Car Lease Buyout Loans in 2025
Save money with low rates when you buy out your lease
Compare top car lease buyout loans
What is a lease buyout loan?
You can use a lease buyout loan to buy the car you’re leasing at the end of your lease term instead of returning it. Your lease contract will tell you if you’re allowed to buy out your car at the end of your lease.
How much your lease buyout loan will cost depends on a few factors:
-
Residual value of your car
This is how much the dealership decides the car is worth at the end of your lease, and how much you’ll need to pay to purchase the car. -
Fees
You may need to pay a purchase option fee to the dealership and a documentation fee to your lender. -
Taxes
Just like any time you buy a car, you’ll need to pay any state and local taxes on your car purchase. -
Interest
This is what you’ll pay your lender to borrow the money to pay for the car. Lease buyout loan interest rates start at around 5% at the time of this writing.
Want to learn more? Here’s everything you need to know about leasing a car.
How to get a cheaper lease buyout loan
Shop around
You won’t be able to avoid paying taxes and fees on your lease buyout loan, but you can minimize the interest you’ll pay. You can save thousands over the course of your loan by getting quotes from multiple lenders and choosing the one with the lowest rates.
Pay for part of your lease buyout in cash
To make your lease buyout loan cheaper, put down as much money as you can comfortably afford before taking out a loan. You’ll minimize the money you pay in interest, saving money over the length of your loan.
Find a lease buyout loan with LendingTree
1. Fill out a form
Take two minutes to tell us about yourself, your car and when you need the money.
2. Compare your offers
If you qualify, we’ll send you offers from up to five lenders from the nation’s largest lender network.
3. Get your money
You’ll choose the lender that fits your budget and needs and send in a formal application. They’ll send you the money for your lease buyout if you’re approved.
Can I get a lease buyout loan with bad credit?
Yes. Companies like Tresl and Lease End offer lease buyout loans for people with bad credit. But prepare to pay higher rates, which will make your loan more expensive.
Taking the time to improve your credit before applying for your lease buyout loan can potentially save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. A recent LendingTree study showed that raising your credit score from fair to very good can save you over $39,000 across common forms of debt including car loans.
If you need a lease buyout loan now but want to save money, you can move forward with a high-interest lease buyout loan and refinance your car loan down the line after you’ve had time to improve your credit.
Alternatives to lease buyout loans
Used cars
Best for: Saving money
You’ll have a lot more room for negotiation (and more options) when it comes to finding and buying a used car. This can translate to big savings.
Certified pre-owned cars
Best for: Minimizing risk
Certified pre-owned cars are refurbished up to the manufacturer standards and often come with extended warranties. This makes them ideal for buyers who want to minimize the risk of paying for costly repairs or maintenance charges.
Lease extension
Best for: Keeping your car without buying it
Some lease companies allow you to extend your car lease temporarily. If you’re not ready to make a decision about whether or not to buy your leased car, contact your leasing company to see if this is an option.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can borrow money to pay for your lease buyout. Keep in mind that you will likely need to pay dealer fees like a documentation fee and title and licensing fees. Some lenders will allow you to roll these fees into your loan.
It can be. If you want to buy a used car but are worried about getting a lemon, buying out your lease can give you peace of mind that the car is road-worthy.
But if saving money is your primary concern, make sure to run your offers through a car loan calculator and compare your monthly payments for your lease buyout with your monthly lease payments to see if buying is worth it for you.
When you apply for a lease buyout loan, the lender will run a hard credit check to evaluate your credit history. This will cause your credit score to drop by a few points, but as long as you do your loan shopping within 14 to 45 days, all of the credit pulls will count as a single hit to your credit.
Our methodology
We reviewed 46 lenders to determine the overall six best lease buyout lenders. To make our list, lenders must offer lease buyout loans with competitive APRs. From there, we prioritized the following factors:
Accessibility: We chose lenders with auto loans that are available to more people and require fewer conditions. This may include lower credit requirements, wider geographic availability, faster funding and easier and more transparent prequalification, preapproval and application processes.
Rates and terms: We prioritize lenders with more competitive starting fixed rates, fewer fees and greater loan options for repayment terms, amounts and APR discounts.
Repayment experience: For starters, we consider each lender’s reputation and business practices. We also favor lenders that have self-service payment options (such as a mobile app), provide reliable customer service and offer unique perks.
According to our systematic rating and review process, the best car lease buyout loans come from Auto Approve, Autopay, Lease End, myAutoLoan, RefiJet and Tresl.
LendingTree partners with dozens of auto lenders, but partners and non-partners receive equal treatment in our scoring and review process.