Leasing a Tesla Model 3 in the US has just gotten more expensive, so anyone hoping to get behind the wheel of a new one may find that paying cash makes more sense than signing a lease, at least in some cases.

Lease prices have crept up quietly across the entire Model 3 family, and the increases start with the base Rear-Wheel Drive model, which now runs $379 per month over 36 months with an annual mileage cap of 10,000 miles. That figure looks reasonable enough on its own, but it leaves out the $4,075 due at delivery, a sum made up of a $3,000 down payment, the first monthly payment, and an acquisition fee.

Read: Tesla’s First Model Y Price Hike In Two Years Skips The Cheapest Version

After factoring this in, you get an effective rate of $481 per month, which is roughly 12 percent higher than earlier this year. As recently as last week, the EV was offered at $329 per month with a lower $4,024 fee due at signing.

Lease prices have also increased for other Model 3 variants. For example, the Premium Rear-Wheel Drive commands $399 per month over 36 months, excluding the $4,094 fee that’s due up front. Add that into the equation, and you’re looking at an effective rate of $501. The Premium All-Wheel Drive is more expensive at $479 per month with a higher fee of $4,174, meaning it works out to $581 per month over the life of the lease.

Then there’s the Model 3 Performance. It has a monthly lease of $629 plus the $4,324, which is due at delivery. Do the math, and it works out to $731 per month for 36 months.

While this is roughly 4.3 percent higher than previously, it’s not necessarily a bad deal. Earlier this year, Hyundai was offering the Ioniq 5 N for $699 per month over 36 months with $3,999 due at signing, working out to $810 per month.

Eager to offload surplus supplies of 2026 Gravity models, Lucid has announced an aggressive financing deal for the all-electric SUV. Whether it’ll be enough to sell the leftover inventory remains to be seen, but it certainly brings the Gravity within reach of more prospective shoppers.

According to a report from EV, the offer was first sent via email to customers in the US earlier this week, before being added to Lucid’s website. It notes the Gravity Touring and Grand Touring are available with zero percent financing for 72 months, but notes buyers must take delivery by July 31.

Read: Lucid Is Blaming Someone Else For The Gravity’s Second Recall In Four Months

The Lucid Gravity is also available to finance over 84 months with a monthly fee of $681, plus a $20,000 down payment. Those interested in leasing are in luck, too, as the 2026 Gravity is available with a $10,000 discount. Currently, it’s available to lease for $699 a month for the Touring and $949 a month for the Grand Touring, both over 24 months.

It’s unclear how many examples of the 2026 Gravity Lucid still holds in its inventory. It unveiled the tweaked 2027 model at the start of April, increasing the vehicle’s price tag by $4,000 but adding features as standard that were previously options, such as the DreamDrive 2 Premium advanced driver-assistance system.

Is Now The Time To Buy?

This is far from the first time that Lucid has tried to match Gravity’s sales. As of March, the financing rate had been cut to zero percent for 60 months and was available alongside up to $12,500 in lease incentives. As part of the existing deals, existing Lucid customers will be offered an additional $3,000 loyalty credit. A $3,000 trade-in allowance is also available for non-Lucid vehicles, excluding those from Ineos.

The drive to sell remaining 2026 Gravity models comes after a disappointing quarter for the American brand. Across the April-June period, it delivered 3,953 vehicles, below analyst expectations. During the quarter, it built 4,774 vehicles, fewer than the 5,500 that it built in the first quarter of this year.

Chinese EV startup Leapmotor, which has expanded into global markets, including Europe, on the back of its partnership with Stellantis and its sales network, just posted record numbers for the first half of 2026. Once you see how cheap some of the company’s newest models are, the surge makes sense. In Germany, one of Leapmotor’s entry-level EVs can be had for just €48.90 ($56) a month, and no, that number isn’t missing a zero. That works out to less than most people spend on a monthly phone plan for an actual car with a warranty.

A couple of years back, the German government pulled its EV subsidies, and sales cratered almost overnight. The incentives returned this January, knocking up to €6,000 ($6,800) off the price of a new EV for a family with at least two children and a combined income under €45,000 ($51,500).

