Is It Cheaper to Lease or Buy a Food Truck? ROI Calculator 2025

One of the biggest decisions you'll make when starting a food truck business is whether to lease or buy your truck. This choice impacts your upfront costs, monthly payments, long-term financial health, and flexibility.

Use our interactive calculator below to compare the total cost of ownership for both options and see which makes more financial sense for your situation.

Key Factors to Consider

Upfront Investment

Buying typically requires a down payment of 10-20% of the purchase price, which means for a $45,000 truck, you're looking at $4,500-$9,000 upfront. The advantage is that you own the asset and can build equity over time.

Leasing usually requires 1-2 months' payment upfront, so for a $2,000 per month lease, that's $2,000-$4,000 upfront. This creates a lower initial barrier to entry compared to buying, but you don't build equity.

Monthly Payments

Buying means monthly loan payments depend on purchase price, down payment, interest rate, and loan term. You're also responsible for all maintenance and repairs, but after the loan is paid off, you own the truck free and clear.

Leasing offers a fixed monthly payment, typically $1,500-$3,000 per month, and the lessor may cover major repairs. However, there's no equity building since you're essentially renting the vehicle.

Long-Term Costs

Buying involves higher upfront and monthly costs initially, but you can sell the truck later, and trucks typically retain 40-60% of their value after 5 years. This means the net cost after resale is often lower than leasing over 5+ years.

Leasing offers lower monthly costs, but you pay indefinitely and have no resale value, which means you walk away with nothing. This can make leasing more expensive over the long term, especially if you plan to operate for several years.

Flexibility

Buying is less flexible because you're committed to the loan, which makes it harder to exit if the business doesn't work out. However, you can customize and modify the truck as needed to fit your specific needs.

Leasing is more flexible because you can exit at the end of the lease term, making it easier to test the business without a major commitment. The trade-off is limited customization options since you don't own the vehicle.

When to Buy

Buying makes sense if you have capital for a down payment, plan to operate long-term (3+ years), want to build equity, need to customize the truck, and can handle maintenance responsibilities. The long-term financial benefits of ownership typically outweigh the higher upfront costs if you're committed to the business.

When to Lease

Leasing makes sense if you have limited upfront capital, are testing the business model, want flexibility to exit, prefer predictable monthly costs, and don't want maintenance responsibilities. The lower barrier to entry and flexibility make leasing attractive for operators who aren't certain about long-term commitment.

Use the Calculator Below

Enter your specific situation to see a personalized comparison. The calculator will show you total costs over 1, 3, and 5 years, net cost after resale value for buying, break-even point, ROI analysis, and a personalized recommendation based on your inputs.

Ready to find the perfect food truck? Browse our marketplace to see available trucks for sale or lease.