Build Your Lease Deal
Get Started quiz, form, Next, and what the preview does not calculate live.
This guide walks you from the first screen to generating a full lease deal for the car you want. You'll answer a few quick questions, enter the vehicle and a handful of details, then select Next so LeaseMax can pull real lender pricing.
Before you start
It helps to have:
- The VIN of the car you want (17 characters from a dealer listing or the car itself).
You do not need an account for your first deal, and you don't need to know lease math.
Two paths: first deal vs. more deals later
| Path | Who | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Guest (first deal) | Not signed in | Get Started → calculator → deal → plan/reassurance → pay → thank-you page (rebates, download, create account) |
| Signed in | Dashboard account | Get New Deal uses 1 credit when you Confirm the ready modal; Edit / Refresh are free; rebates and rebuild happen from the dashboard |
More on credits: How Credits Work. More on dashboard deals: Manage Saved Deals.
Steps (guest / first deal)
1. Open Get Started
From the homepage, select Get Started (returning users can Sign In). This opens /get-started: Step 01 - Leasing Information (progress: Leasing Information → Build your deal → Checkout).
2. Answer the quick leasing questions
Each question is a simple tap:
- Have you ever leased a vehicle before?: Yes or No.
- When are you planning to lease your next car?: ASAP, Next Month, or In 3 months.
- Before You Click Next!: reminder that you'll paste a VIN next. Select Get My Deal.
An answer is required before the page advances. Going back from the first question returns you to the landing page.
3. Enter your vehicle on Build your deal
You're now on Step 02 - Build your deal (same form as the Lease Calculator).
- Paste the 17-character Vehicle's VIN number. A green check and make/model/year/trim appear when it's recognized.
Field-by-field help: Enter Vehicle Details.
4. Fill in your lease details
Required fields are marked with *:
- Annual Mileage*: slider (unlocks after VIN).
- Down Payment*: $0–$10,000 in $1,000 steps.
- Lease Term*: months from the dropdown LeaseMax lists.
- Zip Code*: 5 digits; wait for green check.
- MSRP*: sticker price.
- Dealer Discount: optional 0–15% (Realistic / Aggressive badges).
- Credit Score*: whole number 300–850.
5. Understand the right-hand preview
As you fill the form, the right panel shows:
- A vehicle card and dials for mileage, term, and credit score.
- A Lease Options table once the form looks complete.
The monthly payment amounts in that preview table are sample placeholders for layout. They are not live quotes. After Next, LeaseMax shops real lender programs; the on-screen deal page can still show sample layout cells: the downloadable PDF has the authoritative numbers.
6. Generate your deal
Select Next (near Max's Need some help? prompt). LeaseMax builds your deal, then takes you to the /deal page with a short progress animation (Building Your Deal → Searching for Banks → Finishing Details → Done!).
From there you'll enter name, email, and phone and select Checkout to continue toward plans, payment, and your downloadable deal sheet.
For a line-by-line read of numbers and the PDF section Understanding Your Deal, see Understand Your Deal.
Troubleshooting
Nothing happens when I answer a leasing question. Tap a choice directly; the screen advances after you select.
VIN red X / "This vehicle isn't available for lease." Use a different VIN or recheck all 17 characters. Select Continue on the Oops! pop-up.
Oops! / multi-trim. If the VIN matches more than one configuration, LeaseMax says it found multiple matches and asks you to select the correct trim, then Continue.
ZIP red X. Re-enter 5 digits; wait for green check.
Credit score rejected. Stay between 300 and 850 (message: Please enter a valid credit score (300-850)).
Next does nothing. Fill every * field (including credit score), then try Next again.
Oops! after Next. Refresh if asked; otherwise adjust term, mileage, or down payment and try again (Go Back to edit).