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Best lease-to-own EV deals

Honda-US-rivals

Still think that buying a new car is always much cheaper than leasing if you’re playing for keeps? Not true, particularly when it comes to electric vehicles. We found that current factory lease offers on 22 different EV models dispel that myth with terms that pass the entire commercial clean vehicle Federal tax credit to the lessee, enabling the lessee to eventually own the vehicle for thousands of dollars less than paying cash upfront or taking out a loan.

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Five EVs that lease for under $300/month

Canada EV incentive

Last February there were nine EVs that leased for an average monthly cost of under $400 before tax and license. Since then, factory incentives have become even more attractive, and now four of those nine are leasing for under $300/month. A fifth EV, one that leased for over $400/month back then, has plunged into the sub-$300 club after a $120/month cut in cost.

Under $300/month is notable because many people spend more than that on gas, and, depending on where you get your electricity from, switching to an EV could offset most or all of the cost of the lease.

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Nine EVs that lease for under $400/month: Ioniq 5, Solterra, Niro, Ioniq 6, more

EVs-lease

There’s a loophole in the stricter IRA federal tax credit that only applies $3750 rebates on North American-built cars and separately $3750 on domestic batteries. For whatever reason, all EVs get the full $7500 applied to leases, however. So that has more people leasing EVs than ever before.

The number of electric vehicle models that can be leased for less than an average monthly lease cost of $400/month has grown by 50% since last August. The list now includes nine models with factory offers that rival lease terms on low-priced ICE vehicles such as the Toyota Camry LE, Chevy Equinox LT, and Honda HR-V LX. Two of those EV models have a range of over 300 miles.

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Best Lease-to-Own EV Deals and the ‘1-day lease’

Mercedes EQB lease

Looking to put a huge holiday ribbon on a new EV? There’s a widespread belief that buying a new car is always much cheaper than leasing it in the long run. However, we’ve found six EV lease deals that shatter that myth, with terms that pass the entire commercial clean vehicle Federal tax credit to the lessee and enable the lessee to eventually own the vehicle for thousands of dollars less than paying cash up front.

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EV leases sub-$400/month: Ioniq 6, Solterra, Niro, Mini, more

Pricing pressure from Tesla, increased EV supply, IRA Tax credit, and the looming model year changeover have spurred legacy automakers to continue sweetening incentives on their electric vehicles. Now there are six factory lease offers on EVs with an average monthly cost of under $400 before tax and license, which is a price point that rivals factory lease terms of low-priced ICE vehicles that include the Toyota Corolla LE, Chevy Equinox LT, and Honda HR-V LX.

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Hot August EV Deals: Volvo C40, Solterra, Ioniq 5, EV6, more

The latest new vehicle transaction report from KBB indicates that electric vehicle supply is still high, hovering at around 100 days, despite the average transaction price of an EV declining all summer long to a year-to-date low of $53,469. Legacy automakers continue to react by tweaking their incentives, and now we’re finding some of the best EV lease deals we’ve seen in a while.

Below are some of the best deals we found while updating our Electric Vehicle Price Guide and Electric Vehicle Lease Guide.

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Best US EV prices and deals in a high-demand market

Looking to buy an electric vehicle right now? So is everyone else, apparently. In-stock dealer inventories of EVs are sparse at best, if not completely decimated, despite a lofty average transaction price north of $66,000. But don’t lose hope – there are relative bargains that price below $66,000, sell at close to MSRP, and are available for delivery sooner than later.

As always, check our Electric Vehicle Best Price Guide and Electric Vehicle Best Lease Guide for the prices and deals on EVs in the US.

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Best dealer EV deals on Bolt EV/EUV, EV6, Ioniq 5, more

electric vehicles 2022

According to KBB, the average transaction price for a new electric vehicle increased by 1.8% in March amidst a 17% year-over-year increase. Hopefully that uptick will be reversed with an expected increase in supply, thanks to Chevrolet resuming Bolt production as well as a number of affordable EV models set to arrive at dealerships between now and the end of the year. However, if you have an ICE or short-range electric and want to take advantage of its elevated trade-in value before used car prices drop further, here are a few of the available options to consider.

As always, check our Electric Vehicle Price Guide and Electric Vehicle Lease Guide for prices and deals on EVs in the US.