Read: Stellantis Turns A Tiny Chinese Hatch Into A Delivery Van That’s Light On The Van Part

With that subsidy in play, plenty of shoppers can skip the down payment and delivery fees entirely and worry only about the monthly bill. The Leapmotor T03, which retails for €18,900 ($21,600), currently runs just €48.90 ($56) a month across a 36-month term, with mileage capped at 10,000 km (6,213 miles) per year. When the lease ends, buyers can purchase the T03 outright for €11,139 ($12,700) or hand back the keys and shop around for something else.

Why Is It So Cheap?

While one could argue that a family earning less than €45,000 ($51,500) shouldn’t be looking at a new car but rather a used one, being able to lease and drive one for just €1,760 ($2,010) over three years is one heck of a deal.

“The vehicle’s extremely competitive pricing is made possible by Leapmotor’s high level of cost efficiency,” Leapmotor told Nikkei Asia in an interview. “One key factor behind this is the company’s extensive vertical integration. Additionally, the leasing rate, which starts at just 49 euros, is made possible by German government incentives.”

Leapmotor Sales Surge

Some observers figured Leapmotor was pricing the T03 this low to clear inventory, worried the compact EV would fall foul of new EU rules that require camera-based driver assistance systems, upgraded autonomous emergency braking, and enlarged head impact protection zones for pedestrians and cyclists. However, a Leapmotor spokesman has rejected this, stating the T03 complies with these new rules.

Through the first half of 2026, Leapmotor has sold 356,487 vehicles globally, a 95 percent increase over the same period last year. It enjoyed a particularly strong June, selling a total of 93,376 models, also a 95 percent year-on-year increase. Since its formation, the company has sold more than 1.55 million cars.

The Rivian R2 is finally available to lease, but shoppers expecting a budget-friendly path into the brand may be in for a surprise. While the automaker’s newest electric crossover starts well below the larger R1S on paper, the real-world lease numbers tell a different story. In fact, whether you put thousands down or nothing at all, the R2 still ends up costing about $1,000 a month to drive.

The 2026 R2 Performance is currently advertised at $829 per month for 36 months with $5,724 due at signing, which includes fees and the first month’s payment. Against its $57,990 MSRP and a 10,000-mile annual allowance, and stripping that first payment out of the upfront total, the effective monthly cost works out to roughly $965.

Read: Rivian’s R2 Configurator Is Live, And A Spare Tire Costs $755

Understandably, many shoppers prefer to evaluate leases with little or no money down. Rivian’s payment estimator shows that removing the down payment increases the monthly payment to $939 for the same 10k miles and 36 months. The amount due at signing falls to roughly $2,334 including the first month, but the effective monthly cost still lands at approximately $978. In other words, the difference between putting money down and keeping that cash in your bank account is only about $13 per month over the life of the lease.

That figure becomes even more interesting when compared to Rivian’s own lineup. CarsDirect points out that less than a month ago, the R1S Dual Standard was available for $799 per month with $5,694 due at signing. That translated to an effective monthly cost of around $935 despite the SUV carrying roughly $19,000 more MSRP than the R2.

Today, that comparison is harder to spot because Rivian quietly increased R1S lease pricing. The same R1S now lists at $899 per month with $8,794 due at signing, resulting in an effective cost of roughly $1,118 monthly. The MSRP remains unchanged, but the lease economics have shifted dramatically.

That points to why some customers say they’re going to wait. Lease programs can change quickly, and lower-priced R2 trims are still on the way. On Reddit, the theme of comments was clear. “1-1.1k/month with no down including taxes and fees is rough. Probably gotta wait for deals,” said one. “I make a good living, but offering a lease at what is essentially 10% APR ($40k in payments over three years) is ridiculous, and I fear they may have miscalculated,” said another.

That said, the hype around the R2 is big. Rivian will likely have little trouble delivering all the examples they can make this year. Once that demand slows, the deals could roll in quickly.

Photos Rivian