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How to Find (and Maximize) Your Car's Lease Equity
Published 5/28/25
Updated 6/26/26
TL;DR (5-minute read): Lease equity is the difference between your car’s market value and what you still owe on the lease (aka the residual value). If your car is worth more than what you owe, congrats—you’ve got positive equity.
Reviewed by Zander Cook · Co-founder, Lease End
Positive equity is far more common than most lessees expect. In 2025, all 10 of the most popular buyout vehicles carried positive average equity, ranging from about $2,397 on the Jeep Wrangler to $7,886 on the Honda CR-V. Across more than 19,000 buyouts that year, Lease End customers captured over $73 million in total savings, averaging roughly $5,500 in equity plus about $3,800 in avoided overage fees per driver. (Source: 2026 Annual Lease Buyout Report)
What is lease equity...and why should you care?
Lease equity = Market Value – Payoff Amount.
If your leased car is worth more than your buyout price, that’s called positive equity. You can use it to save money, trade up, or even walk away with cash in your pocket. And if you'd like a more detailed definition of equity, we cover that our Complete Equity Guide.
If it’s worth less, that’s negative equity. That’s not ideal, but don’t panic—we’ll help you navigate that too.
Step 1: Get Your Numbers
To figure out your equity, you’ll need two things:
- Your payoff amount: Ask your leasing company for a current payoff quote. It usually includes your residual value plus any remaining payments, taxes, and fees.
- Your car’s market value: Use sites like Kelley Blue Book, or Edmunds to get a real-time estimate. Make sure to factor in your car’s mileage, condition, and location.
Example:
- Market Value: $30,000
- Payoff Amount: $28,000
- Lease Equity: $2,000
To sanity-check the number you get from a valuation site, compare it against the real average market values and equity Lease End recorded across the most popular buyout vehicles in 2025:
| Model | Avg. Market Value | Avg. Equity | Avg. New Payment |
| Ram 1500 | $37,961 | $5,476 | $688 |
| Jeep Wrangler | $35,271 | $2,397 | $665 |
| Honda CR-V | $30,211 | $7,886 | $470 |
| Honda Civic | $25,194 | $6,735 | $418 |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee | $30,943 | $2,883 | $595 |
| Toyota Tacoma | $36,583 | $6,601 | $594 |
| Honda Accord | $27,235 | $7,270 | $462 |
| Mazda CX-5 | $27,260 | $6,214 | $442 |
| Honda Pilot | $33,908 | $5,543 | $584 |
| Honda HR-V | $23,271 | $5,358 | $406 |
Source: 2026 Annual Lease Buyout Report (based on 19,287 buyouts completed in 2025). Note these are Lease End transaction averages, not third-party estimates.
Step 2: Understand Your Options
If You Have Positive Equity:
- Buy your car and keep the equity.
- Sell it and pocket the difference.
- Trade it in and use the equity as a down payment.
If You Have Negative Equity:
- Finish the lease as planned.
- Roll it into a new lease or loan (caution: this can be costly).
- Negotiate with your leasing company or shop for incentives.
Buying out often wins on monthly cost too, not just the lump-sum equity. In 2025 the average lease buyout payment was $563 a month versus $659 for a new lease on a comparable vehicle, a difference of roughly $100 a month or about $1,200 a year. So keeping the car you already know can preserve your equity and lower your payment at the same time.
5 Tips to Maximize Your Lease Equity
1. Choose Cars That Hold Their Value. Pick brands and models known for reliability and strong resale value. SUVs and hybrids tend to depreciate less. Do your homework before you lease. (Read More: 10 Leased Cars that Retain the Most Equity)
Lease End's own data backs this up. The biggest equity winners at buyout in 2025 were dominated by Honda, with every model in the top 10 averaging over $5,000 in equity. The leaders: Honda CR-V at $7,950, Honda Accord at $7,378, and Honda Civic at $6,850 in average equity. (Source: Which Cars Hold Their Value for Lease Buyouts, based on 18,000+ 2025 buyouts.)
| Vehicle | Average Equity | Avg. New Monthly Payment |
| Honda CR-V | $7,950 | $470 |
| Honda Accord | $7,378 | $461 |
| Honda Civic | $6,850 | $417 |
| Toyota Tacoma | $6,598 | $596 |
| Mazda CX-5 | $6,242 | $443 |
| Subaru Crosstrek | $5,874 | $420 |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | $5,739 | $433 |
| Honda Pilot | $5,597 | $583 |
| Ram 1500 | $5,570 | $666 |
| Honda HR-V | $5,403 | $405 |
2. Keep Your Car in Tip-Top Shape. Regular maintenance = higher value. Fix small problems early, and keep service records handy. Protect the interior and exterior like the car is your second child.
3. Watch Your Miles. Going over your mileage limit can result in costly fees that cancel out your equity. Keep an eye on your odometer and avoid unnecessary road trips to the moon.
Mileage overages are more common than most drivers realize, and buying out lets you skip the fees entirely. In 2025 the average car hit 36,954 miles at lease-end, about 954 miles over the standard 36,000-mile cap. With overage fees running 10 to 30 cents per mile, that is up to $300 at turn-in for a typical driver. High-mileage lessees save much more: Jeep Wrangler drivers averaged 44,740 miles, roughly 8,740 over the cap, translating to about $2,622 in avoided overage fees by buying out.
4. Time It Right. Compare your car’s market value to your payoff amount a few months before your lease ends. If the market’s hot and values are up, that’s your moment.
Financing conditions are part of timing too. Average lease buyout APRs eased through 2025, starting the year at 9.49% and finishing at 9.09%, and early 2026 has dipped further to about 9.03%, the most favorable financing in over a year. If you are weighing when to act, today's rate environment is working in your favor.
5. Use a Lease Buyout Expert Working with a service like Lease End can help you simplify the process and protect your equity. They handle everything from financing to registration—no dealership visits required.
It helps to know what rate you might actually qualify for. As of May 2026, Lease End's portfolio averaged a $576.37 monthly payment on $31,874 financed over a 72.7-month term, with APRs by credit tier ranging from about 6.17% for scores above 800 to 15.61% for scores under 580. Lease End works with credit scores as low as 520 and partners with lenders including Ally, Chase, Capital One, and TD Bank.
| Credit Score | Average APR (May 2026) |
| >800 | 6.17% |
| 740-799 | 6.59% |
| 670-739 | 8.10% |
| 580-669 | 11.25% |
| <580 | 15.61% |
How Lease End Can Help
Lease End takes the hassle out of lease buyouts. With just a few details, you’ll get a personalized estimate of your monthly payment. We handle the financing, paperwork, title, and registration—all online.
- Competitive financing rates
- No dealership pressure
- Help maximizing your lease equity
Lease End has facilitated more than 50,000 lease buyouts since 2021 and unlocked $108 million in equity for drivers in 2025 alone. Our proprietary Lease End Buyout Score rates your vehicle from 0 to 100 on popularity, reliability, replacement cost, equity, and mileage behavior, using only your VIN, license plate, and email.
Final Thoughts
Lease equity can be your secret financial weapon. By understanding what your car is worth and how to act on it, you could turn the end of your lease into a money-saving opportunity—or even a little payday.
Need help figuring it all out? Lease End has your back.
Start by estimating your lease equity with our free calculator. Or fill out the form below to start your buyout right away.