Before returning your expiring lease to the dealership, it’s a good idea to check if you have any equity in your lease.
Basically, if you can sell your current leased vehicle for more than the current lease buyout price, then you may be able to pocket this difference.
Third-party companies like Carvana, Vroom, Shift, and CarMax help make this easy. They pay off your lease and buy the car from the lender, and they pay you the difference, provided you have positive equity on the lease.
For example, if your current lease buyout is $18,000, and a third-party company is willing to pay $19,500 for your leased car, then you have $1,500 in positive lease equity.
Note that not every lender allows for this. Some do not permit third-party buyouts, while some may charge a higher buyout price to third parties than to a lessee buying out a lease.