Free Lease vs Buy Calculator Spreadsheet Template
Compare leasing versus buying a vehicle or equipment. Factor in depreciation, residual value, and total cost of ownership over time.
What's Included
- Dashboard with lease vs. buy comparison showing total cost of leasing, total cost of buying, and net difference
- Calculator with lease inputs (monthly payment, term, fees) and purchase inputs (price, rate, down payment)
- Monthly cost comparison table showing cumulative lease payments vs. cumulative loan payments over time
- Total cost over ownership period including depreciation, interest, and residual value in the buy scenario
- Residual value and equity considerations with color-coded input cells for organized lease vs. buy analysis
- Works in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and LibreOffice Calc with no setup required
Need more from this template?
The free version covers the basics. The Pro version goes further.
- Basic lease vs buy input and monthly payment comparison
- Dashboard with monthly payment difference and 3-year summary
- Simple total cost comparison
- Works in Excel and Google Sheets
- Separate input sheets for buying (price, down payment, rate, term, residual) and leasing (cap cost, money factor, residual, term, fees)
- Dashboard with 6 KPI cards: 5-year buying cost, 5-year leasing cost, net advantage, monthly payment comparison, down payment required, and break-even year
- 5-year comparison table showing cumulative costs for buying vs leasing year by year with net difference each year
- Scenario comparison with 3 presets - Low Mileage, Average Use, and High Mileage - showing how usage affects the total cost of each option
- Break-even analysis identifying when buying becomes less expensive than leasing on a cumulative cost basis
Preview
See what's inside this template
How to Use This Lease vs Buy Calculator Template
Enter lease details
Input the monthly lease payment, lease term, down payment, fees, and any end-of-lease charges.
Enter purchase details
Add the vehicle or equipment price, down payment, loan rate, term, and expected resale or residual value.
Set the comparison period
Enter the total ownership period for the comparison. The calculator factors in depreciation and equity for the buy option.
Compare the results
The dashboard shows total cost of leasing vs buying, including the value of any equity retained in the buy scenario.
Built by Claude AI. Perfected by us.
We use Claude AI to draft each free template, after a deep research. Then our team steps in. We refine the layout, stress-test every formula, fix edge cases, and polish the design until it feels like something we would actually use ourselves. The AI gets us 80% there. The last 20% is all human judgment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the buy option account for resale value?
Yes. Enter the expected resale or residual value. The calculator subtracts this from the total buy cost since you retain that equity.
What about maintenance differences?
Leases often include warranty coverage for the full term. If maintenance costs differ, add them as separate line items in each scenario.
Which is typically cheaper?
It depends on the specific terms, how long you keep the vehicle or equipment, and the residual value. The calculator shows the exact cost difference for your inputs.
Does it handle equipment leases?
Yes. The template works for vehicles, equipment, or any asset. Enter the relevant lease and purchase terms for whatever you are comparing.
How do I open this in Google Sheets?
Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive, then open it with Google Sheets. All formulas and formatting will be preserved.
What license is this template under?
All free templates are released under CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution). You can use, modify, and share them freely - including for commercial purposes - as long as you credit FinancialAha.com. They are provided as-is and do not constitute financial advice.
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