Helpful Toolbox

Car Lease vs Buy Calculator

Enter your lease quote and your financing numbers, and instantly see the total cost of each path — including what the car is worth when the loan is done.

📖 How it works & FAQ
–Total lease costpayments + down
–Net cost to buypayments + down − resale
–Est. loan paymentper month
–Cheaper option–

Lease or buy: how the comparison works

This calculator puts both paths on one honest scoreboard. The lease side is simple: your monthly lease payment multiplied by the lease term, plus whatever you pay up front at signing. The buy side adds up every loan payment over the full loan term plus your down payment, then subtracts the car's estimated resale value at the end — because when you buy, you still own something worth real money when the payments stop. That resale credit is what usually keeps buying competitive even though the monthly loan payment is higher than the lease payment. The loan payment itself is computed with the standard amortization formula from the price, down payment, APR & term, so you can test any deal a dealer quotes you. These figures are estimates only, not professional, financial or tax advice.

How to use it

  1. Enter the quoted monthly lease payment, the lease term in months, and the total due at signing.
  2. Enter the car's purchase price and the down payment you'd make if buying.
  3. Add the loan APR and loan term in months from your financing quote.
  4. Estimate what the car would be worth when the loan ends — a used-car pricing guide gets you close.
  5. Read the two totals and the verdict card; every field updates the result instantly.

FAQ

Why is resale value subtracted from the buying cost?
Because it isn't spent money. If you pay $40,000 in payments but hold a car worth $21,000, your true net cost is $19,000. Leases return nothing at the end, so no credit applies there.
My loan is longer than the lease — is that fair to compare?
The tool totals the full loan and credits the resale value at loan end, so both paths are measured start-to-finish. For a tighter match, set the loan term equal to the lease term and adjust resale accordingly.
What costs are left out?
Insurance, maintenance, sales tax, registration, mileage-overage charges and disposition fees vary too much to model here. Add any known fees to the down-payment fields to include them.
Is my information private?
Yes. Everything runs in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded or stored anywhere.