.lease-calc-container {
font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;
max-width: 800px;
margin: 20px auto;
padding: 25px;
border: 1px solid #e1e1e1;
border-radius: 8px;
background-color: #f9f9f9;
color: #333;
line-height: 1.6;
}
.lease-calc-container h2 {
color: #1a1a1a;
text-align: center;
margin-bottom: 25px;
}
.calc-grid {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr;
gap: 20px;
}
@media (max-width: 600px) {
.calc-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr; }
}
.input-group {
margin-bottom: 15px;
}
.input-group label {
display: block;
font-weight: 600;
margin-bottom: 5px;
font-size: 14px;
}
.input-group input {
width: 100%;
padding: 10px;
border: 1px solid #ccc;
border-radius: 4px;
box-sizing: border-box;
font-size: 16px;
}
.calc-button {
grid-column: 1 / -1;
background-color: #0073aa;
color: white;
padding: 15px;
border: none;
border-radius: 4px;
font-size: 18px;
font-weight: bold;
cursor: pointer;
transition: background-color 0.3s;
}
.calc-button:hover {
background-color: #005177;
}
.results-box {
margin-top: 25px;
padding: 20px;
background-color: #fff;
border: 2px solid #0073aa;
border-radius: 8px;
display: none;
}
.results-box h3 {
margin-top: 0;
color: #0073aa;
text-align: center;
}
.result-row {
display: flex;
justify-content: space-between;
padding: 8px 0;
border-bottom: 1px solid #eee;
}
.result-row:last-child {
border-bottom: none;
}
.result-row span:last-child {
font-weight: bold;
color: #1a1a1a;
}
.article-section {
margin-top: 40px;
padding-top: 20px;
border-top: 1px solid #ddd;
}
.article-section h3 {
color: #1a1a1a;
margin-top: 25px;
}
.example-box {
background-color: #eef7fa;
padding: 15px;
border-left: 5px solid #0073aa;
margin: 20px 0;
}
Car Lease Payment Calculator
MSRP ($)
Negotiated Sales Price ($)
Down Payment ($)
Trade-in Allowance ($)
Lease Term (Months)
Residual Value (%)
Money Factor (e.g. 0.00125)
Sales Tax Rate (%)
Calculate Monthly Payment
Your Estimated Lease Details
Adjusted Capitalized Cost:
$0.00
Residual Value:
$0.00
Monthly Depreciation Fee:
$0.00
Monthly Rent Charge:
$0.00
Total Monthly Payment:
$0.00
How Car Lease Payments are Calculated
Unlike a standard car loan where you pay for the entire value of the vehicle plus interest, a lease only charges you for the portion of the car's value you use over the term of the lease. This is why lease payments are typically lower than finance payments.
Key Leasing Terms You Need to Know
MSRP: The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. This is used to calculate the residual value.Negotiated Sales Price: Also known as the "Gross Capitalized Cost." This is the price you actually agree to pay for the vehicle.Residual Value: The estimated value of the car at the end of the lease. High residual values mean lower monthly payments because you are "using" less of the car's value.Money Factor: This represents the interest rate on the lease. To convert a Money Factor to an APR, multiply it by 2,400. (e.g., 0.0015 * 2400 = 3.6% APR).Adjusted Capitalized Cost: This is the sales price minus your down payment and trade-in. It is the actual amount being financed.
Practical Example
Suppose you lease a car with an MSRP of $40,000 but negotiate the price to $38,000. You put $2,000 down. Your Adjusted Cap Cost is $36,000. If the 36-month residual is 60% ($24,000), you will pay for $12,000 of depreciation over 3 years, plus the rent charge and taxes.
The Three Parts of Your Payment
Your monthly lease payment consists of three distinct components:
Depreciation Fee: (Adjusted Cap Cost – Residual Value) / Lease Term.Rent Charge: (Adjusted Cap Cost + Residual Value) × Money Factor.Sales Tax: A percentage applied to the sum of the depreciation and rent charge (in most states).
function calculateLease() {
// Get Input Values
var msrp = parseFloat(document.getElementById("msrp").value);
var salesPrice = parseFloat(document.getElementById("salesPrice").value);
var downPayment = parseFloat(document.getElementById("downPayment").value) || 0;
var tradeIn = parseFloat(document.getElementById("tradeIn").value) || 0;
var leaseTerm = parseFloat(document.getElementById("leaseTerm").value);
var residualPercent = parseFloat(document.getElementById("residualPercent").value);
var moneyFactor = parseFloat(document.getElementById("moneyFactor").value);
var taxRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("taxRate").value);
// Validate inputs
if (isNaN(msrp) || isNaN(salesPrice) || isNaN(leaseTerm) || leaseTerm <= 0) {
alert("Please enter valid numbers for price and lease term.");
return;
}
// 1. Adjusted Capitalized Cost
var adjustedCapCost = salesPrice – downPayment – tradeIn;
// 2. Residual Value
var residualValue = msrp * (residualPercent / 100);
// 3. Monthly Depreciation Fee
var monthlyDepreciation = (adjustedCapCost – residualValue) / leaseTerm;
if (monthlyDepreciation < 0) monthlyDepreciation = 0;
// 4. Monthly Rent Charge
// Formula: (Adjusted Cap Cost + Residual Value) * Money Factor
var monthlyRentCharge = (adjustedCapCost + residualValue) * moneyFactor;
// 5. Base Monthly Payment
var basePayment = monthlyDepreciation + monthlyRentCharge;
// 6. Total Payment with Tax
var totalPayment = basePayment * (1 + (taxRate / 100));
// Display Results
document.getElementById("resCapCost").innerText = "$" + adjustedCapCost.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById("resResidualValue").innerText = "$" + residualValue.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById("resDepreciation").innerText = "$" + monthlyDepreciation.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById("resRentCharge").innerText = "$" + monthlyRentCharge.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
document.getElementById("resTotalPayment").innerText = "$" + totalPayment.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
// Show the results box
document.getElementById("results").style.display = "block";
// Smooth scroll to results
document.getElementById("results").scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'nearest' });
}