{
  "slug": "truck-lease-vs-buy",
  "title": "Truck Lease vs Buy Calculator",
  "heading": "Truck Lease vs Buy Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/truck-lease-vs-buy",
  "summary": "Compare total cost of leasing vs financing a Class 8 truck.",
  "description": "Leasing a truck trades ownership for predictability — lower or no down payment, often maintenance bundled in, but no equity built and mileage caps that can penalize high-mileage owner-operators. Buying builds equity and has no mileage restriction but carries the full risk of depreciation, resale timing, and major repairs. This calculator compares total cash outlay over your holding period for a lease versus a loan, including estimated resale value on the purchase side, so you can see which path costs less in real dollars over the term you actually plan to run the truck.",
  "formula": "Buy net cost = down + payments − resale value; Lease net cost = lease payments + lease-end fees.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=truck-lease-vs-buy",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "termMonths",
      "label": "Comparison term",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 48,
      "unit": "months",
      "min": 6,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "leasePayment",
      "label": "Monthly lease payment",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2400,
      "unit": "$/mo",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "leaseEndFee",
      "label": "Lease-end / disposition fee",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1500,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "loanDown",
      "label": "Down payment (buy)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 15000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "loanPayment",
      "label": "Monthly loan payment",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2600,
      "unit": "$/mo",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "resaleValue",
      "label": "Estimated resale value at term end",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 45000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "difference",
      "label": "Buy cost minus lease cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "leaseCost",
      "label": "Total net lease cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "buyCost",
      "label": "Total net buy cost (after resale)",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Comparison term: 48 months",
      "Monthly lease payment: 2400 $/mo",
      "Lease-end / disposition fee: 1500 $",
      "Down payment (buy): 15000 $",
      "Monthly loan payment: 2600 $/mo",
      "Estimated resale value at term end: 45000 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Buy cost minus lease cost: -$21,900",
      "Total net lease cost: $116,700",
      "Total net buy cost (after resale): $94,800"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter comparison term (months).",
      "Enter monthly lease payment ($/mo).",
      "Enter lease-end / disposition fee ($).",
      "Enter down payment (buy) ($).",
      "Enter monthly loan payment ($/mo).",
      "Enter estimated resale value at term end ($).",
      "Read your buy cost minus lease cost on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "termMonths": 29,
        "leasePayment": 1450,
        "leaseEndFee": 900,
        "loanDown": 9000,
        "loanPayment": 1550,
        "resaleValue": 27000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "termMonths": 48,
        "leasePayment": 2400,
        "leaseEndFee": 1500,
        "loanDown": 15000,
        "loanPayment": 2600,
        "resaleValue": 45000
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "termMonths": 77,
        "leasePayment": 3850,
        "leaseEndFee": 2400,
        "loanDown": 24000,
        "loanPayment": 4150,
        "resaleValue": 72000
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What if the difference is negative?",
      "a": "A negative number means buying costs less over the term because the resale value offsets more than the extra loan payments cost versus leasing. A positive number means leasing wins in raw dollar terms over that period."
    },
    {
      "q": "What's not captured here?",
      "a": "Maintenance is the big one — many leases bundle full maintenance while loans leave you exposed to major repair bills, especially after warranty expires around year 2-3. Also not captured: tax treatment differences (lease payments vs depreciation deductions) which can shift the real after-tax comparison."
    },
    {
      "q": "Why do mileage caps matter for leasing?",
      "a": "Most leases cap annual mileage (often 100,000-120,000) with per-mile overage fees that can run 5-15 cents. High-mileage owner-operators running 130,000+ miles a year can rack up thousands in overage fees that erase the lease's apparent savings."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate does my resale estimate need to be?",
      "a": "It's the single biggest swing factor in the buy scenario. Use NADA/J.D. Power commercial truck guides or recent comparable sales for your exact make, model, and mileage rather than a rough guess — a $10,000 miss changes the entire comparison."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/truck-loan-payment",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/van-fleet-replacement-cycle",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/ev-van-tco-vs-diesel"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Truck Lease vs Buy Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/truck-lease-vs-buy)"
}