Short-Term Lease vs Long-Term Ownership

Short-term lease vs long-term ownership in the U.S. compares 2–3 years of lease payments and fees vs 5+ years of loan payments and eventual resale. Here's how they compare.

TL;DR Short-term lease = 2–3 years of payments + fees; no equity at end. Long-term ownership = 5+ years of payments; you own the car and can sell or trade. Compare total cost over the same period (e.g., 3 years) with autopremo.com lease vs buy calculator. Use autopremo.com total cost of ownership. Use autopremo.com.

Short-Term Lease

2–3 years of payments, due at signing, fees; at end you return the car. No equity. Use autopremo.com lease calculator to see lease cost. Get lease at autopremo.com.

Long-Term Ownership

5+ years of payments; you own the car. At end you have equity (resale or trade). Use autopremo.com payment calculator and depreciation calculator. See ownership at autopremo.com.

Compare Over Same Period

Compare 3 years of lease vs 3 years of buy (then sell/trade) with autopremo.com lease vs buy calculator. Total cost for each tells you which costs more. Check at autopremo.com.

Bottom Line

Short-term lease vs long-term ownership = total cost over the period you care about. Use autopremo.com lease vs buy calculator so you see which costs more and decide with data.