Reaching the end of a car lease usually leaves drivers deciding whether to hand over the keys or pay the residual value and keep what’s been sitting in their driveway. Audi is giving some of its electric-car customers a fairly substantial reason to consider the second option.
The automaker is offering thousands of dollars toward the purchase of certain leased EVs during September. Rather than targeting new buyers walking into showrooms, the money is specifically aimed at customers who already have an Audi EV and are approaching the end of their lease.
CarsDirect uncovered the offer in a bulletin Audi sent to dealers on September 1, detailing what the company calls the Audi BEV Lessee Buyout Option Incentive. The program is available nationally through the end of September 2026.
How much Audi is willing to contribute depends on which EV is sitting in the lessee’s garage. For owners of one particular model, the incentive reaches five figures.
E-Tron GT Lessees Can Get $10,000
The largest discount applies to the e-tron GT, with eligible lessees receiving a $10,000 purchase incentive if they decide to buy their car at the end of the lease. That’s a substantial reduction in the amount required to turn a leased e-tron GT into an owned one.
Audi is offering smaller, though still significant, incentives on its electric SUVs. Q4 e-tron lessees can receive $5,000 toward their buyout, while the Q8 e-tron qualifies for a $4,000 incentive.
The program also includes something for participating dealerships. CarsDirect reports that dealers receive a $500 Dealer Facilitation Incentive when a lessee takes advantage of Audi’s EV buyout offer.
Audi Has Actually Increased One Discount
Although the September dealer bulletin highlights the current program, CarsDirect says Audi appears to have been offering a similar incentive since at least July 2026. One notable difference is that the deal has become considerably better for Q4 e-tron customers.
The earlier Q4 e-tron buyout incentive was apparently $3,000, but Audi has now increased that amount to $5,000, adding another $2,000 for lessees considering whether to keep the compact electric SUV.
That could make the calculation interesting when the lease-end purchase price is compared with the value of similar used examples. A large manufacturer incentive doesn’t automatically make every lease buyout a bargain, so customers would still need to compare the adjusted buyout cost with current used-car prices.
Keeping A Leased EV Has Some Advantages
Buying the EV you’ve already leased differs from purchasing an unfamiliar used electric car. The lessee has spent years with that specific vehicle and should have a much clearer picture of how its battery, range, charging behavior, and overall condition have held up.
There is also no transition to another EV or need to learn the quirks of a different model. For someone already happy with an e-tron GT, Q4 e-tron, or Q8 e-tron, several thousand dollars off the contractual buyout price could make keeping the car considerably easier to justify.
Audi isn’t alone in experimenting with this strategy, as CarsDirect notes that Nissan has offered select Ariya lessees a $5,000 rebate toward purchasing their vehicles at lease end.
The Deal Only Runs Through September
Audi’s current BEV Lessee Buyout Option Incentive is scheduled to remain available nationally through the end of September. That gives eligible customers a relatively narrow window to decide whether they want to turn their leases into long-term ownership.
The e-tron GT’s $10,000 incentive is easily the headline figure, yet the $5,000 Q4 e-tron and $4,000 Q8 e-tron offers are substantial enough to affect the numbers as well. Anyone considering the deal would still want to examine the vehicle’s residual value, condition, and comparable used prices before signing.
For Audi EV drivers who already planned to keep their cars, however, the decision just became cheaper. Walking away at lease end might be harder when Audi is willing to put as much as $10,000 toward leaving the same keys in your hand.