Residual value, down payment and rebates

Ask the Hackrs Buy/Finance
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1

If I lease a car with the intention of buying it at the end of the lease - does the (it is an ev) does the EV rebate buy down the purchase price? What about my lease down payment?

For a Rivian, you get a 3750 rebate when you buy, but 7500 when you lease. I’d like to get the benefit of the larger rebate on my eventual purchase.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

2

If you buy it at the end of the lease, it’s essentially purchasing it for the residual value (plus fees, taxes). As far as I know, nothing changes the residual value.

Why not just buy out the lease right away?