How to Track Your Lease Mileage (The Easy Way)

Dec 5

Tracking your lease mileage sounds simple. Just check your odometer occasionally, right?

In reality, most people don't track at all—until they're six months from lease end and panic-checking their mileage. By then, it's often too late to adjust.

Here's how to track your mileage the easy way, so you always know where you stand.

Why Tracking Matters

The math is brutal. At $0.25 per mile, going over by just 5,000 miles costs $1,250. And that's on the lower end—luxury vehicles can charge $0.35 per mile or more.

But here's the thing: overage fees are 100% avoidable if you track from day one.

Knowing your status early lets you:

Adjust driving habits gradually
Buy extra miles at a discount (if available)
Make informed decisions about your lease

Method 1: The Mental Math Approach

The simplest method requires no tools at all.

Your monthly mileage budget:

Take your total allowed miles
Divide by the number of months in your lease
That's how many miles you can drive per month

Example: 36,000 miles over 36 months = 1,000 miles/month

Each month, check if your odometer increased by roughly that amount. If you're consistently over, you know to adjust.

Pros: No tools needed Cons: Easy to forget, no trending data, requires manual math

Method 2: The Spreadsheet

For the detail-oriented, a simple spreadsheet works well.

Create columns for:

Date
Odometer reading
Miles driven this period
Total miles used
Miles remaining
Status (over/under pace)

Update it weekly or monthly. You'll see trends over time and know exactly where you stand.

Pros: Detailed tracking, see trends, free Cons: Manual entry, easy to abandon, no reminders

Method 3: Phone Notes or Reminders

Set a recurring reminder on your phone for the first of each month: "Log odometer reading."

When the reminder pops up, jot down the reading in your notes app. At the end of your lease, you'll have a complete history.

Pros: Simple, uses tools you already have Cons: Still requires manual calculation, no visualization

Method 4: A Dedicated App

The easiest method is using an app built specifically for lease tracking. A good app will:

Calculate your status automatically
Show if you're over or under pace instantly
Project future overage fees
Send reminders to log your odometer
Display trends with visual charts

You just enter your odometer reading—the app does the rest.

Pros: Automatic calculations, visual feedback, reminders Cons: Need to download an app

What to Track

Regardless of your method, you need these numbers:

Starting odometer - When you picked up the car
Current odometer - Updated regularly
Lease start date - When the lease began
Lease end date - When you return the car
Total miles allowed - From your contract
Cost per excess mile - From your contract

With these numbers, you can calculate your status at any time.

How Often to Track

Minimum: Monthly. Check your odometer on the same day each month.

Better: Weekly. More data points help you spot trends faster.

Best: After every trip. Some apps let you log each drive, giving you a complete picture.

The more often you track, the earlier you'll catch problems.

Red Flags to Watch For

You might be headed for overage fees if:

You're consistently over your monthly budget
You have a long commute and didn't account for it
You took several road trips you didn't plan for
You're more than 10% over pace at any point

Catching these early gives you time to adjust.

The Bottom Line

Tracking your lease mileage takes just a few minutes per week—or even less with the right tools. Those few minutes can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars at lease end.

Pick a method, stick with it, and never be surprised by overage fees again.

Good afternoon

2024 Tesla Model 3

✓ On Pace

18,450

Miles Used

17,550

Remaining

Miles/Day

Update your odometer

christopher gonzalez