I’m currently leasing a 2022 Kia Seltos and the lease is ending soon. I’ve been seriously thinking about going electric and getting the EV6, specifically the Light Long Range AWD model. The lease terms I’ve been offered are $3,000 down, 24 months, 10,000 miles a year, and $315 a month. For comparison, my current lease is 48 months, $3k down, and $329 a month. Do these payments seem reasonable for the EV6?
For those who have switched to electric, what was your experience like? I also live in a state with cold and snowy winters—how does the EV6 handle in those conditions?
My advice: never put any money down on a lease. If something happens to the vehicle, you won’t get that money back. The down payment only lowers your monthly payments but doesn’t change the total amount you’re paying overall.
Connie said:
My advice: never put any money down on a lease. If something happens to the vehicle, you won’t get that money back. The down payment only lowers your monthly payments but doesn’t change the total amount you’re paying overall.
It depends. When I leased my car, I put down $1,500, which included the first month’s payment. Going with $0 down would’ve cost me an extra $700 over two years. For me, taking the risk was worth it.
Connie said:
My advice: never put any money down on a lease. If something happens to the vehicle, you won’t get that money back. The down payment only lowers your monthly payments but doesn’t change the total amount you’re paying overall.
It depends. When I leased my car, I put down $1,500, which included the first month’s payment. Going with $0 down would’ve cost me an extra $700 over two years. For me, taking the risk was worth it.
Maria said: Connie said:
My advice: never put any money down on a lease. If something happens to the vehicle, you won’t get that money back. The down payment only lowers your monthly payments but doesn’t change the total amount you’re paying overall.
It depends. When I leased my car, I put down $1,500, which included the first month’s payment. Going with $0 down would’ve cost me an extra $700 over two years. For me, taking the risk was worth it.
So you paid $1,500 to avoid paying an extra $700?
Not exactly. I paid $1,200 upfront (the other $300 was my first month’s payment). If I hadn’t, I would’ve been paying an extra $700 spread over the lease. The way I saw it, I wasn’t going to make a 50% return on that $1,200 in just two years, so I felt okay with the risk of losing that money if I totaled the car. In return, I saved $700.
izael said: Maria said: Connie said:
My advice: never put any money down on a lease. If something happens to the vehicle, you won’t get that money back. The down payment only lowers your monthly payments but doesn’t change the total amount you’re paying overall.
It depends. When I leased my car, I put down $1,500, which included the first month’s payment. Going with $0 down would’ve cost me an extra $700 over two years. For me, taking the risk was worth it.
So you paid $1,500 to avoid paying an extra $700?
Not exactly. I paid $1,200 upfront (the other $300 was my first month’s payment). If I hadn’t, I would’ve been paying an extra $700 spread over the lease. The way I saw it, I wasn’t going to make a 50% return on that $1,200 in just two years, so I felt okay with the risk of losing that money if I totaled the car. In return, I saved $700.
So over two years, you paid an extra $500—$1,200 upfront minus the $700 you saved.
Maria said: izael said: Maria said: Connie said:
My advice: never put any money down on a lease. If something happens to the vehicle, you won’t get that money back. The down payment only lowers your monthly payments but doesn’t change the total amount you’re paying overall.
It depends. When I leased my car, I put down $1,500, which included the first month’s payment. Going with $0 down would’ve cost me an extra $700 over two years. For me, taking the risk was worth it.
So you paid $1,500 to avoid paying an extra $700?
Not exactly. I paid $1,200 upfront (the other $300 was my first month’s payment). If I hadn’t, I would’ve been paying an extra $700 spread over the lease. The way I saw it, I wasn’t going to make a 50% return on that $1,200 in just two years, so I felt okay with the risk of losing that money if I totaled the car. In return, I saved $700.
So over two years, you paid an extra $500—$1,200 upfront minus the $700 you saved.
No, that’s not quite right. You owe that $1,200 either way. If you don’t pay it upfront, you’ll still have to pay it through higher monthly payments. In my case, not paying it upfront would’ve meant an extra $79/month, adding up to $1,900 over two years. Going with $0 down doesn’t give you a $1,200 discount—it just defers that cost by increasing your monthly payments. My point is, it’s important to weigh all the options and choose what works best for your situation.
Leasing isn’t the cheapest option (buying and keeping a car for 10+ years saves more), but if you want the latest tech and don’t want to worry about repairs, leasing can make sense. I put $3,500 down and pay $316 a month for a 3-year lease on the AWD Light Long Range, and so far, it’s been great! People say you shouldn’t put anything down on a lease in case the car gets totaled, but I don’t know—it seems like a low-risk situation. But yeah, it could happen!