I was under the impression that service and Maintenance in lease period is free . But recently I got to know that for Mercedes, it is not free. What are the other cars which don’t have free service and Maintenance in the lease period?
If it’s not free. This cost also should be included in total ownership cost in lease calculator. Is that correct?
Please educate me.
Not a correct assumption, some brands may include some scheduled maintenance when you buy/lease a new vehicle but most do not.
From a personal finance perspective you should definitely include potential maintenance costs, wear and tear items like tires, brakes, etc. in your calculations for what the true cost of ownership will be for the X years of the lease.
But from a LH comparison perspective when we talk about TCO on here for new cars typically maintenance costs are not included. Just payment and DAS.
Nothing is free. Class dismissed.
For example, Which are those some brands ?
When I was leasing Volvo, I had free service during lease period.. similarly are there any other brands ?
2025 hyundais had free maintenance for 3 years but the 26s dont
Kia doesn’t include maintenance
2026+ Hyundais dont include maintenance
Lexus only gives one year of maintenance so definitely have to come out of pocket down the line
Doing an internet search of “Which car brands offer free maintenance?” will probably give you a fairly comprehensive answer. It’s not something that car makes keep a secret.
Safe assumption to make is that “free” maintenance is the exception rather than the rule. There is so much variability around makes, models and years. Also, you don’t have to take it back to a dealership for the work to be done; any qualified indy is fine. That’s why variable costs like these are on the buyer/lessee to calculate TCO themselves. Some folks care, some don’t.
Only make I’m aware of that covers maintenance broadly across the line is BMW, with 36 mth/36k miles. But even then it doesn’t cover wear/tear items like brake pads, wipers. Unless you pay for it.
I just brought my Volvo XC90 T8 in for it’s complimentary 10k maintenance and was surprised to hear it does not include a tire rotation.
Good thing discount tire does it for free
I think Costco does, as well, if you purchased the tires there. Long wait is a PITA, though.
Why will you buy new tires for a newly leased car in one year or 2 years ?
I had to on my Ariya after 16 months
Highly variable based on the car, the number of miles you put on, and how you drive.
EV’s carry a lot of weight, especially the larger longer ranged ones. That translates into more wear/tear, depending on your driving habits and what OEM tires were installed. My Tesla MYP tires lasted about 30k miles, but I’ve also heard some folks only lasting till 15k miles on the same setup. Long and the short of it is that YMMV.
Every new Volvo, leased or purchased, includes the first three service visits around 10/20/30k. I believe BMW does something similar.
AKAIK no brand throws-in service just because the vehicle is being leased (vs purchased). The ones that don’t include service will offer to sell you prepaid maintenance when they present the F&I menu.
Can I negotiate to get free service maintenance during lease period ? For Hyundai or BMW 2026 MODELS ? how much is that saving ? Will dealership budge ?
No.
No.
Zero, see above and below.
No.
Dealers/Salespeople/Brokers all hate when you ask for freebies. Asking for a bigger discount off the car is more tolerable if you really need to keep grinding
Free tire rotation? Do you mean if you purchase tires?