One of the least expensive ways to get into a new car is to lease one. With a lease, lessees don’t pay the entire value of the new car, just the amount of the depreciation during the term of the lease. This typically means if you lease, you’ll have smaller monthly payments than those who buy. Even better, shoppers can take advantage of lease specials from local dealerships and automakers, just like when buying a new vehicle.
We’ve put together this guide to the cheapest car lease deals, and we update it every month so you know you’re getting the best deals on the best cars.
Cheapest Car Lease Deals in December 2025
- Factors that Impact the Cost of Car Leases
- Current Trends for Cheap Car Leases
- Cheap Lease Deals this Month
- How to get the Cheapest Deal on Your Lease
- Can You Lease a Used Car
Factors that Impact the Cost of Car Leases
So what makes up the cost of your new car lease? The main one is the value of the car. This is not exclusively the MSRP or sticker price. It’s the net cap cost, which is the negotiated price after the MSRP, incentives, and fees. Then, the dealership will calculate the total amount of value the car is going to lose over the lease term. Lessees don’t pay for the total value, just that calculated amount of depreciation. There will be an added amount of interest that goes to the leasing company. Other factors in a car lease include your down payment, location, mileage limits, and any damage to the vehicle when you turn it in.
As with many financial transactions, your credit rating will affect your ability to get a lease and the amount of money you’ll pay. Keep in mind there may be incentives and lease offers that are not accessible to people with low credit scores.
Current Trends for Cheap Car Leases
Of course, automotive industry trends impact everything from the types of models available for lease to accessibility of lease deals. High interest rates make for more expensive leases and low inventory can cause an increase in prices with the accompanying rise in demand. Lack of inventory of certain types of vehicles can also cause an uptick in demand for others. For example, a lack of cheap lease deals on luxury cars can cause shoppers to look to mainstream brands.
One example is the lack of good lease deals on all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles in regions that get a lot of snow, where AWD is more popular. So if you live in one of those regions and mostly work from home, or know you won’t be driving when the weather gets bad, look for a front-wheel drive (FWD) vehicle (and put a good set of winter tires on it during colder months).
Overall, the automotive market is seeing improvement in semiconductor availability and production in general is picking up after pandemic slowdowns and supply-chain bottlenecks. That said, car prices in general are high and availability is still not where it was pre-pandemic. So if you’re shopping around and find the right car for you with a good lease deal, you should act quickly.
To help you do your research, we’ve got a list of the best lease deals this month. We keep this list updated but know that prices and conditions can vary by location, and are subject to be withdrawn at any time. Check with your local dealership for the best lease offers near you.
Cheap Lease Deals this Month
2025 Nissan Sentra
Lease monthly payment: $209.00
Duration of lease: 36 months
Money down required for lease: $3,149
Total Cost (based on the terms listed above): $10,673.00
Effective monthly payment (based on the terms listed above): $296.47
MSRP: $24,060
Expiration date for lease offer: 1/2/26
Find a Nissan Sentra for sale
More details from Nissan
Research the Nissan Sentra on CarGurus
2026 Hyundai Elantra
Lease monthly payment: $219.00
Duration of lease: 24 months
Money down required for lease: $3,499
Total Cost (based on the terms listed above): $8,755.00
Effective monthly payment (based the terms listed above): $364.79
MSRP: $23,870
Expiration date for lease offer: 1/2/26
Find a Hyundai Elantra for sale
More details from Hyundai
Research the Hyundai Elantra on CarGurus
2025 Kia K4
Lease monthly payment: $219.00
Duration of lease: 24 months
Money down required for lease: $3,499
Total Cost (based on the terms listed above): $8,755.00
Effective monthly payment (based the terms listed above): $364.79
MSRP: $22,990
Expiration date for lease offer: 1/2/26
Find a Kia K4 for sale
More details from Kia
Research the Kia K4 on CarGurus
2025 Kia Seltos
Lease monthly payment: $229.00
Duration of lease: 24 months
Money down required for lease: $3,499
Total Cost (based on the terms listed above): $8,995.00
Effective monthly payment (based the terms listed above): $374.79
MSRP: $24,890
Expiration date for lease offer: 1/2/26
Find a Kia Seltos for sale
More details from Kia
Research the Kia Seltos on CarGurus
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6
Lease monthly payment: $239.00
Duration of lease: 24 months
Money down required for lease: $3,999
Total Cost (based on the terms listed above): $9,735.00
Effective monthly payment (based on the terms listed above): $405.63
MSRP: $43,995
Expiration date for lease offer: 1/2/26
Find a Hyundai Ioniq 6 for sale
More details from Hyundai
Research the Hyundai Ioniq 6 on CarGurus
2026 Honda Civic
Lease monthly payment: $239.00
Duration of lease: 36 months
Money down required for lease: $3,599
Total Cost (based on the terms listed above): $12,203.00
Effective monthly payment (based on the terms listed above): $338.97
