There are a few important questions to consider when deciding on a finance lease or an operating lease for your vehicle. Do you plan on keeping the vehicle for a long time or would you prefer to upgrade regularly? Are you comfortable in paying maintenance costs? Is your intention to use the vehicle for most of its life?

If that’s the case, then a finance lease is ideal. A finance lease means the lessor rents the vehicle from the owner with a purchase option at the end of the lease. As a result, there’s no expensive upfront fees like there would be if the vehicle was bought outright. A finance lease also means the lessor is responsible for all risks as if they own the vehicle, with rental payments made during the lease period and a balloon payment at the end. At the end of the lease period the lessor will own the vehicle outright.

An operating lease has a shorter rental term, which means the lessor can upgrade to a new vehicle regularly. The difference between an operating lease and a finance lease is that the user doesn’t have the opportunity to buy the vehicle during the period of the lease. The lessor has access to the vehicle during the lease period and can use it as if it was their own, but they do not assume ownership. Maintenance costs are often built into lease payments, and at the end of the lease period the vehicle is returned to the owner