If you are leasing a vehicle and were arrested for a DUI, then you may want to get out of the lease rather than pay the money that you have agreed to for a car you can’t even drive. In a lot of situations, you will end up losing your license after a DUI. In a lot of states, you will have to live without a license for at least a year. This means that you will want to get out of your car lease and stop paying money for a vehicle that you can’t legally operate. Yet getting out of a car lease in lieu of a DUI isn’t as easy as calling and cancelling.

You probably agreed to keep your vehicle for a certain amount of time when you signed your lease, and you will be breaching your contract if you fail to uphold your end of the bargain. Sometimes you can figure out a way to pay off the leasing company, but other crimes you may end up owing the company several thousand dollars for your choice to break contract. The company can take you to court if they see fit to sue you for failing to keep your lease. This can be serious, so you will want to be very careful as to how you get out of your car lease in the even that you are arrested and stripped of your license because of a DUI.

First of all, you can try to return your car to the dealership and pay off the lease balance. This means that you will need to pay a significant amount of money up front so that the company does not feel cheated and report your failure to fulfill the contract to credit bureaus. You want to avoid this so that your credit score won’t plummet downwards. Have the check ready for the leasing company the day that you bring your car back in to avoid a lot of conflict between your contract and your credit score. If you can’t afford the balance on the lease right away, then you might want to think about selling the car. You can put an ad in the local newspaper or online on a site like AutoTrader or Craig’s List.

Then, you can contact the leasing company and ask about the payoff balance. You will want to make sure that sale price on the car can cover the leasing company’s pay off balance and all the other fees they might slam you with for terminating your lease early. Also, they may charge you for mileage fees, so you will want to add this to your sale price. If you find a willing buyer who can afford you price, then you can take the proceeds and pay off your lease balance.

If neither of these options is able to help you, you could also give the car over to a friend or family member and hand them the responsibility to make the payments. This is particularly helpful if your license suspension will not last more than a year and you know that you will want the car back in the near future. Let someone take over the car for the time being, and give them the right to drive the car as if it was their own during that time. They will also agree to make payments on the vehicle. Then, once your suspension is over, you can take back the car.

Another option is to find someone who can permanently assume the lease. If you will not have your license back for a number of years, then you can contact the leasing company and say that you want to transfer your lease to a friend or family member. They will want to check and make sure that the volunteer that you found actually qualifies. If they find that the person does indeed qualify, then you can transfer the lease over for a significant fee. Remember that whenever you change something about your lease there will be additional expenses involved. You will be charged processing fees, transfer expenses, mileage costs, and termination of contract costs depending on which situations apply to your circumstances. If you need help with your car lease, a DUI lawyer may be able to give you some information. As well, one of these DUI or DWI attorneys can represent you when you get to court. With the right legal representative by your side you may be able to keep your license and your lease!