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Introducing: Lease End’s Buyout Score Tool
Published 1/26/26
Updated 1/27/26
TL;DR (6-minute read): The Buyout Score is like a report card for your leased car. You enter your license plate or VIN, and we rate your buyout opportunity based on five key factors: equity, reliability, replacement cost, popularity, and mileage. You get your score plus a breakdown of why you got it—and what to do next.
If you’re anywhere near the end of your lease, you may be thinking:
“I love this car… but is buying it out a good move, or am I about to do something financially unhinged?”
Totally fair question. Because the lease-end decision is weirdly emotional and weirdly expensive.
And dealerships are not exactly famous for making it clearer 💀.
That’s why we built the Lease End Buyout Score calculator: a simple score from 0 to 100 that helps you quickly understand whether your car is a strong buyout candidate (or if you should at least pause and run the numbers before you commit).
What is a “Buyout Score” anyway?
Think of it like this:
You shouldn’t have to become an amateur car appraiser, a loan officer, and a DMV employee just to figure out whether keeping your own car is a smart decision.
So we built a tool that turns the biggest buyout variables into one clear number: your Buyout Score.
And yes: this score is powered by real lease buyout behavior and real-world outcomes from our 50,000+ lease buyout loan transactions, not vibes.
Where the score comes from (and why it’s not just a random number)
Lease End has facilitated tens of thousands of lease buyouts, and we use that nationwide picture to understand which vehicles tend to be strong buyout candidates—and why.
In our data-backed research, we evaluate lease buyout value using the same five categories—equity, reliability, replacement cost, popularity, and mileage behavior—and that framework is what powers the Buyout Score.
(Example: in one of our recent analyses, we looked at 18,000+ lease buyouts in 2025 to understand patterns in value and buyout behavior.)
How to Get Your Buyout Score (takes about a minute)
You don’t need spreadsheets. You don’t need to call your dealer. You don’t need to “stop by the showroom” (lol).
Here’s all you do:
- Go to the Buyout Score Calculator
- Enter your license plate or VIN (and your state)
- Get your score and the breakdown
That’s it.
What you’ll get back
- Your Buyout Score
- A quick explanation of why you got that score
- Personalized insight into your equity and replacement cost
- A fast recommendation on whether buying out your lease makes sense for your situation
How to interpret your score (the no-drama version)
Here’s the simplest way to use this tool:
- Higher score = stronger buyout candidate
- Lower score = you should slow down and compare options before committing
The point isn’t to tell you what to do. The point is to help you stop guessing—and start making a decision with your eyes open.
What the Buyout Score does not do (because we're all about keeping it real)
Your Buyout Score is a decision tool, not a crystal ball.
It’s not:
- a guaranteed appraisal
- a promise you’ll have equity
- a replacement for getting your exact payoff + seeing your financing options
It is a fast, data-backed way to sanity-check: “Does buying this car actually make sense, or am I just attached to the seat position?”
Next step if your score looks good: make the buyout easy
If your Buyout Score says your car is a strong buyout candidate, the next move is simple:
- Get your monthly payment estimate with Automatic AI and/or
- Get moving on your buyout ASAP by contacting Lease End: (888) 307-5197 (click the button below to start the process online with your VIN or license plate number)
Not ready yet? Learn more about what financing looks like—and let Lease End handle the annoying parts of lease buyouts (paperwork, title/registration, coordinating with the lease company, DMV stuff, etc.). That’s literally the pain we exist to remove.
The 5 factors that make up your Buyout Score
Your score is based on five categories (aka the stuff that actually matters when you’re deciding whether to buy out).
1) Equity
How your car’s market value compares to your buyout price.
If your car is worth more than the payoff, that gap can be real value you’d be walking away from if you return it.
If your car is worth more than the payoff, that gap can be real value you’d be walking away from if you return it.
2) Reliability
How long your car is likely to keep running strong.
Because “buying out your lease” hits different when your car is a tank vs. a ticking check-engine-light situation.
Because “buying out your lease” hits different when your car is a tank vs. a ticking check-engine-light situation.
3) Replacement Cost
What it would cost to swap your car for the newest year.
Sometimes the best reason to buy out isn’t that your car is perfect—it’s that replacing it is absurdly expensive right now.
Sometimes the best reason to buy out isn’t that your car is perfect—it’s that replacing it is absurdly expensive right now.
4) Popularity
How popular lease buyouts are for your make and model.
This is basically a “do people actually keep this car?” signal—based on what drivers nationwide choose to do.
This is basically a “do people actually keep this car?” signal—based on what drivers nationwide choose to do.
5) Mileage
More miles isn’t automatically bad—it can signal “driving devotion.”
Mileage matters in lease-end math, but we’re not here to shame you for using your car like… a car.
Mileage matters in lease-end math, but we’re not here to shame you for using your car like… a car.
Quick FAQ
Is the Buyout Score free?
Yep—Lease End lists it under Free Tools, and you can run it by entering your VIN/license plate.
What do I need to get my score?
Your license plate or VIN (and your state).
Does high mileage automatically mean a bad score?
Not automatically. Mileage is one of the five factors, and it’s treated as context (not a moral failing).
Bottom line
Your lease is ending. Your options are real. And your decision should be based on more than dealership pressure and gut instinct.
So before you do anything—run your Buyout Score. It’s the fastest way to see whether the car you already know (and already like) is worth keeping.