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About Lease Vs Buy Calculator Online
This tool compares the total cost of leasing versus buying a car (or other asset). Enter the lease terms (monthly payment, term length, mileage cap, down payment) and the purchase terms (price, financing rate, loan term, expected resale value), and the tool computes the lifetime cost of each path.
Leasing has lower monthly payments and lets you change cars every few years, but you build no equity — at lease end you walk away with nothing. Buying costs more up front but leaves you with an asset you own and can sell.
The right choice depends on how long you'll keep the vehicle, how many miles you drive, whether you value driving newer cars over building equity, and your personal financial situation. The calculator strips away the marketing and lets you compare on actual dollars.
How to use this tool
How to compare a lease total against the loan portion of a buy
Lease side
"Lease monthly" is your monthly lease payment (the bank/leasing-company invoice). "Lease months" is the contract length (often 24, 36, or 48). The tool's lease total is just `lease × months` — taxes, acquisition, and disposition fees are NOT added.
Buy side
"Purchase price" is the negotiated price. "Down payment" is what you pay up-front. "Loan APR (%)" is the financing rate and "Loan months" is the term — the same 60- or 72-month auto-loan terms apply.
Press Run
Result returns `leaseTotal` (lease cost over the term) and `buyLoanTotal` (= price − down payment + total interest paid). The second is what your bank takes; the first is what the lessor takes.
What it doesn't model
Depreciation/residual value, mileage overage fees, gap insurance, maintenance costs, the resale value of the bought car. For a true total-cost decision you'd add all of those — this tool is the headline-cost comparison only.