Car Lease vs Buy Calculator

Over the lease term, is leasing or buying with a loan cheaper — and how sensitive is that to resale value?

Combines 0 calculatorsv1.0.0Verified 2026-11-01Runs in your browser

Spec sheet

lease_vs_buy_net_cost · v1.0.0

Method

Net cost over the lease term, with a resale-value scenario sweep

01lease cost = due at signing + monthly × months + disposition fee
02buy cost = down + loan payments over the term + remaining loan balance − resale value
03remaining balance = −fv(r, months, −payment, loan) (npf)
04scenario: repeat with resale ±10 percentage points

Limits — read before relying on it

Ignores mileage overage charges, maintenance differences, insurance and the opportunity cost of the down payment.
Resale value is an estimate — that is why the scenario table is shown.

Sources

numpy-financial (BSD-3) — ported to TypeScript ↗library

Worked example

computed by the same formula

$40k car, 55 % resale, $450/mo lease

Inputs

Car price (incl. tax & fees): 40000
Down payment (buying): 5000
Loan rate: 7 %
Loan term: 5 years
Resale value at lease end (% of price): 55 %
Lease monthly payment: 450
Lease term: 36 months
Lease due at signing: 3000
Lease disposition fee: 395

Result

Cheaper over the lease term: Leasing
Difference: $3,833.67
Lease net cost: $19,595.00
Buy net cost: $23,428.67
Resale % where they are equal: 64.6 %

1. Loan payment (npf.pmt) = 693.04
2. Loan balance after 36 months (npf.fv) = 15,479.16

Questions

How is the car lease vs buy calculated?

›

Net cost over the lease term, with a resale-value scenario sweep. lease cost = due at signing + monthly × months + disposition fee · buy cost = down + loan payments over the term + remaining loan balance − resale value · remaining balance = −fv(r, months, −payment, loan) (npf) · scenario: repeat with resale ±10 percentage points

Example: $40k car, 55 % resale, $450/mo lease?

›

Cheaper over the lease term: Leasing; difference: $3,833.67.

What does this calculator not cover?

›

Ignores mileage overage charges, maintenance differences, insurance and the opportunity cost of the down payment. Resale value is an estimate — that is why the scenario table is shown.

Where do the numbers come from?

›

Sources: numpy-financial (BSD-3) — ported to TypeScript. The formula is versioned (lease_vs_buy_net_cost v1.0.0) and covered by automated tests.

Is my data stored?

›

No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing is sent unless you choose to save a shareable link.

Also searched aslease vs buy car · should i lease or buy · car lease calculator · leasing vs financing · lease or finance a car

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