Lady Gaga, lady birds inside Tupperware and other strange items found in returned lease cars!

A staggering 41% of returned lease cars contain left objects each year. This figure comes from CarLeasing.co.uk, an automotive dealer based in Guilford, who have been keeping a close eye on the items left inside the cars they lease. Taking a turn from the more common loose change and old receipts, Julian Pearson, Managing Director, has been keeping a note of all the obscure objects they find inside a returned lease car at the end of their time with the customer.

Julian had this to say: “It’s quite hilarious sometimes. More often than not, you can understand why certain items are left accidentally. However, it’s the obscure things that make us laugh. We once found over 20 lady birds in a Tupperware container. How do you even begin to explain that one?”

Top 10 strangest items found in a returned lease car:

1. Three copies of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” CD
2. A single can of Coors Light with the spare wheel
3. A USB containing images of a family holiday in 2007
4. A dishwasher tablet
5. A half-eaten Penguin chocolate bar
6. A road map of Greenland
7. A copy of Brain Training for the Nintendo DS
8. A full baby nappy
9. 25 lady birds inside a Tupperware container
10. A hat in the shape of a turkey

Frequently, items are left in cars due to forgetfulness, lack of care or simply just laziness – why should I clean the car if someone will do it when it’s returned, right?

The strangest excuses for the items being left in the car:

1. Three copies of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” CD

They were presents for friends!

2. A single can of Coors Light with the spare wheel

The customer returning the car mentioned three times that it was a “joke” by their brother. Apparently it’s to reduce stress whilst waiting for a recovery vehicle.

3. A road map of Greenland

The customer thought it was near Devon, so a friend jokingly gave them a road map.

On the subject of the messiness or tidiness of returned vehicles, Mr Pearson told us: “Most customers return the cars in pristine condition as they’ve taken the time to thoroughly clean the car before it’s return. However, we’ve had a few occasions where the customer has returned the car in a horrific state. Not so much leaving belongings but leaving rubbish. In fact, we’ve seen piles of rubbish being left in cars!”