Hidden costs to check before you sign a lease

A lease-to-own offer is more than its monthly payment. Several costs hide in the fine print, and any one of them can change whether a deal is actually good.

Security deposit. Many leases hold a deposit — sometimes a cash sum, sometimes a credit-card block. Check the amount and, crucially, the refund timeline. It's common for the refund to take a few weeks after handback while Salik tolls and traffic fines are reconciled.

Processing and registration fees. Some 'free registration' offers only cover year one. Ask who pays for renewal, plates and any admin or processing fees.

Insurance. Is comprehensive insurance included, and for how long? A monthly that excludes insurance isn't comparable to one that includes it. In the UAE, premiums vary a lot by car and driver.

Excess mileage. Lease contracts cap annual kilometres. Go over and you pay a per-kilometre fee that adds up fast on a long commute. Match the cap to how you actually drive.

Early exit. Life changes — a new job, a move abroad. Check the early-settlement terms. Some leases charge remaining interest plus a penalty; others are more flexible.

LeaseHub normalises all of this — deposit, mileage cap and excess fee, who pays for what, and early-exit terms — into a single fine-print panel for each offer, so you're comparing like for like before you ever speak to a dealer.