Avoid Astara at all costs
Avoid Astara at all costs – this is the worst leasing company I’ve ever dealt with
I’ve been leasing cars for 15 years across several countries, and Astara is by far the worst experience I’ve ever had.
I leased a brand‑new BMW X2. On the day of pickup, after driving 80 km, I was told the car didn’t exist. I had to return the next day for a replacement – a Mitsubishi – meaning 320 km wasted. Astara still charged full price for the BMW for an entire month, even though I didn’t have the car. The compensation I was promised never came until I pushed them repeatedly and made it clear the contract was being breached.
When I finally received the BMW, it was a joke. I ordered a premium vehicle, but this car was the most stripped‑down BMW I’ve ever seen. Zero equipment. Everything that should be standard in a premium model had to be bought separately through BMW. Completely unacceptable.
Then the real nightmare started: the alarm repeatedly triggered when locking the car – even with the alarm disabled. The BMW workshop informed me that Astara had installed a tracker and cut into the original wiring, causing the issue. BMW contacted Astara, who couldn’t provide any explanation or solution. I was sent home with a brand‑new car that cannot be locked.
I contacted Astara again about both the wiring damage and the missing compensation. They ignored the problem with the car entirely and initially tried to dodge the reimbursement.
It has now been 17 days since BMW sent me home, and the car still cannot be locked. The alarm now even activates randomly when the car isn’t locked at all. Astara has done nothing to resolve it.
Astara: you will be taking this car back. I have a meeting with my lawyer next week.
Update 2 March
Astara reached out to me and suggested that the car could be returned without any costs, which I found acceptable so the case could be closed. I returned the car today, and the handover went smoothly. I was actually ready to delete this review, as we had found a solution I was satisfied with.
However, when I arrived home, I discovered that Astara had charged EUR 2,793 to my account as a fee for returning the car early — they call it a termination fee. The issue is that they themselves wrote to me stating that the vehicle could be returned at no cost.
It is completely unacceptable that I now have to spend time contacting my bank to dispute these charges, as well as involving my lawyer. I have given them 24 hours to resolve this.
Further updates will follow.
15 February 2026
Unprompted review