You can lease a new car online from start to finish: compare the payment with your state's lease tax built in, apply for credit, sign, and take delivery or pick the car up. The part that matters most is seeing the numbers that set the payment, because a lease payment can look low while the price, the money factor, or the fees are not. Here is what to ask for, and how to check it yourself with our lease calculator.
| Number | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Selling price | The price you agreed on, also called the capitalized cost | Every dollar off the price lowers the payment |
| Residual | What the car should be worth at the end, as a share of the sticker | Higher residual, lower payment |
| Money factor | The lease's interest rate as a decimal; times 2,400 is the APR | Ask which money factor the lease uses, and compare offers on the same car |
| Acquisition fee | The leasing company's setup fee | Usually rolled into the lease |
| Documentary fee | The dealership's own paperwork fee | Set by each store, capped in some states |
| Miles per year | The allowance the residual assumes | Every mile over is charged at lease end |
| Due at signing | First payment, fees, and any cash down | Cash down on a lease is spent the day you sign |
A lease is taxed and registered where the car will be kept, not where the dealership is. A dealership in another state can write the lease when it and its leasing company can register the car in your state, and the tax on the lease follows your state's rules. Ask before you settle on a car from out of state.
You can usually hand the car back, buy it at the residual written in the contract, or lease another. Before you return it, the leasing company typically offers an inspection for excess wear, and charges for miles over the allowance. A disposition fee may apply if you do not lease or buy another car from the same brand.
Type your own numbers and see the same car priced as cash, as a loan, and as a lease, with the taxes and state fees for Arizona. Nothing you type leaves this page.
| You pay | You own at the end | Real cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lease | ... | Nothing; you hand it back | ... |
| Finance | ... | Equity of ... | ... |
| Cash | ... | A car worth about ... | ... |
An estimate on the numbers you type, not an offer of credit or a quote from any dealership. Starting loan rates are the average new-car APR for each credit tier (used-car APR for a used car) from Experian's State of the Automotive Finance Market, second quarter 2026, VantageScore 4.0. The starting money factor, residual, and acquisition fee are starting figures only; the leasing company sets the real ones. Taxes and state fees are estimates for Arizona; the dealership's paperwork and your motor vehicle agency have the final numbers. What you own at the end assumes the car is worth the residual. Nothing you type is sent, saved, or used to check your credit.
Yes. Many dealerships will quote, approve, and sign a lease online, and deliver the car or have it ready for pickup. What they offer varies by store.
Usually the first payment, the dealership's documentary fee, title and registration, and any cash down, plus in some states the tax on the cash down or on the whole lease. Ask for the breakdown line by line.
Cash down lowers the payment but is spent the day you sign, and it is usually not returned if the car is totaled or stolen early. Keeping it small and letting the payment carry the cost limits that risk.
Sometimes. The lease has to be taxed and registered where the car will be kept, so it depends on whether the dealership and its leasing company can do that for your state, and whether the dealership ships there.