Critical Shifts:
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Significant Consumer Savings: Drivers who opted for a lease buyout in 2025 saved a collective $73 million, driven largely by an average of $5,500 in positive vehicle equity per transaction.
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Avoiding Penalties: Buyouts allowed drivers to escape high costs associated with returning vehicles, specifically mileage overage fees. For example, Jeep Wrangler owners avoided an average of $2,622 in fees by purchasing their vehicles instead of returning them over-limit.
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Shifting Demographics: There is a growing trend of younger consumers choosing buyouts. The average age of a buyout customer dropped from 50 in 2022 to 47 in 2025, signaling increased financial awareness among Millennials and Gen Z.
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Honda’s Market Dominance: Honda was the leading manufacturer for buyout volume for the second year in a row. The Honda CR-V was particularly lucrative for consumers, posting the highest average equity of any model at $7,886.
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Vehicle Preferences by Generation: Buying habits vary by age; Gen Z favors affordable, reliable sedans like the Honda Civic and Kia Forte, while Millennials lean toward larger family vehicles and trucks like the Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
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Lease End, an online lease buyout platform, released its 2026 Annual Lease Buyout Report – a data-driven analysis of 19,287 lease buyout transactions completed in 2025.
The report finds that drivers who chose to buy out their leases rather than return them collectively saved more than $73 million during 2025. These savings were fueled by an average of $5,500 in positive vehicle equity and the avoidance of costly mileage overage fees.
The 2026 Annual Lease Buyout Report shows why the lease buyout is emerging as one of the clearest financial wins available to American drivers at the end of their lease term, even in a market defined by elevated new vehicle prices and persistent affordability pressure.
“The lease buyout has gone from a niche financial move to one of the clearest wins available to American drivers,” said Lease End CRO and Co-Founder Zander Cook. “In today’s market, the smartest move isn’t always getting into something new, it’s recognizing the value in what you already have. More drivers are realizing that their leased vehicle can be a financial asset, not just a temporary expense.”
One of the most significant trends in the 2026 report is the continued shift toward younger lease buyout customers. The average age of a Lease End driver has fallen from 50 in 2022 to 47 in 2025 — a three-year trend reflecting a growing financial awareness among Millennials and Gen Z.
Younger buyers are gravitating toward affordable, high-reliability models. Gen Z (18–29) buyers favor the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, and Kia Forte. Millennials (30–44) skew toward family-ready trucks and SUVs — the Ram 1500, Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep Grand Cherokee top their list.
SUVs and crossovers dominate lease buyouts at 65%, followed by sedans (18%) and trucks (13%) — closely mirroring what Americans were leasing three years ago when these buyouts originated.
Honda leads all manufacturers in buyout volume for the second consecutive year, with four models in the top 10 (CR-V, Civic, Accord, HR-V) — all carrying average new monthly payments below $600 after a lease buyout transaction. The Honda CR-V posted the highest average equity of any model at $7,886.
The Jeep Wrangler ranked second overall and illustrates another key buyout driver: mileage overages. Wrangler lessees averaged 44,740 miles at buyout — 8,740 over the standard 36,000-mile allowance. By buying out rather than returning, those drivers avoided an average of $2,622 in overage fees.
