Tesla lease guide: mileage, fees, buyout, and lease end
How leasing a Tesla differs from a dealer lease: mileage, fees, what you can't negotiate, and your options at lease end.
By LeaseGuru.aiUpdated 5 min read
A Tesla lease has no dealership, no finance office, and no negotiation. You configure the car on tesla.com, pick a term and mileage, and Tesla Finance holds the lease. That removes the usual markups, and it also removes most of the levers shoppers use on other brands.
Figures below are from tesla.com offer footnotes as reflected in LeaseGuru's by-brand references. Tesla changes lease pricing often, so confirm on the order page before you commit.
TLDR Quick Guide
- Tesla leases are direct through Tesla Finance, priced online with no dealer markup.
- Advertised Model 3 and Model Y leases run 36 months with 10,000 miles a year.
- Overage is $0.25 per mile; 3,000 miles over is about $750.
- Tesla names a $695 acquisition fee in its offer footnotes.
- Tesla's U.S. offer pages do not name a purchase option. Ask Tesla Account for the payoff rules on your VIN.
How a Tesla lease is different
- No dealer: the price, money factor, and residual are set by Tesla and shown in the order flow.
- No negotiation: there is no selling price to haggle and no dealer rate markup to remove.
- Fewer published extras: on the Tesla pages we checked, Tesla publishes no multiple-security-deposit program, loyalty schedule, lease transfer policy, or disposition fee schedule.
The upside is transparency: everyone gets the same price for the same configuration. The downside is that the only ways to lower the payment are the car, the term, the mileage, and how much you pay upfront.
Tesla lease mileage and overage
Advertised Model 3 and Model Y leases on tesla.com use 10,000 miles a year over 36 months. The footnotes list $0.25 per mile over the allowance. Tesla does not publish a mid-lease or prepaid mile purchase, so pick the right tier when you order.
| Miles over allowance | Charge at return |
|---|---|
| 1,000 | $250 |
| 3,000 | $750 |
| 5,000 | $1,250 |
| 10,000 | $2,500 |
Tesla lease fees and upfront cost
Tesla's offer footnotes for Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck name a $695 acquisition fee, part of what you pay at signing along with the first payment, any down payment, and taxes. Advertised payments assume a specific amount due at signing, so compare the effective monthly cost rather than the headline payment.
Can you buy out a Tesla lease?
Tesla's U.S. current-offers pages name the $695 acquisition fee and the mileage allowance, not a purchase option. Some 2024 news items described Tesla bringing buyouts back, including exceptions in Iowa and Louisiana, but that is not what tesla.com publishes today. Ask Tesla Account for the payoff rules on your VIN, and read your contract.
- Older 2022–2024 contracts often had no purchase option, so the car went back to Tesla.
- If your contract allows a buyout, it can avoid the $0.25-per-mile overage entirely.
- Unused miles can mean the car is worth more than the payoff — equity you only capture by buying it.
What Teslas lease for
Tesla prices the lease the same for everyone, so live listings mostly mirror tesla.com. Advertised 36-month payments tracked by LeaseGuru on September 12, 2026 started at $399 for Model 3, $499 for Model Y, $1,159 for Model S, and $1,399 for Model X, before taxes and amount due at signing.
Comparing a Tesla to other EVs?
Tesla's price is fixed, but other EV leases carry credits and discounts that move monthly. See how current EV lease deals compare on effective monthly cost.
- View deal details
DemoScore1002021 Porsche Taycan CPO Turbo S
- Monthly:
- $1,079/mo
- Due at signing:
- $5,499
- Term:
- 24 mo
California
- View deal details
NewScore882026 Kia EV9 Light Long Range
- Monthly:
- $443/mo
- Due at signing:
- $3,000
- Term:
- 36 mo
California
- View deal details
NewScore882026 Kia EV9 Wind
- Monthly:
- $509/mo
- Due at signing:
- $3,000
- Term:
- 36 mo
California
Key Takeaways
- Tesla leases are fixed-price and direct; you can't negotiate, so compare term, mileage, and upfront cost instead.
- Advertised leases include 10,000 miles a year, and overage is $0.25 per mile.
- Budget for the $695 acquisition fee in due-at-signing.
- Tesla does not publish a U.S. lease-end purchase option on tesla.com; ask Tesla Account for the payoff rules on your VIN.
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FAQs
Tesla's U.S. current-offers page names acquisition fee and mileage, not a purchase option. Do not treat a Canadian support page or a 2024 news item as current U.S. policy. Ask Tesla Account for the payoff rules on your VIN.
Tesla's advertised Model 3 and Model Y leases list $0.25 per mile over the allowance. Going 3,000 miles over costs about $750 at return.
Advertised Model 3 and Model Y leases on tesla.com use 10,000 miles a year over 36 months. Choose a higher tier when you order if you drive more, since Tesla does not publish a way to buy miles later.
No. Tesla sells and leases directly at fixed online prices, so there is no dealer to negotiate the price or money factor with. You can lower the payment only by changing the car, term, mileage, or amount due at signing.
Yes. Tesla's Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck offer footnotes name a $695 acquisition fee, which is part of the amount due at signing.
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