You may be wondering how much a car lease will cost you. Use our calculator to be better prepared to budget, for negotiations with dealers and other sellers, and to help you consider all the options available when you shop for a new vehicle.
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How Is an Auto Lease Payment Calculated?
There are many variables in any car lease, but the most important ones are the current price of the car, its estimated value at the end of the lease, how long the lease will last and the interest rate. However, it’s important to point out that there will always be fees associated with any lease, which vary from seller to seller.
Auto Lease Terms You Should Know
Here are key terms you will need to know when seeking an auto lease.
Money Factor
A car lease’s money factor is the financing charges you’ll pay. As a rough rule of thumb, if you multiply the money factor by 2,400, you’ll get the equivalent annual percentage rate (APR), which is a better-understood way of expressing the overall cost of financing.
The money factor is usually shown as a very small number starting with a decimal point—say 0.00167, which would equate to 4% (2,400 x 0.00167).
The money factor is negotiable, but it’s also based on things that lenders care about, like your credit score.
Residual Value
A car’s residual value is what it’s expected to be worth at the end of the lease term. Lenders will estimate how much your car is worth by the time you’re done with it to calculate your overall lease value.
Depreciation
Cars lose their value the minute they are put into use, thanks to the wear and tear, and the fact that newer models and better technology make older vehicles less valuable. That process is called depreciation. By most estimates, cars depreciate by about 20% in their first year of ownership and lose about 60% of their value within the first five years.
Lenders and dealers need to have a sense of how much your car is expected to depreciate by the time your lease is up in order to calculate the value of the car at that point.
Lease Fees
You should expect to pay several fees when you lease any car—some of which may be negotiable.
- Acquisition fee: As with most loans, there are administrative costs associated with putting together the financing arrangements. This fee could be as little as about $300 and as high as nearly $1,000. It’s not usually negotiable, but you can often fold it into the cost of the lease, rather than paying it upfront. That will cost more over the long term since you’ll pay interest on it.
- Documentation fee: You may be charged a documentation fee, which is essentially the same thing as an acquisition fee. If you are, you should try to negotiate it.
- Security deposit: Just like when you sign a lease to rent a home, some lenders will want about one month’s payment as a security deposit. That money can be used to offset things like extra mileage driven or excess wear and tear on the vehicle.
- Disposition fee: This may also be known as a return fee, and that’s just what it is. It covers cleaning and any administrative processing when you bring the car back to the dealer. Expect to pay a few hundred dollars.
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Pros and Cons of Leasing a Car
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Generally, there are lower monthly payments than when you buy a vehicle
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You never own the asset fully when you lease
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Leased cars are usually newer or the newest models
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Over time, you’ll pay more for a lease than for a purchase, in part because you use the car during the most expensive part of its life cycle, and in part because of the fees associated with leasing
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It helps you afford a higher-priced, higher-quality vehicle than if you had bought outright
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You generally have more flexibility when you own a car, including for things like miles driven and customization
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Your lease agreement may include complimentarymaintenance that you’d otherwise be paying out of pocket
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much is a lease for a $45,000 car?
Using our calculator, we input a $5,000 down payment, an assumed $25,000 residual value, an interest rate of 7% and a term of 36 months (three years). It resulted in monthly payment of $606 before taxes. You can adjust those assumptions as you wish to better fit your own situation.
Is it a good idea to lease a car?
That depends on your finances—and your preferences. There are some big drawbacks to leasing. You’re bound by stricter terms than if you buy a car, and you’ll pay more over time compared to owning.
Still, leasing gets you a lower-maintenance option that’s often more budget-friendly on a monthly basis. If you’re in a position to either buy or lease, you can use our calculator to see what it’ll cost you and weigh that against your gut feelings.
What’s the best time of year to lease a car?
Many dealers offer discounts around certain holidays, especially those associated with three-day weekends. You’ve probably seen advertisements for President’s Day deals, Memorial Day blowouts, Labor Day sales events and the like.
You can often also find the best deals toward the end of the calendar year. Dealers may offer Black Friday incentives, and by the time December approaches, many are trying to reach quarter-end and year-end sales quotas.
Another strategy is to aim for a lease shortly after a new model is introduced. That’s because its residual value, or the value of the vehicle at the end of the lease, is highest. That will save you some money over the term of the lease.
