How Much Does It Cost to Add Miles to a Lease?
Adding lease miles costs least at signing, often less mid-lease, most at turn-in. Nissan sells miles at $0.10; turn-in rates run $0.15 to $0.30 a mile.
Quick answer
How much does it cost to add miles to a lease? It depends on when. At signing, the lender lowers the residual: in a Federal Reserve example, 2,000 extra miles a year added $17.98 to the monthly payment. Mid-lease, Nissan sells miles at $0.10 each. At turn-in, published overage rates run $0.15 to $0.30 a mile.
Sources: Federal Reserve, Nissan Motor Acceptance Company, Toyota Financial Services, Rivian
Three ways to pay for extra miles
You can pay for miles beyond your allowance at three points: build them into the lease at signing, buy them during the term where your lender sells them, or pay the excess-mileage charge at turn-in. Each is priced differently:
| When | How it is priced | Published examples | Unused miles refunded? |
|---|---|---|---|
| At signing | The lessor lowers the residual value, so the monthly payment rises | Federal Reserve example: 2,000 more miles a year on a 48-month lease raised the base payment from $244.69 to $262.67. Acura Financial Services sells miles at signing. | Only if your lease says so (Federal Reserve) |
| During the lease | A per-mile price set by the lender's program | Nissan SignatureFLEX: $0.10 a mile, up to 30 days before maturity. Tesla: up to 20,000 miles per purchase in the app. BMW: Mileage Adjustment Program at a discounted rate. Volkswagen and Audi: at the halfway point, if eligible. | Nissan: non-refundable |
| At turn-in | The excess-mileage rate in your lease | Toyota Financial Services typically $0.15, Hyundai and Kia $0.20, Tesla and Polestar $0.25, Rivian $0.30 a mile | Not applicable |
| Not offered | No extra miles for sale | Mazda Financial Services (not currently offered); Stellantis Financial Services after signing | Not applicable |
At signing: a lower residual, a higher payment
When you ask for more miles before you sign, the lender expects the car to be worth less at the end. The Federal Reserve explains that the lessor should reduce the residual value to reflect the higher expected mileage, which increases your monthly payment and should decrease or eliminate the excess-mileage charge at the end.
Its worked example: a 48-month lease allowing 15,000 miles a year, for a driver who expects 17,000. Returned with 8,000 excess miles at 15 cents, it owes $1,200 at the end. Written for 17,000 miles a year with the residual reduced by 13 cents per mile ($12,350 down to $11,310), the base monthly payment rises from $244.69 to $262.67, and the total paid falls from $12,945.00 to $12,608.21. The Federal Reserve adds that, if the lease rate doesn't change, you also pay less in rent charges when the residual value is lower.
Some lessors refund the charge for extra miles bought above 15,000 a year if you don't drive them; the Federal Reserve says that if the lessor has this policy, it should be in the lease agreement. Ask before you sign.
Mid-lease: where lenders sell miles
A few lenders publish a way to add miles during the term. Nissan Motor Acceptance Company sells Signature FLEX miles for $0.10 a mile, bought at NissanFinance.com up to 30 days before maturity, for Nissans from model year 2020 or newer with a maturity date of 2/1/2025 or later; its turn-in rate is $0.15 or $0.25. Tesla lets lessees whose lessor is Tesla Lease Trust buy up to 20,000 miles per transaction in the Tesla app, at least three months before the original maturity date. BMW Financial Services' Mileage Adjustment Program sells miles at a discounted rate before you return the car, through My Account. Eligible Volkswagen Financial Services and Audi Financial Services customers get the option at the halfway point of the lease.
If you find nothing on your lender's pages, ask anyway. The Federal Reserve suggests contacting the lessor to see whether it will revise the lease to permit higher mileage.
At turn-in: the excess-mileage rate
Miles you never paid for are billed at the rate in your lease, which Regulation M (12 CFR 213.4(h)) requires the lessor to disclose. The Federal Reserve describes the range as 10 cents to 25 cents per mile or more. Among lenders that publish one, Toyota Financial Services charges typically $0.15, Hyundai and Kia $0.20, Tesla and Polestar $0.25, and Rivian $0.30.
