00:00It's Benzinga, bringing Wall Street to Main Street.
00:02Vehicle leasing in the U.S. remains below pre-pandemic levels,
00:05as automakers offer fewer low-cost lease deals
00:08and higher monthly payments discourage buyers, according to Reuters.
00:12Leasing accounted for 23% of new vehicle transactions in the first half of 2026,
00:18up from post-pandemic lows but below the roughly 30% share before the pandemic.
00:24Automakers learned during the chip-driven vehicle shortage
00:27that tighter dealer inventories reduced the need for discounts and lease incentives.
00:31Dealers said many customers are rejecting lease payments
00:34that are $100 to $200 higher per month than previous contracts,
00:38prompting some buyers to choose financing terms of up to seven years instead.
00:43The decline in leasing has also reduced the supply of off-lease used vehicles,
00:47contributing to higher used car prices as the average price of a three-year-old vehicle
00:51has risen 43% since before the pandemic.
00:54For all things money, visit Benzinga.com.
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