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January EV Deals, Ioniq 5, Niro, Mustang Mach-E, and more

The average transaction price for a new entry-level vehicle is now at $43,072. That’s over $900 above MSRP, according to a recent report by KBB. Even worse, the average transaction price for a new electric vehicle has risen by 18.6% over the past year, nearly 5% more than the industry average. As such, we are highlighting EVs found during our survey of electric vehicle lease deals and discounts with dealer inventory that seem to be adequately supporting demand, thereby increasing your chances of negotiating a fair deal.

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In search of: Black Friday EV deals in the US

Black Friday deals on EVs have been few and far between this season. The ones we managed to discover earlier last week were scooped up shortly after including on our Electric Vehicle Best Lease Guide. Coincidence? Perhaps. Good news is we took one last look yesterday and found a couple of great LEAF and Niro EV discounts. No doubt these will go quick, so for those left in the dust that absolutely need to buy or lease a car ASAP, we’re highlighting several offers worth considering in this supply-constrained market.

As always, check our Electric Vehicle Best Price Guide and Electric Vehicle Best Lease Guide for the best deals on EVs in the US.

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Great September EV lease deals in a seller’s market

It’s not easy to find great deals in the current environment of increased demand and constricted supply. Still, we managed to find several good electric vehicle deals worth considering, especially for those that find themselves in a situation where they absolutely need to get a car right now.

EV shoppers that currently own a used vehicle (electric or not) that has drastically appreciated in value over the past several months should also take notice. Harvesting that trade-in value while scoring a decent deal on a new EV could mimic those great EV deals that were common in the not-so-distant past. As always, check our Electric Vehicle Best Price Guide and Electric Vehicle Best Lease Guide for the best deals on EVs in the US.

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August EV Deals: VW ID.4, Chevy Bolt EV/EUV, Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, 2022 Nissan LEAF

In the midst of supply chain issues and low interest rates driving the average new car transaction to yet another all-time high – now at a lofty $42,258 – we found several recently introduced electric vehicles bucking the trend with factory rebates, dealer discounts, and attractive lease terms…

As always, check our Electric Vehicle Best Price Guide and Electric Vehicle Best Lease Guide for the best deals on EVs in the US.

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March Madness! Great deals on Bolt EV, e-tron, Kona, and Niro EV

Polestar

The past few months have certainly been an exciting season of electric vehicle announcements, reveals, introductions, and the like. With so much enthusiasm and salivating over new models and updates, do any of the currently available EVs have a chance at winning your hard-earned dollars before fresh choices start to appear in a matter of months? Before you answer, read on for some of the best deals discovered during this month’s search for electric vehicle lease deals and discounts, designed to distract buyers from what lies ahead and focus their attention to what is here and now.

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2022 Chevy Bolts drive deep ’20-’21 model discounts toward $20K

If you’ve been shopping for a 200-plus-mile EV, odds are that last week’s 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV/EUV announcement really caught your attention. With a fresh look on the outside, majorly improved interior, included 240V 7.2KW charge cable, and perhaps most importantly, a starting price that is thousands of dollars less than the outgoing Bolt EV and its competitors, why not wait a few months for General Motors’ latest and greatest? Well, as one might expect, dealer discounts and factory rebates on 2020 and 2021 Bolt EVs have been adjusted favorably over the past few weeks, and there are some incredible deals inching the 2020-2021 Bolt starting price to near $20,000 now.

Those who religiously check our Electric Vehicle Price Guide after the first week of the month probably noticed that the factory rebate on a 2020 Bolt was bumped up to $8,500 for February, which was perhaps a preemptive move prior to the 2022 Bolt EV/EUV reveal.

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January EV deals: 200+ miles of range for less than $200/month

Happy New Year! Now that 2021 has arrived, dealers are even more motivated than last month to move old inventory off their lots. Remaining stock of 2020 models is already thin in some locales, so act soon if you find any of these offers on 200-mile EVs enticing.  

As always, check our Electric Vehicle Best Price Guide and Electric Vehicle Best Lease Guide for the best deals on EVs in the US.

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Huge year-end discounts and rebates drive the cost of new EVs below $20K

Nissan Leaf at night

During our monthly search for the best EV discounts, we found four models – two BEVs and two PHEVs – that can cost less than $20,000 before tax and license. Considering the average used vehicle price as reported by USA Today was trending upward at $21,558 in July, and that the average new vehicle transaction price is just shy of $40,000 ($39,259 to be exact, per Kelly Blue Book), $20K for a brand-new electric vehicle looks like a relative bargain.

Note this is the last week we’ll include PHEVs in our roundups. Our resolution for 2021 is BEVs only!

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