With two boys under the age of 2, my wife and I were all-in on purchasing a Kia Carnival now that the hybrid was coming out. But after doing a little more thinking, we realistically won’t need the space/utility of one until they’re at least 4 or 5. So we pivoted to doing a 3-year lease on something knowing our needs would change around this time. I thought leasing a PHEV made a lot of sense as my wife’s drives are consistently under 40 miles round trip and we already have a a charger installed for our 23 Chevrolet Bolt EUV (lack of cargo is what’s leading us to upsize).
What I’m quickly finding is there is quite a few leasing programs that are frankly punitive right now…especially for PHEV/electric buyers trying to cash in on the 7.5k credit without doing their due diligence.
Any particular make/model/program I should look further into? We’re pretty flexible/open. We figured something like the Sportage PHEV would be perfect but apparently Kia isn’t even passing on the credit for those for some reason and judging from the EV9 figures I’ve seen people throw out here…they’re not seriously trying to lease anything.
I’m in Houston, TX and willing to travel reasonable distance. I’m mostly just looking to maximize value and keep DaS exceedingly low. Willing to get into bigger vehicle now or a hybrid (if all PHEV/electric leases are just FUBAR) if the terms are sweet enough that a buy-out at the end of 3 years would likely make sense. Getting rid of this Bolt would help too!
From personal experience, it’s the other way around. Almost no one can get into the third row of a SUV with two RF seats installed in the second row. That’s where sliding doors and their larger opening come in clutch.
In 3-4 years the kids themselves can get into the third row, leaving the second row for your guests.
TLDR Carnival/Ody/Sienna now, Sorento later.
In Texas you not only need to find great lease programs but also find sales tax credits. Otherwise paying the same tax as on a purchase doesn’t make sense. In the absence of those conditions you’re better off financing
Yeah utilizing third row for guests isn’t a concern for us right now so whether or not anyone can get back there or not with car seats is a non-issue for us. We don’t want a 3rd row right now and don’t mind getting the kids into their seats as currently completing (although sliding door undoubtedly easier)…we just want more cargo space. They can’t utilize any of the entertainment/tech/creature comforts of a modern minivan for at least 2 more years so why pay for it? Basically we want a little larger vehicle for cargo reasons and a little wider in the back wouldn’t hurt. That’s not hard to find when you’re used to the narrow EUV.
That’s definitely on the list. I’ve read a good bit about the Nissan Ariya having some favorable programs although a little unclear right now if that’s also in Texas. Will call on them tomorrow…
If you are ok with a smaller car for 2-3 years, the Hyundai Ioniq lease deals are stellar.
We have a R1S and Ioniq 5 SE RWD, both provide fast charging and about 300mi range. They are vastly different vehicles, and both have different purposes. The Ioniq will be my daily driver (for commutes).
IF there was a battery minivan with 300-400mi range, I’d potentially take the depreciation hit on the R1 to get into that, but at the moment we bought the Rivian it was the only 7passenger EV on the market. (Gravity, EV9, Ioniq 9 all are coming in the next few years)
Ioniq 4mi per kw
R1S 2mi per kw (Same range, but this means double the energy and time to charge)
Thanks…I’m filtering through each thread and having a hard time noticing any makes offering credits this month. May have to wait until next and hope for the best. I should mention that I plan on trading in the 2023 Bolt which should help lower the taxable threshold.
I’m pretty open to make/model as long as it is electric/PHEV and bigger than a Bolt EUV so hopefully that flexibility will give me a leg up on catching a deal eventually.
