Lease or Finance an Acura?

Two questions decide whether you should lease or buy an Acura: do you want to own the car, and how much do you drive? Financing ends with an Acura you own. A lease ends with a decision about what comes next, and it works best when your driving stays inside the mileage your lease terms allow. Those two answers matter more than the monthly payment alone.

We lease and finance new Acura models. To start comparing, look over our Acura finance tools and options or browse our current new Acura specials.

How Financing and Leasing Work

Financing and leasing both spread the cost of a new Acura over time, but a loan ends in ownership and a lease ends when its set term is up.

Financing means you borrow the money to buy your Acura and pay the loan back in monthly payments. Once the loan is paid off, the car is yours.

A lease lets you drive a new Acura for a set term without buying it. You pay the amount due at signing, then a monthly payment for the length of the term. Your lease terms also set a mileage allowance, and if you go over it, you owe fees for the extra miles. When the term ends, the car is not yours unless you buy it out. If you start a new lease at that point, you keep driving a newer Acura.

Before you sign, read the terms of your own lease or loan.

Financing and Leasing Side by Side

This is how leasing and financing compare, point by point.

What to compare	Financing	Leasing
How it works	Borrow the money to buy your Acura and repay the loan monthly.	Drive a new Acura for a set term without buying it.
Ownership	Once the loan is paid off, the car is yours.	The car is not yours unless you buy it out.
Mileage	May suit drivers who regularly exceed a lease's mileage allowance.	Your terms set a mileage allowance; extra miles mean extra fees.
Up-front cost	A down payment lowers the amount you finance.	Weigh the amount due at signing together with the monthly payment.
At the end	Keep your Acura after the loan is paid off.	Turn it in, buy it out, or move into a new Acura.

Which One Fits You

Whether a lease or a loan fits depends on how much you drive and what you want from the car.

If you want to own your Acura and keep it for years, finance it.
If you regularly drive more than a lease's mileage allowance would cover, financing may suit you better.
If you would rather drive a newer Acura more often than own one, lease it.
If your driving fits inside a lease's mileage allowance and you want to decide later whether to keep the car, lease it, since you can still buy it out when the term ends.

What Changes Your Monthly Payment

Four choices shape a monthly payment on a new Acura.

What you pay up front: On a loan, a down payment lowers the amount you finance. On a lease, the amount due at signing is part of your terms, so weigh it together with the monthly payment.
The term you choose: How long your loan or lease runs changes the monthly payment.
A trade-in: On a loan, the value of your trade-in comes off the amount you finance. Start with a free appraisal of your current car.
The vehicle and trim you pick: The price of the Acura and trim you choose is the starting point for any loan or lease payment. Browse our new Acura models and trims to narrow down your choice.

To see how these choices add up on a loan, enter them in our loan payment calculator. It takes the loan amount, any down payment and trade-in, the term and an interest rate, then estimates your monthly payment. For a lease on a specific Acura, our finance team will go over the terms with you.

What Happens at the End of a Lease

When an Acura lease ends, you decide what comes next. Our lease-return team works with any Acura lease, including one that started at another dealership. They will check whether you have any equity in the car and tell you what you need to know to end your lease. From there, the choice is yours:

Turn the car in once the lease is over.
Buy the car out and keep it.
Move into a new Acura, leased or financed.

If you want to end a lease early, ask our lease-return team first, because ending early can bring a termination fee. Send any lease question through our Acura lease-return form and we will answer it.

Tools That Help You Compare

Several of our tools help you decide between leasing and financing.

Our Acura auto finance center gives the full picture of financing with us.
Start your financing application online before you visit; it covers a lease as well as a loan.
The same calculator can also work backward from a monthly amount you are comfortable with to your purchasing power.
Our free trade-in appraisal tells you what your current car is worth before you compare a lease and a loan.
If your credit is frozen, follow our steps to lift a credit freeze with the credit bureaus before you apply.
If your current lease is ending, our Acura lease-return team will help you choose what comes next.
Our current new Acura specials are worth checking as you narrow down which Acura and which route fits you.

Talk It Through With Our Finance Team

If you are still weighing a lease against a loan, sit down with someone from our finance team here in Central Indiana. We work with drivers from Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville and across the north metro. Before you choose, we will talk through how far you drive and what you want once the term is over. Send our finance team a question or apply online for a lease or a loan. Still choosing the Acura itself? Request a test drive first.

Our store sits at 96th Street and Keystone on the north side of Indianapolis, right on the Marion and Hamilton county line just south of Carmel. See our hours and get directions before you come in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I lease or finance my Acura?

It comes down to two things: whether ownership matters to you, and whether your driving fits inside the mileage allowance of a lease. Talk it over with our finance team if you are still deciding.

What are my options when my Acura lease ends?

You decide what happens to the car: hand it back, buy it or replace it with a new Acura. We will check whether you have any equity in the car and help you weigh each path before you choose. Start your Acura lease return when your term is close to its end.

Which tools help me compare a lease and a loan?

Our online loan calculator shows how a down payment, a trade-in and the term change a monthly loan payment, and you can get your trade-in appraised for free. For the lease side, our finance team will go over the terms on the Acura you choose.

What should I compare when I look at a lease?

Look at four parts together: the term, the mileage allowance, what you pay at signing and the monthly payment. A low monthly payment alone does not tell you whether the allowance fits how you drive.

What happens if I drive more miles than my lease allows?

Going over the mileage allowance in your lease terms means paying fees for the extra miles. Check the allowance against your usual driving before you sign.

Can I return an Acura lease I started at another dealership?

Yes. Our lease-return team helps with any Acura lease, wherever it began, and will tell you what you need to know to end it. Send your questions through our lease-return inquiry form.

Is a leased Acura covered by the factory warranty?

Yes. A new Acura carries the same factory coverage whether you lease it or finance it: the New Vehicle Limited Warranty and the longer Powertrain Limited Warranty.

Can I finance a certified pre-owned Acura?

Yes. Our finance team works with used vehicles as well as new ones, including our Acura Certified Pre-Owned vehicles and the rest of our used car selection.

Ed Martin Acura