I have my eye on 3 new EVs that will be coming out towards the end of the year (Audi Q4 E-Tron, Volvo C40 Recharge, Hyundai Ioniq 5). I want to lease my next EV because the battery technology in EVs is changing so fast and some really cool EVs will be coming out at the back end of the decade. Historically, when has the best time been to lease a brand new model vehicle? I missed the Audi E-Tron frenzy in March and April because I was not in a position financially to take advantage of the situation. I’m working hard to make sure I’m in a better position when these 3 cars come out but I’m concerned that the leases won’t be nearly as good because these are brand new models. Any input from a historical perspective from the gurus here is greatly appreciated.
Typically oct - Mar
Though I hear the 2xe is going good right now
The Ioniq5, don’t expect a deal for at least a year. Year 1 Models especially Hyundai or Kia don’t get discounted right away.
You missed it! May 9th at 3:27pm has historically been the best time to lease a car! Gotta wait until next year I guess.
But really, there is no “best” time to lease a car. Do you homework on each when you are ready to buy and see if it makes sense. No one knows where the market is going or what leasing unreleased cars will even look like (although probably not great if I had to guess).
If you plan to lease an Audi or Volvo in the next year, sign up for Costo and/or Penfed (if you are not already a member). Both companies offer additional incentives on top of the manufacturer rebates.
My other advice is to start doing your homework to better understand how leasing works.
When is the best time during a product’s lifecycle to lease?
Calendar wise, it’s a crap shoot. For Audi and Volvo, the answer is probably “shortly after Costco throws a bunch of money at them”.
The real issue you’re going to run into here is product lifecycle. None of these are going to lease particularly well immediately after they come out. I would imagine you’ll probably see the volvo decrease in price first, followed by the Audi, with the ioniq bringing up the rear. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another batch of cheaper e-tron leases that happens before any of those come down in price to actually be cheaper.
Thank you! This is the essence of my poorly worded question. I completely understand that great lease deals are completely unpredictable. What I guess I’m attempting to understand is the chances of a great lease deal happening in the 1st couple months of a Year 1 model, or how soon after a Year 1 model is released have the manufacturers historically discounted their product to stoke demand. The ranking of Volvo 1st, Audi 2nd, Hyundai last is very helpful…and unfortunate since I really like the Ioniq5 and it is at the top of my list. For what it’s worth, I don’t expect anyone to be able to help me with the Volvo C40 because they are taking the Tesla model and selling that one exclusively online. The dealerships will be pick up nd service locations only for that model.
It could also be totally wrong. With that said, the Ioniq has been getting a lot of press as the next big thing. The Q4 looks nice, but it’s really just a VW ID.4 in a nicer outfit, so it’s unlikely to be paving new ground for the brand.
I waited 2 years to lease the Audi E-tron. Initial lease structure made it a $1050 a month vehicle and stars aligned finally March 2021, with Costco, tax rebates, slightly lower MSRP and it was end of the quarter. Signed at $578.
I was told March is usually a better month to lease among brands but for new releases ufff that can be rough.
That’s my biggest fear. The Ioniq5 is going to be a hot car and I imagine will have high demand, which will create an environment like what we’re seeing with the Ford Mach-e where dealers are marking them up over MSRP and not discounting them at all. Classic supply & demand economics will come into play as dealers realize they can make a few bucks on these cars initially. I want to be the 1st kid on the block with one…but I don’t want to pay the cost to be that kid! (-:
You can find Mach-e’s and ID.4’s at MSRP in CA. Was shopping with a friend and found a couple available, but they didn’t sit for more than a day or two. Definitely moving fast.
