Vehicles & TravelCanada versionFormula-based · Runs in your browser

Vehicle Lease Versus Buy Calculator — Canada

Compare equal ownership periods while accounting for the outstanding purchase loan and the lease distance allowance. CAD planning view; stated limitations apply.

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Inputs

Enter the values you know. Optional fields may be left empty.

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Optional
Required
Required
CAD
Required
CAD
Required
%
Required
Required
CAD
Required
CAD
Required
CAD
Required
CAD
Required
km
Required
km
Required
CAD/km

Result

Updates as valid inputs change.

Calculated locally
Illustrative defaults are not local quotes or verified legal rules. Dated reference components and user-entered assumptions are explicitly distinguished. Professional review is pending.
Lease cost minus purchase cost
—
Purchase loan monthly payment
—
Purchase loan balance at horizon
—
Purchase cash paid plus loan balance minus sale proceeds
—
Entered lease cash and excess-distance cost
—

Saved locally, explained clearly

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Calculation steps

Follow what happened from the selected formula to the displayed answer.

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Calculate current inputs to see the working.
  1. 1

    Formula selected

    The calculator uses the following formula or method.

    purchase cost at exit = down payment + loan payments made + remaining loan − sale proceeds.

    Inputs are converted to canonical units before evaluating this stated formula.

  2. 2

    Values entered

    Your values are placed into the calculation.

    Enter values to see what is used in this step.

  3. 3

    Result calculated

    The formula or method produces the following result values.

    Results will appear after a successful calculation.

  4. 4

    Answer formatted

    Displayed values are rounded and formatted using each output’s configured precision.

Scenario comparison

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How it works

Compare equal ownership periods while accounting for the outstanding purchase loan and the lease distance allowance.

This is the Canada planning view, with monetary inputs and outputs in CAD. A currency label does not establish that a tax rate, construction price, coverage rule or legal limit has been verified locally. The inputs and limitations below describe the actual scope.

Input query strings and outputs

Use an input name in this page’s URL as ?name=value, and join additional inputs with &. Portable shared links may instead use the compact ?ac= state parameter.

Input query strings

13
  • ?unitSystem= Measurement system

    Choice · Optional · Default: metric · Accepted values: imperial, metric

  • ?months= Comparison horizon, months

    Number · Required · Default: 36

  • ?buyPrice= Purchase price including purchase taxes/fees

    Money · Required · Default: 30,000

  • ?buyDownPayment= Purchase down payment

    Money · Required · Default: 5,000

  • ?loanRate= Purchase loan annual nominal rate

    Percentage · Required · Default: 6

  • ?loanMonths= Purchase loan term, months

    Number · Required · Default: 60

  • ?resale= Expected sale proceeds at comparison horizon

    Money · Required · Default: 20,000

  • ?leaseUpfront= Nonrefundable lease cash at signing

    Money · Required · Default: 2,000

  • ?leaseMonthly= Monthly lease payment including stated taxes

    Money · Required · Default: 400

  • ?leaseEndFees= Expected lease-end/disposition/condition fees

    Money · Required · Default: 500

  • ?distance= Total distance driven during comparison

    Number · Required · Default: 45,000

  • ?leaseAllowance= Total permitted lease distance during comparison

    Number · Required · Default: 36,000

  • ?excessRate= Lease excess-distance charge per distance unit

    Money · Required · Default: 0.15

Outputs

5
  • loanPayment Purchase loan monthly payment

    Currency · Currency: CAD

  • remainingLoan Purchase loan balance at horizon

    Currency · Currency: CAD

  • buyCost Purchase cash paid plus loan balance minus sale proceeds

    Currency · Currency: CAD

  • leaseCost Entered lease cash and excess-distance cost

    Currency · Currency: CAD

  • leaseMinusBuy Lease cost minus purchase cost

    Currency · Primary output · Currency: CAD

Formula

purchase cost at exit = down payment + loan payments made + remaining loan − sale proceeds.

Calculations retain numeric precision internally. Displayed values are rounded for readability. Quantities that must be purchased as whole units are rounded up only where the formula explicitly requires it.

