Which Cars Better to Lease or Buy
When it comes to leasing, depreciation cost will be the largest portion of your monthly payment. Depreciation is the difference between what the vehicle is worth at time of lease, and what it's worth at the end of your lease (called Residual Value). So it makes sense to lease a car with low depreciation cost, or put another way - high residual value.
Residual value is calculated as a percentage of MSRP. The higher the percentage, the lower your depreciation cost during a lease. For example, if a car has an MSRP of $30,000 and the leasing company has calculated a residual value of 50% after 36 months, that means the total depreciation cost will be $15,000 (that's if you purchase the car at MSRP, which you better not do if you're reading RealCarTips - any price you negotiate below MSRP will reduce your overall depreciation cost).
Below, you'll find a list of the vehicles with the highest 36-month residual values. These are the vehicles you will be paying the least when it comes to depreciation - and which may be better to lease than to purchase, especially if you plan to keep it for only 3 years and not drive more than 12,000 miles per year. The vehicle with the best residual value right now is the 2024 Toyota Tacoma, with a residual value of 78% over 3 years. With an MSRP of $45,940 that means it will depreciate by only about $10,000 over 3 years (if you were to pay full MSRP).
Keep in mind residual values are best-guess estimates, and sometimes leasing companies set them higher than what they actually expect the vehicle to be worth (as a hidden incentive so lease payments are lower). And sometimes, market conditions change during the lease, and the actual worth of the vehicle ends up being way lower than the residual "guesstimate". Since the residual value is set in stone, this is why these vehicles may be a better choice to lease than purchase, especially the ones with residuals over 60%.
However, not all vehicles with high residual values offer good lease deals (due to other factors such as interest rates and other fees). For these types of deals, it's better to purchase the vehicle rather than lease - check out the final column in the table below to see if it's better to lease or buy the vehicle if you're planning to keep it short-term.
As always, I recommend using TrueCar No Haggle and CarsDirect to see the lowest prices your local dealers are willing to offer on these leases.
Better to Lease or Buy
Rank | Vehicle | Trim | MSRP | Lease Payment ($0 Down) | Residual | Better To... | Local Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2024 Toyota Tacoma | SR5 | $45,944 | $491 | 78.0% | Lease | |
2 | 2024 Kia Telluride | S | $39,485 | $480 | 73.0% | Buy | |
3 | 2024 Toyota Tundra | SR5 | $53,178 | $596 | 69.0% | Lease | |
4 | 2024 Hyundai Sonata | SEL | $28,650 | $349 | 69.0% | Buy | |
5 | 2024 Kia Sorento | LX | $33,365 | $407 | 69.0% | Buy | |
6 | 2024 Toyota Tundra i-FORCE MAX | Max LTD | $65,370 | $742 | 67.0% | Lease | |
7 | 2024 Tesla Model 3 | Standard Range | $38,990 | $410 | 67.0% | Lease | |
8 | 2023 Kia Sorento | $51,315 | $505 | 67.0% | Lease | ||
9 | 2024 Nissan Frontier | SV | $40,560 | $483 | 67.0% | Buy | |
