Damage you cannot see when a standard credit card is laid over it is not charged. That is Mercedes-Benz Financial Services’ own Credit Card Test. Beyond it there are hard thresholds: the sixth and each later scratch per panel, dents bigger than a credit card, tyres under 1/8 inch tread, and windshields with three or more chips.
Almost every page answering this question quotes the credit card line and stops there, which is useless the moment you are standing next to your car counting scratches. MBFS publishes the actual thresholds. They are just buried a level down from the page everyone links to.
The thresholds MBFS actually publishes
| Item | Free | Charged |
|---|---|---|
| Any exterior damage | Not visible under a standard credit card laid over it | Visible beyond the edges of the card |
| Scratches through the paint | First five per panel, if smaller than a credit card | The sixth and each one after, per panel |
| Dents | Smaller than a credit card | Larger than a credit card |
| Tyre tread | 1/8 inch (4/32 inch) or more | Under 1/8 inch |
| Tyres on one axle | Same size, brand, model, type and speed rating | Any mismatch on the axle |
| Windshield chips | Up to two | Three or more |
| Glass and lights | Intact | Cracks, stars, holes or plugs, any size |
| Missing parts | Everything present | Second key, spare tyre, EV charging cables and similar |
| Aftermarket modifications | Removed, car back to original with factory parts | Left on the car |
Every threshold here is from Mercedes-Benz Financial Services' own Assess Your Vehicle page. MBFS publishes no dollar amounts for any of these, so this table tells you what will be charged, not what it will cost.
The scratch rule is the one worth memorising, because it is counter-intuitive and nobody repeats it. Scratches through the paint that are smaller than a credit card are free up to five per panel. It is the sixth and each subsequent one on that same panel that gets charged. So five small scratches on a door costs nothing, and six costs something. That is a rule you can actually act on in the week before your inspection.
Tyres are the other place people lose money without knowing it. The limit is not just tread depth. Tyres on the same axle have to match in size, brand, model, type and speed rating. If you replaced one tyre after a puncture with whatever the shop had in stock, that axle is now mismatched and chargeable even if the tread is fine.
What Mercedes will not tell you: the price
Here is the thing no source gives you, official or otherwise. There is no published dollar schedule for excess wear on a Mercedes lease. Not on the MBFS site, not on the Canadian site, not on any dealer page we checked.
You can find out whether your car will be charged. You cannot find out in advance what the charge will be. The only figures circulating are uncited forum anecdotes: about $150 per rim in one 2019 post, over $1,800 in total for one person’s return, more than $4,000 in a disputed inspection. One thread specifically asked for a reference chart and nobody could produce one.
This matters for the decision you are actually making. Fixing a scratch before the inspection costs a known amount at a body shop. Leaving it costs an unknown amount decided after you have handed over the keys. That asymmetry is the argument for the pre-inspection, not the inspection itself.
The pre-inspection is the whole game
MBFS starts the return process about four months before your maturity date and schedules a free pre-inspection. The results come to you before you return the car.
That window is the only time you have both pieces of information at once: what will be charged, and the ability to do something about it. After the pre-inspection you can get a quote from your own body shop and compare it against what the inspection flagged. Before it, you are guessing. After the return, you have no leverage at all.
Use the thresholds above to triage. Anything under the credit card is free, so leave it. Anything that is the sixth scratch on a panel, or a mismatched tyre, or tread near the limit, is a known chargeable item with a known fix price. Those are the ones worth money.
Where the official guidance gets confusing
| Before your pre-inspection | Worth fixing? |
|---|---|
| Small scratches, under five on the panel | No, free |
| Sixth or later scratch on one panel | Yes, known cost vs unknown charge |
| One odd tyre fitted after a puncture | Yes, mismatched axle is chargeable |
| Tread close to 1/8 inch | Yes, this is a hard line |
| Third windshield chip | Yes, chip repair is cheap |
| Dent smaller than a credit card | No, free |
| Missing second key or charging cable | Yes, replace before return |
The pre-inspection is free and starts about four months before your maturity date. It is the only point where you know what will be charged and can still do something about it. After the return you have neither.
One warning about sources. Searching this question often surfaces Mercedes-Benz Canada’s Vehicle Condition Guidelines, and dealer pages that copy from it. Those are the wrong jurisdiction. Canada works in kilometres, Canadian dollars, and quotes tread in millimetres (3.2 mm, which is the same depth as the US 1/8 inch but will not match your lease paperwork). Check that the page you are reading is the US one before you act on it.
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Quick answers
How many scratches are allowed on a Mercedes lease return?
Five per panel, if each is smaller than a credit card. The sixth and every one after it on that panel is charged. Scratches larger than a credit card are charged regardless of count.
What tyre tread do you need to return a Mercedes lease?
At least 1/8 inch, which is 4/32 inch. Below that is excess wear. The tyres on each axle also have to match in size, brand, model, type and speed rating.
Are windshield chips charged?
Three or more chips on a windshield triggers excess wear and use charges. Cracks, stars, holes or plugs in any glass or light are charged regardless of number.
Does Mercedes charge for interior wear?
The published guidance covers interior along with exterior but gives no separate numeric threshold for it, unlike paint and tyres. Missing items are explicit though: a second key, the spare tyre and EV charging cables all count as missing parts.
Can you fix damage yourself before returning the car?
Yes, and the pre-inspection exists so you can. Anything restored to original condition with factory parts is not charged. Aftermarket modifications have to come off and the car has to go back to original.
Is there a way to cap what you pay for wear?
Yes, but only at lease signing. First Class Lease Protection waives excess wear charges up to a limit and cannot be bought later. Our page on what First Class Lease Protection covers has the figures and the two exclusions that catch people.
Sources and date
Checked 7 October 2026 against Mercedes-Benz Financial Services’ Assess Your Vehicle page, which carries every threshold quoted here, and its lease end page for the Credit Card Test wording and the four month pre-inspection timing. No dollar amounts are quoted because MBFS publishes none. The forum figures mentioned are uncited anecdotes and are labelled as such.
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