The 1% rule for car leases: which deals pass in November 2026
The rule of thumb says a lease is a good deal if the monthly payment is 1% of the car's sticker price or less. We checked it against 236 models the manufacturers are advertising right now: 110 pass on the advertised payment, and only 11 once you count the money due at signing.
Figures from the November 2026 manufacturer lease programs LeaseCheetah tracks.
What the 1% rule says
Take the car’s sticker price (MSRP) and divide by 100. If the monthly payment is at or below that, the lease is a good one: $300 a month on a $30,000 car, $500 on a $50,000 one. Looser versions allow 1.25% or 1.5%. It is a quick screen, not a calculation — it ignores the term, the mileage allowance and, most importantly, what you pay up front.
How November 2026’s offers measure up
On the advertised payment the rule looks easy: the typical model’s best offer is 1.02% of its sticker price, and 110 of 236 models (47%) pass. Count the money due at signing — spread across the lease, the way you actually pay it — and the typical figure becomes 1.29%. Only 11 models still pass.
| Rule | Pass on advertised payment | Pass on real cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1% of MSRP | 110 (47%) | 11 (5%) |
| 1.25% of MSRP | 208 (88%) | 96 (41%) |
| 1.5% of MSRP | 235 (100%) | 196 (83%) |
Why the advertised payment flatters the rule
A manufacturer can lower the monthly payment by asking for more at signing, and the rule never sees it. The Buick Envista is advertised at $199 a month — 0.75% of its $26,495 sticker price, comfortably inside the rule. It also asks $5,199 at signing. Spread across the 24-month lease, that is $407 a month, or 1.54%. These are the widest gaps this month:
| Model | Advertised | Due at signing | Advertised % of MSRP | Real % of MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buick EnvistaPreferred | $199 | $5,199 | 0.75% | 1.54% |
| Buick Encore GXFWD Preferred | $199 | $5,149 | 0.71% | 1.45% |
| GMC Sierra EV4WD Elevation | $599 | $11,639 | 0.92% | 1.63% |
| Buick EnvisionAWD Preferred | $339 | $6,413 | 0.79% | 1.38% |
| Chevrolet BlazerFWD LT | $349 | $5,319 | 0.96% | 1.53% |
| GMC CanyonShort 2WD Elevation | $249 | $7,989 | 0.61% | 1.13% |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5SE | $349 | $4,999 | 0.89% | 1.39% |
| GMC Sierra 1500Short Box Crew Cab 4WD Elevation w/TurboMax | $299 | $6,969 | 0.53% | 1.02% |
| Chevrolet ColoradoCrew Cab 4WD Trail Boss | $249 | $4,999 | 0.58% | 1.05% |
| Genesis G702.5T RWD | $319 | $4,999 | 0.71% | 1.15% |
The 11 leases that pass the 1% rule for real
These pass with everything counted: the advertised payment plus the amount due at signing, spread across the term. Each is the model’s best version this month in at least one market — open the model to see where it applies and the full terms.
| Model | Sticker | Payment | Due at signing | Real cost / mo | % of MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAM Ram 1500BIG HORN® CREW CAB 4X4 5'7" BOX | $61,200 | $299 × 27 | $5,171 | $479 | 0.78% |
| Jeep Wrangler4-DOOR SPORT S | $48,665 | $339 × 42 | $2,999 | $402 | 0.83% |
| Polestar 4Dual motor | $65,600 | $499 × 27 | $1,998 | $555 | 0.85% |
| Hyundai Ioniq 9SE | $64,415 | $449 × 36 | $4,999 | $575 | 0.89% |
| Toyota TacomaSR5 | $42,749 | $379 × 39 | $379 | $379 | 0.89% |
| Toyota TundraSR5 | $53,904 | $379 × 39 | $4,999 | $497 | 0.92% |
| Chevrolet Silverado 1500Crew Cab 4WD LT w/TurboMax | $53,795 | $319 × 36 | $6,749 | $498 | 0.93% |
| GMC Sierra 1500Short Box Crew Cab 4WD Elevation w/5.3L EcoTec3 V8 | $61,290 | $349 × 24 | $5,649 | $570 | 0.93% |
| Jeep Grand CherokeeLAREDO ALTITUDE 4X4 | $48,580 | $399 × 42 | $2,769 | $455 | 0.94% |
| Toyota 4RunnerTRD Off-Road i-FORCE MAX | $57,149 | $459 × 39 | $3,999 | $550 | 0.96% |
| Toyota Land CruiserLand Cruiser 1958 | $60,263 | $489 × 39 | $4,059 | $581 | 0.96% |
By brand
How many of each brand’s models pass at 1%. A brand can pass on nearly every model on its advertised payment and on almost none for real, which is a measure of how much of its pricing sits in the amount due at signing.
| Brand | Models | Pass, advertised | Pass, real |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buick | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Chrysler | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Infiniti | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Polestar | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| RAM | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Honda | 9 | 8 | 0 |
| Toyota | 24 | 19 | 4 |
| Hyundai | 18 | 13 | 1 |
| Acura | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Nissan | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| Genesis | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| Mazda | 10 | 6 | 0 |
| Chevrolet | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| Jeep | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Volvo | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| BMW | 14 | 6 | 0 |
| GMC | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| Volkswagen | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 55 | 13 | 0 |
| MINI | 17 | 4 | 0 |
| Cadillac | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Alfa Romeo | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Dodge | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Land Rover | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Mitsubishi | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Method, and how to cite this
- Sticker price is the one stated in the manufacturer’s own offer terms — usually including destination — for the exact vehicle the payment is quoted on. We found one in 2,762 of the 3,191 current offers available to anyone. Nothing is estimated: Audi, Ford, Lexus, Lincoln, Subaru, Tesla don’t state a price in their offer terms and aren’t included.
- Real cost is the advertised payment with the amount due at signing spread across the term, counting the first payment it includes once — the same figure our lease calculator and model pages show.
- Per model, not per offer. A model passes if any version of it does, in any market. Counting offers instead would let brands that price every metro separately outvote the rest.
- Offers restricted to current owners, lessees or employees are left out: they are not what the car costs most people.
Free to use with attribution to LeaseCheetah and a link to this page. Data refreshed 2026-11-04. For what lease payments look like at each price, see what a lease on a $30,000 car costs; for the month’s prices overall, the State of Lease Prices.
Common questions
What is the 1% rule for a car lease?
A rule of thumb: a lease is a good deal if the monthly payment is no more than 1% of the car's sticker price (MSRP) — $300 a month on a $30,000 car. In November 2026, 110 of the 236 models we checked pass it on the advertised payment, but only 11 do once the amount due at signing is counted.
Is the 1% rule realistic?
On the advertised payment, yes: the typical model's best offer is 1.02% of its sticker price. On what you actually pay it rarely is: spread the amount due at signing across the lease and the typical figure is 1.29%, and only 11 of 236 models get under 1%.
What is the 1.5% rule for leasing?
A looser version of the same test: a payment of up to 1.5% of the sticker price is treated as acceptable. 196 of the 236 models we checked (83%) pass it on real cost in November 2026; at 1.25%, 96 do.
Does the 1% rule include the down payment?
The rule as usually stated compares only the monthly payment with the sticker price, which is its blind spot: a manufacturer can lower the payment by asking for more at signing. To test a deal honestly, add the amount due at signing (less the first month's payment it includes) spread across the term, then compare.
See what leases actually cost right now
Every current manufacturer lease offer we track, ranked by monthly payment.