Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Lower total cost option
Lease
Lease total cost
$57,000
Purchase total cost
$62,208
Difference over horizon
$5,208
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How to use this
- 1Enter lease monthly payment ($).
- 2Enter truck purchase price ($).
- 3Enter loan apr (if financed) (%).
- 4Enter annual maintenance (purchase) ($).
- 5Enter years to project.
- 6Read your lower total cost option on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Leasing a commercial truck keeps monthly payments lower and often includes maintenance, but you never build equity and mileage limits apply, while purchasing costs more upfront or via a loan but the truck becomes an asset you own outright at the end. This tool compares total lease payments against purchase cost net of resale value and financing, over your expected hold period.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Lease monthly payment: 950 $
- Truck purchase price: 55000 $
- Loan APR (if financed): 7 %
- Annual maintenance (purchase): 2500 $
- Years to project: 5
Results
- Lower total cost option: Lease
- Lease total cost: $57,000
- Purchase total cost: $62,208
- Difference over horizon: $5,208
What each field means
Inputs
- Lease monthly payment ($)
- The lease monthly payment used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 950 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Truck purchase price ($)
- The truck purchase price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 55000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Loan APR (if financed) (%)
- The loan apr (if financed) used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 7 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–20 %.
- Annual maintenance (purchase) ($)
- The annual maintenance (purchase) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 2500 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Years to project
- The years to project used in the calculation. Starts at 5 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–15.
Results
- Lower total cost option
- Returned as a plain value and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Lease total cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Purchase total cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Difference over horizon
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Does leasing include maintenance?
Many commercial leases bundle scheduled maintenance into the payment, which is why purchase maintenance is modeled separately here — check your specific lease terms.
What about Section 179 depreciation for purchases?
Business owners can often deduct a large portion of a purchased truck's cost in the first year under Section 179, a meaningful tax benefit not modeled here — consult your accountant.
When does leasing usually win?
For fleets that upgrade trucks every 2-4 years and want predictable payments without resale hassle or depreciation risk on rapidly-changing models.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Commercial Truck Lease vs Purchase Cost Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/commercial-truck-lease-vs-purchase-cost
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/commercial-truck-lease-vs-purchase-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commercial Truck Lease vs Purchase Cost Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Commercial Truck Lease vs Purchase Cost Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/commercial-truck-lease-vs-purchase-cost) (2026).