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Car lease calculator
Estimate a pre-tax monthly payment and compare costs over your selected lease term. These estimates depend on your inputs and are not a lender quote.
Lease snapshot
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Pre-tax monthly payment
$
Due at signing
$
months
mi/yr
Fields marked * are required.
Lease terms
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Enter a decimal from 0 to 0.02. For example, 0.0015.
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Enter a percentage from 0 to 48. For example, 3.6.
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Enter a percentage from 0 to 100. For example, 58.
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Lease fees
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An override of $0 waives the first payment in this scenario.
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Comparison settings
Enter a percentage from 0 to 30. For example, 6.5.
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Enter a percentage from 0 to 30. For example, 4.
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End-of-lease info
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Estimated pre-tax lease payment
mo · mi/yr · $ down
For educational and entertainment purposes only. A best-guess estimate, not a quote or tax, legal or financial advice.
Depreciation
$
Rent (finance) charge
$
Due at signing
$
Base payment
$
Modeled pre-tax lease cost (including overage and wear)
$
Acquisition fee is financed. Taxes, insurance and maintenance are not included. The comparison assumes return at lease end; mileage and wear charges are estimated separately.
Price is $ (%) below MSRP.
Calculate to view
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Where your payment goes
Taxes are not included.
Lease vs buy comparison
Pre-tax comparison. All taxes are excluded and can change the ranking.
Modeled costs over months. Your assumed ending market value is $ for purchase options. The contractual lease residual is $. Adjust these separate assumptions when changing the term.
Base lease cost before mileage overage and wear: $. First-payment charge or credit: . Depreciation rounding difference over the term: .
| Cost or value | Lease | Finance | Cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular monthly payment | $ | $ | — |
| Down payment / purchase | $ | $ | $ |
| Periodic payments through months | $ | $ | — |
| Registration | $ for each option | ||
| Assumed return fee | $ | — | — |
| Interest included in finance payments | — | $ | — |
| Loan balance at horizon | — | $ | — |
| Ending equity deducted from cost | $0.00 | $ | |
| Modeled pre-tax net cost | $ | $ | $ |
Lease payments include the financed acquisition fee and the first payment once. Refundable deposits are excluded from net cost. Taxes, insurance, maintenance, mileage/wear charges and purchase or resale fees are excluded.
Lowest modeled pre-tax cost:
Selected-term pre-tax cost comparison
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Separate cash investment illustration
At your assumed % annual return, the purchase amount could grow by $ over months. This hypothetical growth is not guaranteed and is excluded from the cost ranking: investment returns on other options' cash flows are not modeled.
Your end-of-lease options
Option 1: Buy the vehicle
| Residual value (purchase price) | $ |
| Current market value | $ |
| Buyout taxes, fees and any return-fee waiver | Check your contract; not included |
| Estimated value difference before buyout costs | $ |
Option 2: Return and lease new
| Mileage overage | miles |
| Overage charges | $ |
| Wear and tear | $ |
| Disposition fee | $ |
| Total end-of-lease cost | $ |
A replacement lease has separate upfront costs; request a quote.
Option 3: Return and walk away
| Same as option 2 | $ |
You'll need to purchase or lease another vehicle separately.
Before deciding
Mileage overage penalty zones
Included miles: · Overage fee /mile
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Assumptions used
Inputs to check against a lease quote
- Negotiated price, acquisition fee, cash reduction and itemized amount due at signing.
- Money factor and contractual residual for the exact vehicle, term and mileage allowance.
- Taxes, return fees, mileage and wear charges, and buyout fees that this pre-tax model may exclude.
- Insurance, maintenance and other operating costs. PleaseStart does not assess rate quality or arrange financing.
How we calculate this
Monthly lease payments are calculated using two components: depreciation (the difference between adjusted capitalized cost and residual value, divided by the lease term) and rent component (the sum of adjusted capitalized cost and residual value, multiplied by the money factor).
Money factor × 2,400 is a rough annualized rent-factor heuristic. It is not a disclosed APR or an exact equivalent to a loan interest rate.
Adjusted capitalized cost is sale price minus down payment plus the financed acquisition fee. Components are rounded to cents. The selected-term comparison includes registration for all options, the assumed return fee for leasing, and deducts ending equity for buying. Loan payments already include interest.
Limitations: This calculator gives a best-guess estimate for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not a quote or tax, legal or financial advice. Actual lease terms vary by manufacturer, dealer, credit tier, and regional incentives. The residual is a contractual calculation input for a specified vehicle, term and mileage, not a forecast of market value.
Frequently asked questions
Leasing has lower monthly payments, but over 6+ years, buying is usually cheaper because you build equity. Lease if you want a new car every 3 years and drive under the mileage limit. Buy if you plan to keep the vehicle 6+ years or drive high mileage.
The money factor sets the modeled rent component. Multiplying it by 2,400 gives a rough annualized heuristic, not a disclosed APR. Enter the factor quoted for the vehicle, term and mileage; the sample is not a rate-quality benchmark.
Minimize or avoid down payments on leases. If the car is totaled or stolen, your down payment is lost. Instead, negotiate a lower sale price or accept a slightly higher monthly payment. If you must put money down, keep it under $2,000.
Use the mileage allowance and overage price in the contract. For an illustrative 5,000 excess miles at $0.20 per mile, the modeled charge is $1,000. Changing the allowance can also change the quoted residual and payment.
A market-value estimate above the contractual residual is a gross difference, not profit. Buyout taxes, option fees, selling costs and uncertainty in resale value can change the outcome. Obtain the actual contract amounts before comparing.