How you could make thousands when your auto lease expires

Autos • Featured • Money

Chevy Malibu

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September 12, 2021

The global microchip shortage has created serious increased demand in used cars, and that’s especially true for leased vehicles.

According to a recent report by iSeeCars.com, the average three-year-old vehicle is worth 31.5 percent more than it was at the beginning of its lease term.

For lessees whose leases are about to expire, that means there’s a good chance their car’s residual value is significantly higher than the amount needed to buy it. There’s potentially some money to be made for those who turn around and sell these vehicles.

Here are the 15 vehicles with the largest difference in value over their predicted price according to iSeeCars.com’s data.

Ford Expedition
Ford.com

15. Ford Expedition

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $15,830

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 45.8%

Nissan Versa
DarthArt / istockphoto

14. Nissan Versa

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $3,961

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 46.1%

Jeep Cherokee
Fiat Chrysler

13. Jeep Cherokee

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $7,418

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 46.3%

Jeep Compass
arretera / iStock

12. Jeep Compass

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $7,163

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 46.4%

Kia Forte
tomeng / istockphoto

11. Kia Forte

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $4,913

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 46.7%

Mazda6
teddyleung / iStock

10. Mazda MAZDA6

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $7,193

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 46.8%

Hyundai Elantra
Srdjanns74 / iStock

9. Hyundai Elantra

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $5,319

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 47.9%

Chevrolet Malibu
Chevrolet

8. Chevy Malibu

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $6,392

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 48.2%

Nissan Leaf
tupungato / istockphoto

7. Nissan LEAF

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $6,167

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 48.3%

Chrysler 300
DarthArt / iStock

6. Chrysler 300

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $8,084

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 49.2%

VW Passat
Aliaksandr Litviniuk / iStock

5. Volkswagen Passat

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $6,400

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 49.3%

Nissan Altima
Nissan

4. Nissan Altima

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $6,228

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 49.4%

Chevrolet Camaro
Paramount Pictures

3. Chevrolet Camaro

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $12,346

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 52.9%

Dodge Charger
Dodge

2. Dodge Charger

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $11,806

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 55.9%

VW Tiguan
eugenesergeev / iStock

1. Volkswagen Tiguan

$ Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: $8,677

% Market Value Increase Over Predicted Value: 61.3%

used cars
DepositPhotos.com

Methodology

iSeeCars.com analyzed “almost 10 million new and used car sales to determine which model year 2018 cars could likely be purchased at the end of their lease term and sold for the highest profit. It estimated three-year depreciation values for new cars in 2018 and then applied these values their prices to obtain predicted three-year residual values. It then compared the predicted residual values to average used car prices of model year 2018 cars sold in May – July 2021. The models were ranked by the percentage difference between the predicted residual values and average used prices, and these differences were also aggregated at the bodystyle level.”

This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

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Constance Brinkley-Badgett

Constance Brinkley-Badgett is MediaFeed’s executive editor. She has more than 20 years of experience in digital, broadcast and print journalism, as well as several years of agency experience in content marketing. She has served as a digital producer at NBC Nightly News, Senior Producer at CNBC, Managing Editor at ICF Next, and as a tax reporter at Bloomberg BNA.
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Last modified: September 12, 2021

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About the Author /

Constance Brinkley-Badgett is MediaFeed’s executive editor. She has more than 20 years of experience in digital, broadcast and print journalism, as well as several years of agency experience in content marketing. She has served as a digital producer at NBC Nightly News, Senior Producer at CNBC, Managing Editor at ICF Next, and as a tax reporter at Bloomberg BNA.