Worked examples from the lease desk

The journal, with the numbers shown

Four long reads, each built from real arithmetic rather than opinion. If a figure appears in one of these, the working is next to it.

MoneySeptember 8, 2026 · 7 min readWhat a 39 month EV lease actually costs in AustinWe take one car, one mileage band and one term, and add up every dollar that leaves your account across three and a quarter years. Including the electricity.Read it

Leasing
Reading the residual: why EV percentages sit lower
The single number that decides your payment is set by a bank you will never speak to. Here is what moves it, and what it means when it moves.
August 22, 2026 · 6 min read
Charging
Charging Austin to Dallas, planned properly
195 miles of I-35 in August, in three different cars, with the stops, the costs and the thing nobody tells you about preconditioning.
July 30, 2026 · 6 min read
Turn in
Inside the return inspection, panel by panel
What the inspector measures, in what order, with the thresholds and the dollar figures. Read this at month 30, not month 36.
June 14, 2026 · 8 min read

The cars behind the worked examples

This month's lease deals

Sample monthly payments on cars we have here now, each with the term, mileage band, due at signing, residual and money factor on the card. Nothing is hidden behind a phone call.

All 10 offers

Best value
Hatchback · 244 mile EPA range
2026 Nordvik Alto Core
The cheapest way into an electric car in Austin
$281a month, sample
Term and band
36 mo / 10,000 mi
Due at signing
$2,111
Residual
59% of MSRP
Money factor
0.00145 (3.48%)
See the full worksheet
Most leased
Sedan · 301 mile EPA range
2026 Aveon Lume S
The car we lease more of than anything else
$342a month, sample
Term and band
36 mo / 10,000 mi
Due at signing
$2,672
Residual
60% of MSRP
Money factor
0.00135 (3.24%)
See the full worksheet
SUV · 289 mile EPA range
2026 Kestra Ridge SE
Five seats, 31.7 cubic feet and a tow rating that is real
$440a month, sample
Term and band
36 mo / 12,000 mi
Due at signing
$3,770
Residual
57.5% of MSRP
Money factor
0.00142 (3.41%)
See the full worksheet
Estate · 315 mile EPA range
2026 Solene Drift Estate
More cargo than the SUV, 26 miles more range
$506a month, sample
Term and band
36 mo / 12,000 mi
Due at signing
$4,336
Residual
56.5% of MSRP
Money factor
0.00139 (3.34%)
See the full worksheet
SUV · 302 mile EPA range
2026 Kestra Ridge Ultra 7
Seven seats, and a 39 month term that shaves the payment
$659a month, sample
Term and band
39 mo / 12,000 mi
Due at signing
$5,489
Residual
54% of MSRP
Money factor
0.00149 (3.58%)
See the full worksheet
Truck · 271 mile EPA range
2026 Byrne Haul 150 Crew
A 9.6 kW generator that also does the school run
$713a month, sample
Term and band
36 mo / 15,000 mi
Due at signing
$5,543
Residual
51.5% of MSRP
Money factor
0.00139 (3.34%)
See the full worksheet