MSRP: $25,790
Expiration date for lease offer: 1/5/26
Find a Honda Civic for sale
More details from Honda
Research the Honda Civic on CarGurus
2026 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid
Lease monthly payment: $259.00
Duration of lease: 36 months
Money down required for lease: $3,499
Total Cost (based on the terms listed above): $12,823.00
Effective monthly payment (based on the terms listed above): $356.19
MSRP: $26,695
Expiration date for lease offer: 1/2/26
Find a Hyundai Elantra Hybrid for sale
More details from Hyundai
Research the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid on CarGurus
2026 Honda Civic Hatchback
Lease monthly payment: $259.00
Duration of lease: 36 months
Money down required for lease: $3,899
Total Cost (based on the terms listed above): $13,223.00
Effective monthly payment (based on the terms listed above): $367.31
MSRP: $28,990
Expiration date for lease offer: 1/5/26
Find a Honda Civic Hatchback for sale
More details from Honda
Research the Honda Civic Hatchback on CarGurus
2025 Honda Accord
Lease monthly payment: $269.00
Duration of lease: 36 months
Money down required for lease: $4,199
Total Cost (based on the terms listed above): $13,883.00
Effective monthly payment (based on the terms listed above): $385.64
MSRP: $29,490
Expiration date for lease offer: 1/5/26
Find a Honda Accord for sale
More details from Honda
Research the Honda Accord on CarGurus
2026 Honda Civic Hybrid
Lease monthly payment: $269.00
Duration of lease: 36 months
Money down required for lease: $3,899
Total Cost (based on the terms listed above): $13,583.00
Effective monthly payment (based on the terms listed above): $377.31
MSRP: $30,490
Expiration date for lease offer: 1/5/26
Find a Honda Civic Hybrid for sale
More details from Honda
Research the Honda Civic Hybrid on CarGurus
2026 Subaru Crosstrek
Lease monthly payment: $275.00
Duration of lease: 36 months
Money down required for lease: $3,274
Total Cost (based on the terms listed above): $13,174.00
Effective monthly payment (based on the terms listed above): $365.94
MSRP: $28,415
Expiration date for lease offer: 1/2/26
Find a Subaru Crosstrek for sale
More details from Subaru
Research the Subaru Crosstrek on CarGurus
How to get the Cheapest Deal on Your Lease
It may feel like you need a strong constitution to negotiate a lease deal in a competitive market, and that’s not entirely wrong. But if you do some research ahead of time it won’t feel so daunting. Keep your focus on bringing down the total cost of your lease deal and making sure it falls in your budget. Don’t look at just the monthly payments, but also what the total cost of the lease will be when the lease term ends. This gives you the big picture about how much you’re spending over the course of time. If you find the monthly payments are out of your range, ask the dealer if there is wiggle room on the lease price or interest rate. Adjust your down payment, term length, or mileage limit to see what kind of savings you can get. Don’t overlook lease specials from competitors, as even if you don’t go with the competitor, it’s a lever to use in your negotiations to get the best deal possible.
And because you want to be thorough, you should take into account any financing options that may be accessible to you. These include a bank loan, a secured auto loan, or a dealership loan (buying a Honda through Honda Financial Services, for example). It’s important to understand that financing is a different type of transaction and that you’ll be paying off the overall value of the new vehicle, instead of just the depreciation of the new vehicle. The upshot is that at the end of your financing, the vehicle belongs to you. With leasing, you have to give the vehicle back, and have nothing to show for all those monthly payments.
That is, unless you decide to buy your car at the end of the lease. Understand that the residual value of the car is the amount you’ll pay at the end of the lease should you decide you want to keep it. Dealerships will calculate the residual value when you negotiate your lease. You can opt to finance your previously-leased vehicle, too. The lesson? All types of car buying involve doing some homework if you want to feel good about your lease or purchase.
If you have bad credit, we can help out with that. See our separate guide to buying a car with bad credit.
Can You Lease a Used Car?
Sometimes you can find a dealership that is willing to lease a used car. It’s important to know that this is more the exception than the rule. That said, leasing a used car can be one of the most inexpensive ways to get into a car. You will need to be patient when finding one of these leases. More importantly, you need to be flexible. If there is a brand you like that doesn’t seem to have the model you want, you may need to shop a brand you aren’t familiar with. If Toyota doesn’t have any deals on Tundras, look for a Ford F-150, or a Chevrolet Silverado. If you wanted an SUV but can only find a deal on a crossover, you may need to be okay with that if the price is right and you need transportation. But also be pragmatic; if you need a pickup truck, it may not be wise to select a Honda Civic hatchback, no matter how cool that hatchback is.
Lastly, there likely won’t be incentives or lease offers because the largest hit of depreciation has occurred with a new car, so the depreciation is less than with a new car and it’s already going to be available at a lower price.
