Audi Really Doesn't Want Leased EVs Back
Audi is taking aggressive steps to keep returned electric vehicles off dealer lots.
According to a dealer bulletin distributed on September 1, 2026, the automaker has introduced a nationwide "BEV Lessee Buyout Option Incentive" program that cuts thousands off the contractual buyout price for customers currently leasing an all-electric model.
Running through September 30, 2026, the promotion targets current lessees who execute a buyout at the end of their contract rather than returning the vehicle or terminating early.
Audi Buyout Incentives by Model
The savings vary across Audi’s EV lineup, with high-end, fast-depreciating models seeing the steepest price reductions:
- Audi e-tron GT: Receives the largest discount at $10,000 off the contractual buyout price.
- Audi Q4 e-tron: Qualifies for a $5,000 buyout discount. Audi originally launched the program in July with a $3,000 incentive on its high-volume compact crossover before bumping the figure to $5,000 in September.
- Audi Q8 e-tron: Eligible for a $4,000 buyout price reduction.
To encourage store participation, Audi is paying dealerships a $500 "Dealer Facilitation Incentive" for every completed lease buyout under the program, in addition to standard paperwork fees.
The national incentive push reflects broader market pressures across the used electric vehicle sector. As used EV values fluctuate, vehicles returning at the end of a lease term often land on dealer lots with actual market values significantly lower than the residual values projected when contracts were signed several years ago.
By subsidizing the buyout price directly for existing drivers, Audi aims to keep inventory off wholesale auctions and avoid absorbing sharp wholesale loss adjustments on returned units.
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Further proof of the horrible depreciation of EVs .The dealers do not want them on their lots .Used german EVs are worth nothing and no one wants them .A long time friend bought a taycan for well over 180,000 .Less than a year later he hated the car and wanted to trade it for a used 911.The dealer would not take the car in trade .He continues to insist that they take it .They offered him $ 54,000 , but even then they thought about that and said no , they would not take it back .Sorry ev cultist , very , very few want your used junk . We all know you have virtue signaling issues and think you are superior. You’re not and vehicles definitely are not by the fact that every manufacture has killed some or all of there unwanted EVs .Untill there’s a very high demand for used EVs they will not be in demand .That will be decades from now .BTW don’t drive your dangerous ev in water that is up to the bottom of the vehicle 🔥🔥🔥.
Similar policy as baby boxes at fire stations. 🤣