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Buy, borrow or private lease?
Compare every cost over time — including what the car is still worth at the end. You set the assumptions; we show the uncertainty.
- IndependentNo providers, no commission
- Honest about uncertaintyEvery figure with its range
- You stay in controlEvery assumption editable
Total cost over time
The line is what a route has cost you if you stop at that moment: money paid, minus what the car is still worth. On a private lease that last part is zero — which is precisely what the product is.
Where the money goes
| Cost | Buying (cash) | Buying with a loan |
|---|---|---|
| Depreciation | €5,930estimated | €5,930estimated |
| Interest | — | €3,269entered |
| Fuel / energy | €8,364estimated | €8,364estimated |
| Insurance | €2,544estimated | €2,544estimated |
| Servicing and repairs | €3,425estimated | €3,425estimated |
| Tyres | €827estimated | €827estimated |
| Expected excess | €72estimated | €72estimated |
| Total | €21,162 | €24,431 |
| Resale value at the end | + €14,070 | + €14,070 |
| Foregone return (outside total) | €1,600 | €0 |
Road tax, insurance, servicing and tyres are inside the private lease monthly price and are separate bills when you buy. That difference is the comparison.
The comparison at a glance
- Buying (cash)€21,162Range €16,179 – €26,145€441 p/m
- Buying with a loan€24,431Range €19,448 – €29,414€509 p/m
Not enough evidence for a conclusion
We have no list price and no comparable adverts for this car, and depreciation is the largest term in the comparison. The figures below are sound arithmetic, but we will not put a conclusion under them.
Where it turns over
Turning point in time
The order does not change within this period.
Turning point in mileage
The comparison does not flip at any realistic mileage.
What the depreciation rests on
Our general value curve for the Dutch market, not adverts for this particular car. The band is wider as a result.
What to watch out for
- Our value estimates come from asking prices, not sale prices. Asking prices sit above what is finally paid, so the resale value could come out lower than shown. That is why the band runs further down than up.
- Road tax uses the national average of the provincial surcharges. Pick your province for the exact amount.
- Without a kerb weight we cannot work out the road tax.
- Private lease is not in this comparison: no monthly price was entered.
- Without a list price or comparable adverts, the depreciation figure is a rough estimate.
- We do not know the original list price, so depreciation is estimated with a wider margin.
Assumptions and sources
Every assumption has a source and a date by which it must be checked again. Tax rates change every January.
- Statutory maximum JKPreview by 2027-02-01
- Market rate indicationreview by 2026-12-01
- Return on money tied upreview by 2026-12-01
- Insurance premiums by coverreview by 2027-02-01
- Public charging pricereview by 2026-12-01
- Typical consumption by fuelreview by 2027-02-01
- Common lease termsreview by 2027-02-01
- Typical monthly cost of a carreview by 2027-02-01
- Uncertainty ranges per costreview by 2027-02-01
- Expected claims a yearreview by 2027-02-01
- Depreciation assumptionsreview by 2027-02-01
This is an informational calculation, not financial advice. What suits you depends on your personal situation.
CarTrace holds no AFM licence and does not advise on financial products.
We name no providers, send your details nowhere, and receive no payment for this feature.
All amounts are estimates based on your assumptions and are not an offer.
Calculated with assumptions lvb-constants-2026-08-29.1 and depreciation model lvb-dep-2.
All amounts are estimates based on the assumptions above. Real costs will differ.
Common questions
- Why does private lease usually come out more expensive?
- Because it is not an expensive way of buying — it is a different product. The monthly price carries depreciation, capital, insurance, road tax, servicing, tyres, the annual test and roadside assistance, plus what the lessor charges for taking on the residual-value risk. You pay more, and for four years you know exactly where you stand. Buying is cheaper on average but has a longer tail: a gearbox, a traction battery, or a resale market that moved.
- Why is there sometimes no clear winner?
- We name one only when the uncertainty bands of the two cheapest routes do not overlap. On a decision worth tens of thousands with bands thousands wide, a few hundred euro is not a result. So we say it is too close to call rather than pointing at a winner that could have gone the other way the next day.
- Where do the numbers come from?
- Vehicle data from the Dutch open vehicle register. Road tax from the statutory 2026 rate tables, including the provincial surcharges and the tapering discount for zero-emission cars. Depreciation from comparable adverts in our own archive where we have them, and from our general value curve where we do not. Insurance, servicing and energy are assumptions with a source and an expiry date; all of them are listed under Assumptions and sources.
- Do you advise which one I should choose?
- No. We work out what three ways of paying cost under your assumptions, and we name no provider at all. Advising on financial products requires a licence in the Netherlands and we do not hold one. We also receive no payment from anyone for this feature.