Leasing has quietly become the default recommendation for many EV shoppers, and the logic is straightforward. Electric vehicles depreciate faster than the market average because battery technology and range improve every model year, which means the car you buy today competes with a meaningfully better version in 36 months. A lease transfers that depreciation risk to the leasing company. Leasing also lets you benefit from manufacturer lease incentives that often exceed purchase discounts. Buying still wins in specific cases: if you drive well past typical mileage caps, plan to keep the vehicle beyond eight years, or find a heavily discounted outgoing model, ownership math can come out ahead. Run both calculations with the real numbers on the specific car, not the segment averages.
Lease vs Buy: Which Is Better for an EV?