Read the inputs before calculating

  • Comparison horizon, months: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Purchase price including purchase taxes/fees: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Purchase down payment: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Purchase loan annual nominal rate: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Purchase loan term, months: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Expected sale proceeds at comparison horizon: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Nonrefundable lease cash at signing: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Monthly lease payment including stated taxes: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Expected lease-end/disposition/condition fees: Enter the quantity described by the label.
  • Total distance driven during comparison: Enter the quantity described by the label. The measurement selector converts this physical quantity; it does not change the underlying scenario.
  • Total permitted lease distance during comparison: Enter the quantity described by the label. The measurement selector converts this physical quantity; it does not change the underlying scenario.
  • Lease excess-distance charge per distance unit: Enter the quantity described by the label. This is a price per displayed unit, so the price converts inversely to the physical quantity.

Reproducible worked example

The following is a fictional arithmetic example, not a local quote, a verified claimant or a market forecast. Its values are included so the formula can be checked. The form does not automatically confirm any verification checkbox.

InputExample value
Comparison horizon, months36
Purchase price including purchase taxes/fees30,000
Purchase down payment5,000
Purchase loan annual nominal rate6
Purchase loan term, months60
Expected sale proceeds at comparison horizon20,000
Nonrefundable lease cash at signing2,000
Monthly lease payment including stated taxes400
Expected lease-end/disposition/condition fees500
Total distance driven during comparison (km)45,000
Total permitted lease distance during comparison (km)36,000
Lease excess-distance charge per distance unit (/km)0.15
OutputCalculated result
Purchase loan monthly paymentCAD 483.32
Purchase loan balance at horizonCAD 10,905.0854
Purchase cash paid plus loan balance minus sale proceedsCAD 13,304.6067
Entered lease cash and excess-distance costCAD 18,250
Lease cost minus purchase costCAD 4,945.3933

Interpreting a changed assumption

Start with one complete scenario and change only one input when diagnosing a difference. Recheck units, the period of every rate, whether an amount is recurring or one-off, and whether a cost is already included elsewhere. A larger calculated benefit is not evidence that an assumption is more likely to occur.

Limitations

  • Prices, consumption and contract terms are entered scenarios. This is not a retail quote, tax eligibility determination or vehicle safety certification.
  • Use the actual scheduled lease term or an explicit early-exit quote; this does not invent a termination right. Refundable deposits, maintenance differences, opportunity cost and tax deductibility require separate treatment.

Frequently asked questions

What does this Vehicle Lease Versus Buy result represent?

Compare equal ownership periods while accounting for the outstanding purchase loan and the lease distance allowance. It applies the displayed formula to your inputs; it does not infer omitted facts.

No. Numeric defaults are illustrative unless an input or dated reference explicitly identifies a researched component. Currency is CAD; local quotes, eligibility and unsupported rules must be entered and verified separately.

What must I check before relying on the result?

Prices, consumption and contract terms are entered scenarios. This is not a retail quote, tax eligibility determination or vehicle safety certification.

Can I compare or share different assumptions?

Change one assumption at a time and use the browser-local project or share controls. A shared URL contains the encoded input values; do not include information you do not wish to disclose.

Sources and reference scope

  • DOE energy-use arithmetic — retrieved 2026-09-24. Energy consumption versus power; not a local tariff or an approval of this implementation.
  • NIST unit conversion guidance — retrieved 2026-09-24. Unit definitions; geometry and financial arithmetic in these worksheets are explicitly stated.
  • CFPB loan-estimate explanation — retrieved 2026-09-24. US cost components; the general amortization formula is stated separately.

These references support only their stated scope. They are not evidence that every local rule or price needed by the master expansion has been loaded.

Sources
Limitations
  • Illustrative defaults are not local quotes or verified legal rules. Dated reference components and user-entered assumptions are explicitly distinguished. Professional review is pending.
  • Inputs are converted to canonical units before evaluating this stated formula.
  • Real costs and performance can differ with road conditions, usage, local prices, and vehicle specifications.
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