Car Lease Mileage Overage Calculator

Estimate potential excess mileage charges at lease-end from your lease's mileage allowance, your projected total mileage, and the per-mile overage fee stated in your lease contract.

How the charge is worked out

Excess mileage is billed on the miles above the contract allowance, at the rate written into the lease:

overage miles = max(0, projected miles - allowance)
charge        = overage miles x rate per mile

The defaults are a 36,000-mile allowance (12,000 a year over three years), a projection of 40,000 and a rate of $0.25. That is 4,000 miles over, so the lease-end bill is $1,000. The max matters: coming in under the allowance gives $0, never a credit.

Getting the projection right

The allowance covers the whole lease, not each year, so a heavy first year is fine if a light third year pays it back. Project from the odometer rather than the annual figure:

projected = miles so far / months elapsed x lease months

14,000 miles after 12 months of a 36-month lease is 1,167 a month, which projects to 42,000 - 6,000 over, or $1,500 at $0.25.

If the projection is well over, ask the leasing company about buying miles now. Pre-purchased miles are usually cheaper per mile than the end-of-lease rate, but they are typically not refunded if you do not use them.

Frequently asked questions

How much does going over your lease mileage cost?

Most contracts charge $0.15 to $0.30 a mile, with luxury brands at the top of that range. At $0.25, being 4,000 miles over costs $1,000.

Do I get money back for unused lease miles?

No. Driving under the allowance is worth nothing at lease-end, which is why buying a bigger allowance than you need is a real cost rather than insurance.

How do I avoid an excess mileage bill?

Buy the car at lease-end. The purchase price is the residual fixed at signing, and mileage charges do not apply to a car you keep, so a high-mileage lease is often cheapest to buy out.