A critical factor in any equipment lease agreement is determining what happens at the end of the lease term. Depending on the type of equipment lease, options may include: Returning the equipment to the lessor (common in an operating lease) Purchasing the equipment at fair market value (common in a finance lease)
An equipment lease agreement is a contractual agreement where the lessor, who is the owner of the equipment, allows the lessee to use the equipment for a specified period in exchange for periodic payments.
It's more than likely that you'll be given the option of signing up to another contract, but you can also arrange to hand the car back and leave it at that. Either way, the leasing company will arrange to inspect and collect the car at the very end of the contract.
With leasing the asset isn't yours during the leasing agreement. You can use it as if it was yours, but you are not the legal owner of the asset until the end of the contract, and when all outstanding payments have been made to the leasing company.
As the leased equipment is not considered an owned asset for the lessee, it typically does not appear as a depreciating asset on their balance sheet.