Lease-purchase vs own calculator
Put the lease-purchase offer next to buying with a loan. See what you pay, what you own at the end and which costs less.
LEASE-PURCHASE
BUY WITH A LOAN
Your estimate of resale value at the end of the period.
LEASE-PURCHASE VS OWN
LOWER NET COST
Buying with a loan
- Lease: total paid
- $98,600
- Lease: equity at the end
- $40,000
- Lease: net cost
- $58,600
- Loan: monthly payment
- $2,259
- Loan: total paid (incl. interest)
- $91,313
- Loan: interest
- $11,313
- Loan: equity at the end
- $40,000
- Loan: net cost
- $51,313
- Difference
- $7,287
Compares cash paid against value kept. Does not include taxes, maintenance terms in the lease, insurance or the cost of money. Read any lease-purchase contract for who pays repairs and what happens if you leave early.
Whichever way you get the truck, the payment comes due every week. We keep it loaded with loads you approve.
Keep my truck loadedHow the comparison works
- Lease total paid = down or deposit + weekly payment x weeks + buyout (if you take ownership).
- Loan payment = the standard monthly amortization of (price - down payment) at your interest rate and term.
- Loan total paid = down payment + monthly payment x months. Interest = total paid - price.
- Net cost = total paid - what the truck is worth at the end, if you own it then.
EXAMPLE OFFERS, 3 YEARS
Lease vs buy semi truck or box truck: what the numbers leave out
Repairs. Some lease-purchase contracts put all maintenance on you; some hold back an escrow from your pay for it. On a loan, repairs are always yours. Add them to whichever side carries them.
Who you can haul for. A carrier lease-purchase can tie you to that carrier's freight and pay. With your own truck and authority, you choose the loads.
Walking away. Leaving a lease early can mean losing everything paid in. Selling a financed truck you own returns its value minus what you owe.
See our guides on box truck leasing and the depreciation chart for the end-value estimate.
Lease or buy truck for business: the payment still needs loads
Either way, a weekly or monthly payment is due whether the truck moved or not. That is the cost the loads have to cover first. Check the trade-offs of dispatch with the dispatch ROI calculator and the dispatcher fee calculator, and see our dispatch fees.
Questions about this calculator
Q-01Is it better to lease or buy a semi truck?
It depends on the terms in front of you. Buying with a loan can cost less over time if you can get reasonable financing and a down payment, and you build equity. A lease-purchase can get you driving with little cash or credit, but total payments can be higher. Run both offers through the calculator before you sign.
Q-02What is a truck lease-purchase?
An agreement where you make weekly or monthly payments on a truck and can own it at the end, often after a final buyout or balloon payment. Some are offered by carriers you drive for; others by lessors. The contract decides who pays for repairs and what happens if you leave early.
Q-03What should I check before signing a lease-purchase?
Total payments over the full term, the buyout amount, who pays maintenance and major repairs, whether payments come out of your settlements, what happens if you quit or the truck breaks down, and whether you can haul for anyone else. Get a copy and read it before you commit.
Q-04Lease vs buy truck: does equity matter?
Yes. Money paid on a loan builds ownership in a truck you can sell or keep running. Payments on a lease that ends without ownership buy only the use of the truck. The calculator subtracts what the truck is worth at the end from what you paid, so both options are compared on their real net cost.
Ryan, TruckSwing dispatch desk
UPDATED OCTOBER 2026 · EDITORIAL POLICY
The payment comes due every week
Lease or loan, we keep your truck loaded with loads you approve. No setup fee.