Lease Calculator: what a lease really costs
Enter the numbers from any lease quote or advertisement. This works out what it actually costs per month once the money due at signing is counted — then compares it against what the manufacturer is currently advertising for the same car.
Real cost per month
$499/mo
That is 25% more than the $399 advertised.
- Total over 36 months
- $17,964
- Payments after signing
- 35 × $399
- Cost per mile
- $0.60
Why the advertised payment is not the cost
A lease is advertised on its monthly payment, but a large part of what you pay is handed over on day one. The money due at signing is not a discount and it is not a deposit — it is your own money, paid earlier. Spreading it across the term is the only way to compare two leases honestly, and it is why a $399 a month lease with $3,999 due at signing is really about $499 a month.
One detail matters and most calculators get it wrong: the amount due at signing already includes the first month’s payment. Manufacturers say so directly in their own disclosures. A 36-month lease therefore has 35 payments left after you sign, not 36 — counting a full 36 double-charges you for the first month.
What this doesn’t do, and why
This calculator will not predict a payment from a vehicle price. Doing that needs the residual value and the money factor, both set by the manufacturer’s finance arm and neither published — which is why every calculator that works that way asks you for two numbers you have no way of knowing. Working backwards from a payment that already exists needs neither, and the answer is exact rather than estimated.
Figures exclude tax, title, licence and registration, because manufacturer offers are advertised that way and those costs vary by state. The comparison is like for like. The 286 cars in the comparison list are the models with a current advertised lease offer; across them the median real cost is $580 a month. Browse them all on the home page or read the monthly price report.
Common questions
How do you calculate the real monthly cost of a lease?
Add everything you will pay — the amount due at signing plus every remaining monthly payment — and divide by the number of months. Due at signing normally includes the first month's payment, so a 36-month lease has 35 payments left after signing. A $399/month lease with $3,999 due at signing really costs about $499 a month.
Why do other lease calculators ask for a money factor?
Because they are working forwards: from the vehicle price, the residual value and the money factor, they derive a payment. The money factor is the lease equivalent of an interest rate and the manufacturer's finance arm sets it — it is not published, so most shoppers cannot supply it. This calculator works backwards from a payment that already exists, so it never needs one.
Is a lease with $0 due at signing a better deal?
Not automatically, but it is easier to compare. Money paid at signing is not a discount — it is your own money paid earlier, and it is generally not refunded if the car is written off. Comparing leases on effective monthly cost puts a $0-down offer and a $5,000-down offer on the same footing.
Does this include tax, title and registration?
No. Manufacturer lease offers are advertised excluding tax, title, licence and registration, and those vary by state and county, so any figure including them would be a guess. Every number here is on the same basis as the advertised offer, which is what makes the comparison fair.
See what leases actually cost right now
Every current manufacturer lease offer we track, ranked by monthly payment.
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