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
Cheaper option
Leasing wins
Cost gap over the period
$4,751
Total lease cost
$17,620
Net cost to buy
$22,371
After resale value
Loan payment
$656.56
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter comparison period (months).
- 2Enter lease payment ($/mo).
- 3Enter lease drive-off cost ($).
- 4Enter purchase price ($).
- 5Enter purchase down payment ($).
- 6Enter loan apr (%).
- 7Enter loan term (months).
- 8Enter resale value at end (% of price).
- 9Read your cheaper option on the right — it updates as you type.
- 10Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Leasing looks cheaper monthly but leaves you with nothing at the end. Buying costs more per month but you keep the residual value. This compares total cost of ownership over the same period, net of what the car is worth when you are done.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Comparison period: 36 months
- Lease payment: 420 $/mo
- Lease drive-off cost: 2500 $
- Purchase price: 38000 $
- Purchase down payment: 5000 $
- Loan APR: 7.2 %
- Loan term: 60 months
- Resale value at end: 55 % of price
Results
- Cheaper option: Leasing wins
- Cost gap over the period: $4,750.72
- Total lease cost: $17,620.00
- Net cost to buy: $22,370.72
- Loan payment: $656.56
What each field means
Inputs
- Comparison period (months)
- The comparison period used in the calculation, measured in months. Starts at 36 months so you have a working example on load.
- Lease payment ($/mo)
- The lease payment used in the calculation, measured in $/mo. Starts at 420 $/mo so you have a working example on load.
- Lease drive-off cost ($)
- The lease drive-off cost used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 2500 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Purchase price ($)
- The purchase price used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 38000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Purchase down payment ($)
- The purchase down payment used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 5000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Loan APR (%)
- The loan apr used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 7.2 % so you have a working example on load.
- Loan term (months)
- The loan term used in the calculation, measured in months. Starts at 60 months so you have a working example on load.
- Resale value at end (% of price)
- The resale value at end used in the calculation, measured in % of price. Starts at 55 % of price so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 % of price.
Results
- Cheaper 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.
- Cost gap over the period
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total lease cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Net cost to buy
- After resale value
- Loan payment
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How does the lease vs buy car calculator work?
Leasing looks cheaper monthly but leaves you with nothing at the end. Buying costs more per month but you keep the residual value. This compares total cost of ownership over the same period, net of what the car is worth when you are done. The underlying maths is: Lease cost = payments + drive-off. Buy cost = payments + down − resale value.
What do I need to enter?
8 values: comparison period, lease payment, lease drive-off cost, purchase price, purchase down payment, loan apr, loan term, and resale value at end. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move.
What does the cheaper option result mean?
It is returned as a plain value and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds.
Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser.
How accurate is the result?
It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
Who is this tool for?
It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs.
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). Lease vs Buy Car Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/lease-vs-buy-car
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/lease-vs-buy-car" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lease vs Buy Car Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Lease vs Buy Car Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/lease-vs-buy-car) (2026).