Acquisition (bank) fees by brand
What each captive publishes as its acquisition or bank fee on official lease ads, and which major lenders still will not print the number.
5 min read
The acquisition fee is the captive’s charge to originate the lease. It is not the dealer doc fee. It is not registration. It is the bank fee, and most ads fold it into “due at signing” without naming it.
Lead-gen pages quote a $595–$1,200 range and stop. That range is how you rank at position 70. The table below uses only OEM lease disclosures that print the words “acquisition fee” and a dollar amount, as of August 2026.
If your worksheet shows a different number, the worksheet wins. Regional finance arms (Southeast Toyota Finance vs TFS) are not the same lender.
TLDR Quick Guide
Published acquisition fees, August 2026:
- Toyota Financial Services: $750 on current Toyota.com regional examples.
- Southeast Toyota Finance (AL, FL, GA, NC, SC): $695 on those same Toyota.com pages.
- BMW Financial Services: $925 on current BMW USA lease ads.
- Audi Financial Services: $895 on the 2026 Q3 disclaimer.
- Tesla Finance: $695 on tesla.com/current-offers footnotes.
- Honda, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Mercedes, Nissan, Subaru: not published as a dollar figure on a consumer page we could cite.
Published acquisition fees
These amounts appear in current official lease examples. They are the fee in that ad, not a lifetime tariff — captives do change them.
| Brands | Captive lender | Published fee | Published on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota, Lexus (TFS regions) | Toyota Financial Services | $750 | toyota.com |
| Toyota (Southeast Toyota Finance states) | Southeast Toyota Finance | $695 | toyota.com |
| BMW | BMW Financial Services | $925 | bmwusa.com |
| Audi | Audi Financial Services | $895 | audiusa.com |
| Tesla | Tesla Finance | $695 | tesla.com |
- Toyota Financial Services: Named on 2026 Toyota.com regional lease examples (RAV4, Tacoma). Due at signing in those examples, not rolled into cap cost.
- Southeast Toyota Finance: Named on Toyota.com Southeast offers (AL, FL, GA, NC, SC). SETF is a regional Toyota finance arm, not TFS.
- BMW Financial Services: Named on current BMW USA lease offer pages (X5, iX, i4, X1, M440i). Cash due at signing includes the fee in those examples.
- Audi Financial Services: Named on Audi USA 2026 Q3 lease disclaimer: amount due at signing includes the $895 acquisition fee.
- Tesla Finance: Named on tesla.com/current-offers Model 3, Model Y, and Cyber release footnotes.
Paid at signing vs capitalized
The Toyota and BMW examples above treat the fee as cash due at signing. Dealers sometimes roll it into cap cost instead, which raises the monthly payment and the rent charge. Same fee, different place. Compare both ways with the total-cost calculator.
Brands that do not publish a number
Honda, Ford Credit, GM Financial, and the rest still charge an acquisition fee on retail leases. They do not print the dollar amount on a public consumer page we could verify. Hyundai.com says the fee “varies by lease.” That is not a number.
| Brands | Captive lender | Published fee | Published on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda, Acura | Honda Financial Services | Not published online | — |
| Nissan, Infiniti | Nissan Motor Acceptance (NMAC) | Not published online | — |
| Hyundai, Kia, Genesis | Hyundai Capital America | Not published online | — |
| Subaru | Subaru Motors Finance (Chase) | Not published online | — |
| Mazda | Mazda Financial Services | Not published online | — |
| Volkswagen | Volkswagen Credit | Not published online | — |
| Ford, Lincoln | Ford Credit | Not published online | — |
| Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac | GM Financial | Not published online | — |
| Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler | Stellantis Financial / Chrysler Capital | Not published online | — |
| Mercedes-Benz | Mercedes-Benz Financial Services | Not published online | — |
| Volvo | Volvo Car Financial Services | Not published online | — |
Find it on the itemized due-at-signing block of the worksheet, usually next to the first month and any cap-cost reduction. If it is missing, ask for it by name before you sign.
Comparing drive-off?
The acquisition fee is one reason two ads with the same monthly payment need different cash at signing. Look at the full due-at-signing block on any deal you like.
- View deal details
NewScore942026 Mercedes-Benz GLA 250
Monthly: $215/moDue at signing: $3,500Term: 24 moCalifornia
- View deal details
NewScore942026 Genesis GV80 2.5t AWD
Monthly: $349/moDue at signing: $3,000Term: 24 moCalifornia
- View deal details
NewScore932027 Cadillac Optiq Luxury
Monthly: $269/moDue at signing: $3,500Term: 24 moCalifornia
Key Takeaways
- Published fees in current ads: TFS $750, SETF $695, Tesla $695, Audi $895, BMW $925.
- Southeast Toyota Finance is not Toyota Financial Services — different fee on Toyota.com.
- The fee can be paid at signing or capitalized. Capitalizing it costs rent.
- Honda, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Mercedes: unpublished. Read the worksheet.
FAQs
The captive lender’s origination charge — the bank fee. It is separate from the dealer documentation fee and from DMV costs. It is disclosed on the lease worksheet as due at signing or rolled into capitalized cost.
Toyota.com 2026 regional lease examples name $750 through Toyota Financial Services and $695 through Southeast Toyota Finance in AL, FL, GA, NC, and SC. Your worksheet is the number that binds.
Current BMW USA lease offer pages name a $925 acquisition fee as part of cash due at signing.
The captive sets it. Dealers sometimes cap it or advertise a waiver as part of a program. You cannot negotiate it at lease end. The time to see it is on the signing sheet.
No. Acquisition is charged to start the lease. Disposition is charged to take the car back. See the disposition-fee table for return amounts.
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