10 | 2024 Toyota Prius Prime | SE PHV | $34,404 | $343 | 67.0% | Lease | |
11 | 2024 Subaru Ascent | Premium | $39,800 | $490 | 67.0% | Buy | |
12 | 2024 Honda Ridgeline | RTL | $43,975 | $464 | 66.0% | Lease | |
13 | 2023 Kia Niro EV | Wind | $40,875 | $305 | 66.0% | Lease | |
14 | 2024 Mazda CX-30 | 2.5 S | $26,415 | $314 | 66.0% | Buy | |
15 | 2023 Kia Sportage | X-Line | $40,015 | $427 | 66.0% | Lease | |
16 | 2024 Nissan Altima | SV | $28,920 | $359 | 65.0% | Buy | |
17 | 2024 Kia Niro EV | Wind | $40,975 | $324 | 65.0% | Lease | |
18 | 2024 Nissan Pathfinder | S | $38,580 | $476 | 65.0% | Buy | |
19 | 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 | SE Standard Range | $38,650 | $281 | 63.0% | Lease | |
20 | 2024 Mazda CX-90 | 3.3 Turbo Select | $39,300 | $480 | 63.0% | Buy | |
21 | 2024 Honda CR-V | LX | $32,350 | $382 | 62.0% | Buy | |
22 | 2024 Mazda CX-50 | 2.5 S Select | $31,720 | $380 | 62.0% | Buy | |
23 | 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5 | SE Standard Range | $43,175 | $333 | 62.0% | Lease | |
24 | 2024 Nissan LEAF | S | $29,810 | $334 | 61.0% | Lease | |
25 | 2025 Mazda CX-70 | Premium | $55,855 | $650 | 61.0% | Lease | |
26 | 2024 Tesla Model Y | Standard Range | $42,990 | $492 | 60.0% | Lease | |
27 | 2024 Toyota RAV4 Prime | SE PHV | $47,014 | $460 | 59.0% | Lease | |
28 | 2024 Subaru Solterra | Premium | $46,340 | $329 | 59.0% | Lease | |
29 | 2023 Hyundai Nexo | Limited | $64,920 | $748 | 58.0% | Lease | |
30 | 2024 Kia EV6 | Light Long Range | $47,325 | $382 | 58.0% | Lease | |
31 | 2024 Kia EV9 | Light Long Range | $60,695 | $595 | 57.0% | Lease | |
32 | 2023 Mercedes EQE Sedan | EQE 350+ | $76,050 | $839 | 56.0% | Lease | |
33 | 2023 Kia EV6 | Wind | $50,025 | $382 | 56.0% | Lease | |
34 | 2024 Mercedes EQE Sedan | EQE 350+ | $76,050 | $870 | 56.0% | Lease | |
35 | 2023 Mercedes E-Class | E 350 | $57,900 | $701 | 56.0% | Buy | |
36 | 2024 BMW i7 | eDrive50 | $106,695 | $1,256 | 55.0% | Buy | |
37 | 2023 Subaru Solterra | Premium | $46,220 | $241 | 55.0% | Lease | |
38 | 2024 Mercedes EQE SUV | EQE 350+ | $79,050 | $959 | 54.0% | Buy | |
39 | 2024 BMW iX | xDrive50 | $90,595 | $855 | 54.0% | Lease | |
40 | 2023 Mercedes EQS Sedan | EQS 450+ | $105,550 | $1,157 | 54.0% | Lease | |
41 | 2024 BMW i4 | eDrive35 | $55,245 | $623 | 54.0% | Lease | |
42 | 2024 Honda Prologue | EX 1 Speed | $50,400 | $582 | 54.0% | Lease | |
43 | 2023 Mercedes EQE SUV | EQE 350+ | $79,050 | $902 | 54.0% | Lease | |
44 | 2023 Mercedes EQS SUV | EQS 450+ | $105,550 | $1,157 | 54.0% | Lease | |
45 | 2024 BMW i5 | eDrive40 | $69,795 | $862 | 53.0% | Buy | |
46 | 2024 Acura ZDX | A-Spec 1 Speed | $65,850 | $733 | 52.0% | Lease | |
47 | 2023 Mercedes EQB | EQB 250+ | $55,150 | $633 | 49.0% | Lease | |
48 | 2024 Toyota bZ4X | XLE | $47,000 | $266 | 42.0% | Lease | |
49 | 2023 Toyota bZ4X | Limited | $51,793 | $364 | 38.0% | Lease | |
50 | 2024 Chevrolet Colorado | LT | $37,670 | $450 | % | Buy |
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Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About The Author
![Gregg Fidan](/assets/images/gregg/profile-pic.png)
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