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Lease vs Buy Comparison

Cash, loan, HP, finance lease, contract hire or PCP – which really costs least?

£20

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Lease vs Buy Comparison

Overview

When you need a van, car, machine or new IT kit, the salesperson usually quotes a monthly figure – but the cheapest monthly payment is rarely the cheapest deal. This workbook compares every common way of paying for an asset on the same basis: what it costs you in total, when the money goes out, how much tax relief you get and when it arrives, what you get back at the end – all brought back to today's money so the options can be compared fairly.

Price
£20
Who it’s for
Planning & Finance
Works with
Microsoft Excel for Windows and Mac
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See how it works

A walk through the main sheets

The sheets you will use most, in the order you will use them – shown with the sample data every workbook comes with.

Step 1

Inputs

The asset, your tax position and every finance quote, plus the figures worked out from them. What you do: fill in the yellow cells.

Inputs
Comparison

Step 2

Comparison

Every option side by side: cash timing, total cost, net present cost, effective interest rate, rank and notes. What you do: nothing to enter.

Step 3

Cash Flows

Year-by-year cash flows for each option, before and after tax, with the capital allowance computations. What you do: nothing to enter – use it to check the workings.

Cash Flows
Sensitivity

Step 4

Sensitivity

Net present cost of each option at five interest rates, five end values and five discount rates. What you do: optionally change the three step sizes.

Who it is for

Made for people like you

  • Example – text
  • Option – In one line
  • Cash purchase – Pay the full price on day one, own it, claim capital allowances, sell it at the end.
  • Bank loan – Borrow most of the price, own it from day one, repay monthly; interest is tax deductible.
  • Hire purchase (HP) – Deposit, monthly instalments and often a balloon; you're treated as the owner for tax from day one.
  • Finance lease – Rent it for most of its life; you never own it but usually get most of the sale proceeds back at the end.
  • Contract hire – An operating lease: fixed rentals (often with maintenance), hand it back at the end.

Quick start

Up and running in minutes

  1. Example – text
  1. Get your quotes – Ask each provider for a quote for the SAME asset over the SAME term (e.g. 48 months). You need the deposit, APR or monthly payment, any balloon / final payment, fees and – for leases – the number of rentals up front.
  2. Inputs – the asset – Enter what you're buying, the cash price excluding VAT, whether you're VAT registered, how long you'll keep it and what it should be worth at the end.
  3. Inputs – tax – Choose your business type and enter your profits (companies) or tax band (sole traders), your discount rate and when tax relief arrives.
  4. Inputs – finance quotes – Type each quote into its column. An option only joins the ranking once it has a quote (an APR or monthly payment; a rental for leases) – set 'Include in the comparison?' to No to leave it out completely.
  5. Read the Dashboard – The cheapest option after tax, in today's money, is shown at the top, with the full ranking and four charts.
  6. Check the details – Use the Comparison sheet for the full side-by-side, Cash Flows for the year-by-year workings and Sensitivity to see how robust the answer is.

Key features

  • Compares buying outright, a bank loan, hire purchase, a finance lease, an operating lease / contract hire and PCP for a van, car, machine or IT equipment.
  • Year-by-year cash flows before and after tax, with tax relief timed for when you actually receive it.
  • Capital allowances worked out for you – AIA, full expensing, the 40% FYA, 100% FYA for electric cars and the 14% / 6% pools – plus car VAT blocks and the 15% lease rental restriction.
  • Net present cost, effective interest rate of every quote, monthly cash impact, the cheapest option highlighted and sensitivity to interest rates, end value and discount rate.

What’s included

  • Dashboard – The answer at a glance
  • Inputs – The asset, tax and finance quotes
  • Comparison – Every option side by side
  • Cash Flows – Year-by-year cash flows and allowances
  • Sensitivity – What if rates or values change?
  • Sensitivity Workings – The model re-run for each scenario
  • Allowance Rates – Capital allowance, car and VAT rules
  • Tax Rates – UK tax rates by year
  • Guide – How to use this workbook

How buying works

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1

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