Car Leasing Calculator (Portugal)
How much is the monthly rent on a car leasing? This calculator estimates the rent from the vehicle value, the initial down payment, the nominal annual rate (TAN), the term and the residual value (the buy-out at the end). Because leasing is a rental with an option to buy, it shows two totals: what you pay if you keep the car at the end and what you pay if you hand it back. The figures are shown without VAT.
Leasing finances the vehicle value minus the down payment. The rent amortises down to the residual value, the buy-out you pay at the end if you want to keep the car. The figures are shown without VAT: leasing rents and the buy-out are subject to VAT at the standard rate (23%), explained in the article.
At the end of the contract you decide: pay the buy-out and keep the car, or hand it back. Figures shown without VAT.
Leasing summary
| Vehicle value | €30,000.00 |
| Initial down payment | €6,000.00 |
| Financed amount | €24,000.00 |
| TAN (nominal annual rate) | 6.9% |
| Number of rents | 48 |
| Monthly rent | €464.70 |
| Total rents (48 rents) | €22,305.49 |
| Residual value / buy-out (20%) | €6,000.00 |
| Total if you buy the car at the end | €34,305.49 |
| Total if you return the car at the end | €28,305.49 |
| Of which interest | €4,305.49 |
Educational estimate, not financial advice. It works out the rent (French amortisation) on the financed amount (vehicle value minus down payment) at the TAN you choose, amortising down to the residual value. Figures are shown without VAT; leasing rents and the buy-out are subject to VAT at the standard rate (23%), non-deductible for private individuals. It does not include commissions, insurance or stamp duty.
What car leasing is
Car leasing (locação financeira in Portugal) is a contract where a leasing company buys the car and rents it to you for a term in exchange for a monthly rent. The car belongs to the leasing company until the end of the contract; at that point you have a buy-out option (the residual value) you can exercise to keep the car, or you can hand it back. It is this buy-out at the end that sets leasing apart both from a car loan (where the car is yours from day one) and from renting (a rental that usually bundles insurance and maintenance and has no buy-out).
Down payment, rent and residual value
The initial down payment is what you pay up front and it reduces the amount financed. The monthly rent is fixed and amortises the financed amount down to the residual value. The residual value (buy-out) is a slice of the value kept until the end: the higher it is, the lower the rent, but the more you must pay at the end to keep the car, and the more total interest, because the capital stays outstanding for longer. In leasing, the residual value is usually quoted as a percentage of the vehicle value.
How the rent is calculated
The rent is constant (the "French" amortisation system): each rent covers that month’s interest on the outstanding balance and repays the rest, down to the residual value at the end. The formula is rent = (financed − residual ÷ (1 + i)^n) × i / (1 − (1 + i)^−n), where i is the monthly rate (the TAN divided by 12) and n is the number of months. With no residual, the rent reduces to that of a fully-amortising loan, as in a car loan.
Buy or return at the end, and VAT
At the end of the contract you decide: pay the residual value and keep the car, or hand it back. That is why the calculator shows the total if you buy (down payment + rents + residual) and the total if you return it (down payment + rents), the difference being exactly the buy-out. Mind the VAT: in leasing, the rents and the buy-out are subject to VAT at the standard rate (23% on the mainland) and, for a passenger car, that VAT is generally not deductible for a private individual, so it is a real extra cost. This calculator shows the figures without VAT; the article explains the VAT in detail.
Worked example
On a €30,000 car with a €6,000 down payment (financing €24,000) over 48 months (4 years), at a 6.9% TAN and a 20% residual value (€6,000), the rent is about €464.70 a month (without VAT). If you exercise the buy-out at the end, you pay about €34,305 in total (down payment + rents + the €6,000 buy-out) and keep the car. If you return the car, you pay about €28,305 (down payment + rents) and keep nothing. On top of these you must add the VAT on the rents and the buy-out.
Frequently asked questions
How is a car leasing rent calculated?
What is the difference between leasing and a car loan?
What is the residual value in leasing?
Does leasing have VAT?
Leasing or renting: what is the difference?
Are the figures guaranteed?
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Sources
- Decreto-Lei n.º 149/95, regime jurídico do contrato de locação financeira — Diário da República
- Locação financeira (leasing): o que é e como funciona — Banco de Portugal, Portal do Cliente Bancário
Author: Thorben Rasmus Idel · Reviewed by: Nahar Geva · Last reviewed: 2026-06-26