$659
a month, sample- Adjusted cap cost
- $47,289
- Total of payments
- $23,724
Sample figures, not tax advice
The clean vehicle credit, passed through in full
On a purchase, the credit belongs to the buyer and comes with income caps, price caps and assembly rules. On a lease it belongs to the lessor, who may pass it through. We pass through all of it, shown as its own line on your worksheet.
- Credit amount
- $7,500
- Applied as
- Cap cost reduction
- Income cap on a lease
- None
- Effect on this example
- $219 a month
Who claims it, and why that matters
On a lease, the lessor is the owner
The clean vehicle credit is claimed by whoever owns the vehicle. When you buy, that is you, and the rules that come with it are yours to satisfy: a modified adjusted gross income cap, a vehicle price cap, and requirements about where the car and its battery components were made.
When you lease, the owner is the funding lessor. They claim the credit under the commercial clean vehicle provisions, which do not impose an income test on the driver and do not carry the same sourcing requirements. That is why a car which does not qualify for a purchase credit can still carry the benefit on a lease.
Nothing obliges a lessor or a dealer to pass that money on. Some pass part of it. Some quietly keep it and advertise a payment that looks competitive because the credit went into their margin instead of your cap cost. We pass through all $7,500and it appears on the worksheet as its own line, so you can see it.
We are not tax advisors
Everything on this page is general information and sample figures for a demo site. Credit rules, amounts and eligibility change. Talk to your own tax advisor about your circumstances before relying on any of it.
The same Ridge SE, with and without
$440
a month, sample- Adjusted cap cost
- $39,789
- Total of payments
- $15,840
The difference
$219 a month
$7,884 across the 36 month term. That is the whole argument for asking every dealer whether the credit is being passed through, and for asking to see it on the worksheet.
Four questions worth asking anywhere
How to check where the credit went
- 01Is the clean vehicle credit being passed through on this lease?
A straight yes or no. If the answer takes more than a sentence, that is informative on its own.
- 02How much of it, and where does it appear?
It should be a named line in the capitalised cost reduction section of the worksheet, not folded silently into a discount.
- 03What is the residual percentage and the money factor?
A dealer can pass the credit through and then take it back by marking up the money factor. Both numbers together tell the truth.
- 04What is the total of payments?
The single figure that cannot be manipulated by moving money between the cap cost and the rate. Compare it across quotes.
Worth asking your advisor about
Other incentives sometimes available
These change regularly and eligibility depends on your circumstances, your utility and the programme budget at the time. We track them and will tell you what is live when you apply, but they are not ours to promise.
- Utility rebates toward a Level 2 charger and its installation
- Time of use electricity plans with a cheaper overnight rate
- Business deductions on a commercial lease, through your own accountant
- Manufacturer loyalty and conquest programmes on specific models
- Fleet incentives above five vehicles, handled by Imani
Credit questions
The credit and theworksheet
If a question you have is not here, call and ask for a lease advisor. Nobody will read you a script.
Yes, in full, as a capitalised cost reduction shown as its own line on your worksheet. Because the lessor takes the credit on a lease rather than the driver, there is no income cap and no assembly location requirement to satisfy. Talk to your own tax advisor about your circumstances; we are not tax advisors and this is a sample figure.
Two things plus tax. Depreciation is the adjusted capitalised cost minus the residual value, divided by the number of months. Rent charge is the adjusted cap plus the residual, multiplied by the money factor. Add them together and that is your payment. Texas motor vehicle tax is capitalised into the cap cost at inception rather than added monthly, which is why a Texas payment looks higher than the same deal quoted in a monthly tax state.
It is the lease equivalent of an interest rate, written as a small decimal. Multiply it by 2,400 to get the APR equivalent. A money factor of 0.00142 is roughly 3.41 percent. Every offer on this site shows both numbers. If a dealer will not tell you the money factor, that is the answer to a different question.
On the ground this month
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
6 deals, scroll sideways
Best valueHatchback · 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%)
Most leasedSedan · 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%)
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%)
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%)
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%)
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%)