The Model Black prices every new car in participating dealerships' inventory as a lease as well as a loan or cash, so it helps to know what a lease payment is made of.
A lease is a long rental with a fixed end: you pay for the part of the car's value you use up during the term, plus a finance charge, plus tax. On a three-year lease of a car that loses 45 percent of its value, you pay for that 45 percent and hand the rest back.
A loan payment needs only the price, the rate, and the term, so it works the same for any car. A lease does not. Two of its five numbers belong to the car itself, and they change from one model to the next and from one month to the next.
The residual is set by the leasing company for each model, trim, term, and mileage, from how well it expects that car to hold its value. One SUV might keep 62 percent of its sticker after three years while another at the same price keeps 52 percent, and on a $45,000 sticker that gap alone moves the payment by more than $100 a month. See residual value explained.
The money factor comes from the brand's leasing company, usually its captive lender, and it is set each month, often with a special rate on the models the manufacturer wants to move. The same credit score can get a very different rate on two cars from two brands. See what a captive lender is.
That is why The Model Black's tax and fee calculators show cash and finance only, and a lease is priced on a specific car. Pick a vehicle, and its page shows the lease for that car.
Depreciation charge: selling price (plus any fees rolled in, minus anything you put down) minus the residual, divided by the number of months. Rent charge: selling price plus residual, multiplied by the money factor. Add them and you have the base payment. Add tax on each payment (Arizona, Nevada, and California all tax the payment stream rather than the price) and you have the number on the contract.
Every new car's vehicle page on The Model Black runs this math for that car, at your term, miles, credit range, and money down: on the brand's lease program when one is in effect, otherwise on a market-based estimate for that type of car, and the page says which. It shows the monthly payment, the one-pay amount, and the drive-off total. The residual and money factor stay behind the number; the payment is what you can act on.
| Fee | When | Typical amount (example: Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, as published by its dealers in 2026; other captives are similar, and the vehicle page shows the exact figures for that car) |
|---|---|---|
| Acquisition fee | At signing, or rolled into the payment | $795 to $1,095 |
| First payment | At signing (not on a one-pay lease) | One month |
| Doc fee | At signing; set by the dealer and taxed in Nevada | Shown per dealer on the vehicle page |
| Registration and title | At signing | Set by the state |
| Disposition fee | At return, unless you lease or buy another car of the same brand inside the lender's waiver window | $595 |
| Excess miles | At return | $0.25 per mile over the contract |
| Excess wear | At return | Per the lender's wear standard; normal wear is not charged |
The participating dealership. Each dealer publishes its own selling price, savings, and any market adjustment up front, and The Model Black turns that into a payment. Everything is priced for you, so there is nothing to haggle over.
No. It is a closed-end lease estimate at the profile you set (credit range, term, miles, money down), with tax for where you live, priced on the manufacturer's lease program while one is in effect for that car and as a market-based estimate otherwise. It is not an offer to lease: the lessor approves the lease, and the dealership confirms the final contract figures.
The disclosure under the lease payment on the vehicle page lists the residual behind the estimate. The money factor is not shown on the site; the dealership can tell you the one on your lease, and its lease contract states the rent charge in dollars. The payment leads, with the one-pay amount and the total due at signing beside it, so you can compare cars and structures on what you pay. The dealership's lease contract states the final figures.
Nothing is required. The Model Black's examples start at 10 percent of the car's MSRP so cars compare evenly; you can set it to zero or any amount on the vehicle page.