Worked example (hypothetical): adding 5,000 miles
This example is hypothetical and for illustration only; your lender's numbers will differ. Take a 36-month lease and assume the lessor applies the same 13-cent-per-mile residual adjustment the Federal Reserve uses. Adding 5,000 miles at signing lowers the residual by $650 (5,000 x $0.13). Spread over 36 months, that is about $18.06 a month of extra depreciation, slightly offset by the lower rent charge. Bought mid-lease at Nissan's published $0.10 a mile, the same 5,000 miles would cost $500. Left to turn-in, they would cost $750 at $0.15 a mile or $1,500 at $0.30.
- At signing (hypothetical 13-cent residual adjustment): about $650 spread across the payments, before the rent-charge offset.
- Mid-lease at $0.10 a mile (Nissan's published price): $500.
- At turn-in at $0.15 a mile (Toyota Financial Services, typically): $750.
- At turn-in at $0.30 a mile (Rivian): $1,500.
Earlier is usually cheaper per mile, but prepaid miles only pay off if you drive them. Track your pace before you buy a block.
Which should you choose?
- You know you drive more than the allowance: negotiate the miles in at signing, as the Federal Reserve suggests.
- You are trending over mid-lease: check whether your lender sells miles, and compare its price with its turn-in rate.
- You might buy the car: skip the extra miles. The Federal Reserve says buying at lease end removes the excess-mileage charge.
- You are not sure: track your odometer against your allowance for a few months first, so any purchase is sized to real driving.
LeaseMiles Team
We build LeaseMiles, a free iOS app for tracking mileage on a leased car. We write about lease mileage allowances, excess-mileage charges, EV running costs and lease-end, and we cite a primary source for every number.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no single price; it depends on your lender and when you add them. As a labeled hypothetical: if your lessor lowered the residual by 13 cents per mile, as in the Federal Reserve's example, 5,000 added miles would cut the residual by $650, about $18.06 a month of extra depreciation on a 36-month lease, before the small drop in rent charge. Bought mid-lease from Nissan at $0.10 a mile, 5,000 miles would cost $500. Paid at turn-in, it would cost $750 to $1,500 at the rates lenders publish.
Some lenders sell them during the term: Nissan at $0.10 a mile up to 30 days before maturity, Tesla in its app (up to 20,000 miles per purchase, at least three months before maturity, Tesla Lease Trust leases only), BMW through its Mileage Adjustment Program, and Volkswagen and Audi at the halfway point for eligible customers. Others do not: Mazda Financial Services says it is not currently offering additional miles, and Stellantis Financial Services says you cannot buy them after the initial lease signing.
Usually at signing, if you drive the miles. The Federal Reserve says it often costs less to negotiate a higher mileage limit in the lease than to pay for excess miles at the end. In its own example, a 17,000-mile-a-year lease cost $12,608.21 in total against $12,945.00 for a 15,000-mile lease driven 17,000 miles a year and charged for the overage.
Usually not. The Federal Reserve says you will not get a refund for unused miles unless your lease states that the lessor will refund them, and Nissan states its mileage purchases are non-refundable. Acura's loyalty program is a different kind of exception: it rolls up to 15,000 unused miles into your next Acura Luxury Lease.
Mazda Financial Services says it is not currently offering additional miles, and Stellantis Financial Services (Jeep and the other Stellantis brands) says you cannot buy additional mileage after the initial lease signing. Most other lenders publish nothing either way, so ask yours.
Sources
- Federal Reserve, Example: higher mileage limit
- Federal Reserve, End-of-lease costs: excess mileage
- Federal Reserve, Leasing FAQ
- Federal Reserve, Purchase option at lease end
- Regulation M, 12 CFR 213.4
- Nissan Motor Acceptance Company, Purchasing additional lease miles
- Tesla, Leasing your vehicle
- BMW, Return your vehicle
- Audi Financial Services, FAQs
- Acura Financial Services, Acura Loyalty Advantage
- Mazda Financial Services, FAQs
- Stellantis Financial Services, End-of-lease FAQs
- Toyota Financial Services, Over your mileage allowance
- Hyundai Motor Finance, Lease-end kit (PDF)
- Kia Finance America, Lease-end brochure (PDF)
- Polestar, Private lease
- Rivian, Exceeding your annual mileage
- Volkswagen Financial Services, FAQ
Tools and brand pages
Track Your Lease Mileage with LeaseMiles
Stay on top of your lease mileage, avoid overage fees, and save money. Download LeaseMiles free on the App Store.
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