However, even though the car is a write-off, you’ll still be responsible for paying the leasing company what you owe on the car.
Generally, when a car is a total loss, your insurance should reimburse you for its current worth. You’ll only be able to end the lease if you pay the leasing company what you owe them. In many instances, what the insurance pays won’t be enough to cover the total cost of the car, so you will likely have to make arrangements to pay it off.
If you have gap coverage, they should pay the difference. Alternatively, you might be able to roll the amount owed into a new lease, but this will depend on the leasing company and your finances.
Now you know what to do if you’ve been involved in a car accident with a leased car. However, since filing an insurance claim and suing liable parties to recover compensation can be difficult, you might want to hire a Boise, Idaho, attorney.
Our attorneys at Andrew Injury Law have experience handling leased car accidents. We can help you determine whether your insurer, the insurer of an at-fault driver, or the driver themselves is responsible. Once liability is determined, we can help you with the next steps in your car accident claim, so contact us here.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Attorney Matthew Andrew, who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a personal injury attorney.
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