Want your full operating break-even? Use the Canadian Owner-Operator Break-Even Rate Calculator for the minimum rate per loaded km across all your costs.
Checking a specific load? Use the Canadian Load Profitability Calculator to see net profit per load.
How the lease vs. buy comparison is calculated
The calculator compares the estimated total cost of each path over the same comparison period using only the numbers you enter. No market rates, lender rates, or assumed resale values are provided.
Buy path Buy
The buy path starts with the amount financed (purchase price minus your down payment). A standard loan amortization produces the monthly payment using your interest rate and term. The estimated total buy path cost is your down payment plus the loan payments made within your comparison period (capped at the loan term — once the loan is paid off, no further payments are counted), minus the resale or equity value you estimate at the end of the period, plus any annual cost differences you enter.
Lease path Lease
The lease path total is your upfront deposit, plus lease payments made within your comparison period (capped at your lease term), plus any buyout or residual amount you enter if you plan to exercise it.
Annual cost differences — optional
If the buy path has higher (or lower) annual maintenance or insurance/registration costs than leasing, enter that difference. A positive number means buying costs more per year; a negative number means leasing costs more. These are added to the buy path total and do not affect the lease path total.
| Figure | Formula |
|---|---|
| Amount financed | purchase price − down payment |
| Monthly rate | annual interest rate ÷ 12 |
| Monthly payment (rate > 0%) | financed × r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)−n) |
| Monthly payment (0% rate) | amount financed ÷ loan term months |
| Loan payments in period | monthly payment × min(loan term, comparison months) |
| Lease payments in period | monthly lease × min(lease term, comparison months) |
| Buy path estimated total | down payment + loan payments − resale/equity + (maint diff + ins/reg diff) × years |
| Lease path estimated total | upfront deposit + lease payments + residual/buyout |
| Estimated cost per km (each path) | path total ÷ (km/year × years) |
| Estimated difference | |buy total − lease total| |
| Difference % | difference ÷ lower-cost path total × 100 |
Where r is the monthly interest rate and n is the number of loan months. A longer loan term lowers the monthly payment but increases total interest paid. A higher resale value lowers the net buy path cost.
Note: This calculator does not model GST/HST, income tax, CCA depreciation, input tax credits, after-tax lease deductibility, warranty obligations, or maintenance responsibilities included or excluded by lease terms. Those factors can materially change the true cost of each option. Confirm the full picture with your accountant, dealer, and lender.
Frequently Asked Questions
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