Car lease calculator
Turn a worksheet into a monthly payment, the cash due at signing, and the real monthly cost over the term.
Monthly payment
$475.42
Due at signing $1,170.42
Vehicle
8.0% under sticker
Lease program
Term
Miles per year
Mileage changes the payment only by changing the residual. Enter the residual for this allowance. The calculator does not guess one.
Percent of MSRP, like 58. Not the dollar residual.
Multiply by 2,400 for a rough APR. Ask for the buy rate before any markup.
Cash that lowers the price
Cash you pay at signing. You don't get it back if the car is totaled.
Positive if the trade is worth more than you owe. Negative if you roll debt in.
Lease cash. It lowers the price the payment is based on.
Fees
Sample starts at $695. Use the amount on your worksheet.
Title, registration, and similar charges.
Tax
Leave blank if you only want the pre-tax payment. Enter 8.25 for 8.25%.
States do this differently. The state tax estimator is the place to check yours.
Deposits, one-pay, demo miles, lease end
Each deposit is one payment, rounded up to the next $50. You get them back at the end if the account is clean. They are not part of the cost.
From your program sheet. A figure you will see is 0.00007, and it is not universal.
Leave at 0 for a new car. Demo miles usually reduce the residual.
Residual cut per mile
Due if you return the car. Counted in total cost, not in the monthly.
Cash back after you sign. Lowers total cost, not the payment.
Monthly payment
$475.42
About 3.00% APR. 12,000 miles/year. Residual $24,360.00.
- Depreciation$396.67
- Rent charge$78.75
- Sample numbers. Replace them with the figures on your worksheet.
- Before tax.
- Due at signing
- $1,170.42
- Effective
- $494.72
- Value score
- 7.1
Effective spreads due-at-signing, disposition, and post-sale rebates across the term. Refundable deposits are left out. Value score is MSRP divided by a year of that effective payment. Higher means less of the sticker per year.
- Price the payment is based on
- $38,640.00
- First payment
- $475.42
- Fees due now
- $695.00
- Due at signing
- $1,170.42
- Total over the term
- $17,810.00
If you financed this price
$694.31/mo on $38,640.00 financed. That leaves out lease-only fees and sales tax on a purchase. The lease vs buy tool adds resale value.
Educational estimate only. Real quotes depend on taxes, fees, acquisition/disposition charges, rebates, and how your state treats leases. Use your contract and broker numbers as the source of truth. Reading lease payments and the lease glossary explain the fields behind these calculators.
How a lease payment is calculated
A closed-end lease payment is two numbers added together. Depreciation is the selling price, after fees you roll in and cash or rebates you put down, minus the residual, divided by the number of months. The rent charge is that same cap cost plus the residual, multiplied by the money factor. Tax sits on top, or comes due at signing, depending on the state.
Residual is a percent of MSRP, not of the price you negotiated. A higher residual lowers the payment and raises the buyout at the end. Mileage changes the payment only by changing that residual — use the percent on the worksheet for your term and miles. The residual value guide walks through buyout math.
Money factor is the lease rate. Multiply it by 2,400 for a rough APR, or use the money factor converter. Dealers can mark it up. Ask for the buy rate.
Monthly payment is not the cost
Due at signing is the first payment, plus anything you chose to pay upfront: down payment, acquisition fee, dealer and government fees, and upfront tax. A sign-and-drive rolls the fees, the upfront tax, and the first payment into the monthly. The down payment is still due when you sign. Refundable security deposits are cash you get back, so they are in due at signing and out of the total cost.
Effective monthly spreads that cash, a disposition fee if you return the car, and any rebate paid after signing, across the term. Compare two quotes on effective cost, not the advertised payment. Live listings on LeaseGuru deals show payment, drive-off, and term on the same row for that reason.
The value score is MSRP divided by a year of effective payments. Higher means a smaller payment relative to sticker. It is a comparison aid, the same ratio lease forums publish as a deal score, not a grade from a lender.
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Worked example
36-month lease, 8% under a $42,000 MSRP, acquisition fee paid upfront
- MSRP
- $42,000
- Selling price
- $38,6408% under sticker
- Residual (58% of MSRP)
- $24,360
- Money factor
- 0.00125About 3.00% APR
- Depreciation per month
- $396.67(38,640 − 24,360) ÷ 36
- Rent charge per month
- $78.75(38,640 + 24,360) × 0.00125
- Acquisition fee, paid upfront
- $695
Due at signing is the first payment plus the $695 fee: $1,170.42. Effective cost is $494.72/mo once that fee is spread over 36 months.
Car lease calculator FAQ
Common questions about this calculator. For broader leasing topics, see the full FAQ.
Selling price, MSRP, residual percent for your term and mileage, money factor, term, acquisition fee, and the rebates they applied. Tax rate and whether your state taxes each payment, the total of payments, or the selling price. The calculator turns those into the monthly payment and due at signing.
Yes. Put the acquisition fee, dealer fees, and government fees in as upfront or rolled into the payment. Choose how tax is charged. Leave the tax rate blank if you only want the pre-tax payment. The state tax estimator covers which method is typical where you live.
Ads often assume top-tier credit, a specific mileage, and fees due at signing rather than in the payment. A marked-up money factor, a lower discount, or tax rolled in will all move the number. Compare effective monthly cost, not the headline payment.
MSRP divided by a year of effective payments. Higher means you are paying less of the sticker each year. Lease forums publish this same ratio as a deal score. It is a comparison aid, not a lender grade, and it ignores whether you want to own the car.
Only through the residual. A higher-mile lease usually has a lower residual percent, so you pay more depreciation. Enter the residual from the program for your miles. The calculator does not guess a residual, because those tables change by model and month.
Other lease calculators & tools
Total lease cost
Add due at signing to monthly payments over the term to compare total cash outlay across listings with different drive-offs.
Reverse payment / cap cost
Work backward from an advertised payment to implied net cap cost using residual and money factor.
Drive-off decoder
Itemize signing sheet lines—first payment, fees, tax, cap reduction—and flag negotiable charges.