Updated Car Decision Tool

Buy vs Lease Car Calculator

Compare car loan vs lease payments, mileage limits, excess mileage charges and residual value to decide whether buying or leasing a car is better for you.

Car Loan Lease Costs Mileage Limits Residual Value Total Cost

Advanced Buy vs Lease Car Comparison

Switch between Buy Scenario, Lease Scenario, Mileage Impact and Residual Value to see how each factor changes the total cost of driving your next car.

Title, registration, documentation, etc.
How long you expect to keep the car
Applied to each monthly payment

If you lease and expect to exceed your mileage allowance, add the excess mileage charges to your lease total cost for a more realistic comparison.

Estimated resale or trade-in value
Leave 0 to use the latest Buy Scenario result
Leave 0 to use the latest Lease Scenario result
If you plan to buy the car at the end of the lease

Net cost of buying subtracts the remaining car value from your total buy cost. Net lease cost can include a lease-end buyout if you intend to purchase the car.

What Buy vs Lease Car Calculator Calculates

Use Buy vs Lease Car Calculator to compare car loan vs lease payments, mileage limits, excess mileage charges and residual value to decide whether buying or leasing a car is better for you.

For more tools in this field, browse Finance Calculators.

Buy vs Lease Car Calculator Inputs

Buy vs Lease Car Calculator uses Currency Symbol, Car Price (Before Tax), Down Payment, Sales Tax Rate (%), Other Upfront Fees.

Buy vs Lease Car Calculator Formula or Method

  • Net Cost of Buying = Total Buy Cost − Car Value at End of Term Net Cost of Leasing = Total Lease Cost + Lease-End Buyout (if any) Cost Difference = Net Cost of Leasing − Net Cost of Buying
  • Total Allowed Miles = Annual Allowance × Lease Term (Years) Estimated Miles Driven = Expected Miles per Year × Lease Term (Years) Excess Miles = max(0, Estimated Miles Driven − Total Allowed Miles) Excess Mileage Charges = Excess Miles × Excess Charge per Mile
  • Monthly Tax = Monthly Lease Payment × Sales Tax Rate% Monthly Payment with Tax = Monthly Lease Payment + Monthly Tax Total Monthly Payments = Monthly Payment with Tax × Lease Term (Months) Total Lease Cost = Total Monthly Payments + Lease Down Payment + Lease Fees + Disposition Fee

Reading Buy vs Lease Car Calculator Results

The results include Monthly Loan Payment, Total Cost Over Horizon, Total Interest Paid, Effective Cost per Month, Total Lease Payments, Total Lease Cost (All-In).

Alongside Buy vs Lease Car Calculator, use Auto Lease Calculator to estimate your monthly lease payment, see depreciation and finance breakdown, compare lease vs buy, check affordability, and estimate drive-off costs.

For a different result from Buy vs Lease Car Calculator, Lease Calculator can estimate monthly payments for car leases, equipment leases, or any leased asset with depreciation, finance fee, tax, and total cost.

Calculators Related to Buy vs Lease Car Calculator

After checking Buy vs Lease Car Calculator, use Car Payment Calculator to estimate car loan payments, lease payments, and how much car you can afford based on your income and budget. When you need to estimate monthly payments, total interest, and savings from extra payments for loans, mortgages, and car financing, use Payment Calculator. Auto Loan Calculator covers a separate task: estimate car payments, see how much car you can afford, compare refinance options, and plan early payoff with one tool.

After checking Buy vs Lease Car Calculator, use Vehicle Loan Calculator to estimate your monthly car payment, total interest and full purchase cost. When you need to compare buying an office versus renting it using multiple mortgage types, rent projections, cashflow analysis and opportunity cost, use Buy vs Rent Office Calculator. Monthly Payment & Affordable Loan Calculator covers a separate task: calculate a monthly loan payment, solve the loan amount affordable at a target payment, or build an amortization schedule from rate and term.

After checking Buy vs Lease Car Calculator, use Student Loan Calculator to estimate monthly payments, payoff time, total interest, and savings from extra payments or refinancing for student loans in any country.

Frequently Asked Questions About Buy vs Lease Car Calculator

It is used to compare car loan vs lease payments, mileage limits, excess mileage charges and residual value to decide whether buying or leasing a car is better for you.

It uses Currency Symbol, Car Price (Before Tax), Down Payment, Sales Tax Rate (%), Other Upfront Fees.

Buy vs Lease Car Calculator uses Net Cost of Buying = Total Buy Cost − Car Value at End of Term Net Cost of Leasing = Total Lease Cost + Lease-End Buyout (if any) Cost Difference = Net Cost of Leasing − Net Cost of Buying.

It returns Monthly Loan Payment, Total Cost Over Horizon, Total Interest Paid, Effective Cost per Month, Total Lease Payments, Total Lease Cost (All-In).

Check Currency Symbol, Car Price (Before Tax), Down Payment first. Differences can also come from rounding, unit choices, or a different formula or rule set.