Auto Lease Calculator

This calculator rebuilds a lease quote the way the leasing company does: it takes the negotiated price, subtracts your down payment to get the adjusted capitalized cost, works out the residual value, and splits the monthly payment into the depreciation you pay for and the finance (rent) charge. It also converts the money factor to an equivalent APR and totals what the lease costs you over the term.

Use it to check a dealer worksheet line by line, or to see which lever matters most: a lower price, a higher residual or a lower money factor. Fees such as the acquisition fee, registration and the disposition fee at turn-in are not included, so add those to the total yourself.

If you are deciding whether to lease at all, compare the total lease cost with the lease vs buy calculator or the payment on a car loan for the same vehicle.

This is the standard US closed-end lease calculation used by captive finance companies and banks. The rent charge adds cap cost and residual because you are, in effect, paying interest on the average amount of the lessor's money tied up in the car over the term.

The breakdown view replaces the old lease payment breakdown page: depreciation and rent charge are shown separately so you can see how much of each payment is the car losing value and how much is finance cost. Some states tax the full price or the total of payments upfront instead of each monthly payment, so the tax line may not match your contract.

Multiply the money factor by 2,400 to get an approximate APR, or divide an APR by 2,400 to get the money factor. Dealers can mark the money factor up above the lender's base rate, so ask what the buy rate is for your credit tier.

Leasing companies publish residuals as a percentage of the car's MSRP, and that dollar figure does not change when you negotiate a discount. This calculator applies the residual percentage to the price you enter, so if you negotiated below sticker, convert it first: residual % to enter = (residual % × MSRP) ÷ negotiated price.

For example, a 58% residual on a $36,000 MSRP is $20,880. If you negotiated the car to $34,000, enter 20,880 ÷ 34,000 = 61.4%. Skipping this step understates the residual and overstates the payment.

• Price (cap cost): every $1,000 off the price lowers depreciation by $1,000 ÷ term and trims the rent charge too.
• Money factor: check it against the lender's published rate for your credit score; a small difference adds up over 36 months.
• Mileage allowance: common limits are 10,000–15,000 miles a year, and excess miles are charged per mile at turn-in. Buying extra miles upfront is usually cheaper than paying the overage.
• Down payment: a cap cost reduction only shifts cash from monthly to upfront. It does not reduce the rent charge much and is not refunded if the car is stolen or totaled.