Auto Loan & Lease Finder

Buying vs. leasing — what actually differs

A loan builds equity toward ownership. A lease is closer to a fixed-cost rental: your payment covers the car's expected depreciation during the lease term, not its full value — which is why lease payments usually look lower than loan payments for the same car.

Where people miscalculate the comparison

Mileage overage fees and lease-end disposition charges rarely show up in a simple monthly-payment comparison. Comparing a 3-year lease payment directly to a 5-year loan payment also isn't apples to apples — annualize the total cost over equal ownership periods before deciding.