10 Car Leases Under $200/Month

2019 Ford Fusion Hybrid Titanium ・ Photo by Ford

Value shoppers will no doubt be interested in car leases under $200/month. After all, the average monthly loan payment topped $550 earlier this year. That means leasing can offer significant monthly savings compared to financing a purchase. Nor are you limited to low-cost models if you want a low-cost lease. Some of these cars are relatively uplevel mid-size sedans that have a surprising range of amenities.

Just keep in mind that lease offers can vary from location to location, and most deals are only available for a limited time. In other words, even though all of this article's impressive lease deals were valid when we wrote it, that may no longer be the case by the time you read it. They represent a good place to start, however.

2019 Ford Fusion Hybrid

Automakers often have special incentives reserved for employees and suppliers, but that’s not as strict of a limit as you might think. Many of the almost 10 million people working in the U.S. auto industry qualify for some kind of discount — including a variety of recent car leases under $200 from Ford.

One tempting offer lets you enjoy a 2019 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE for only $149 per month. With that powertrain, the mid-size Fusion boasts EPA ratings of 43 mpg city/41 mpg highway/42 mpg combined. Ford’s low-cost, “A/Z Plan” lease also covers Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and the new Co-Pilot360 package. This bundles adaptive cruise control, automatic forward emergency braking, automatic high beams, a blind-spot monitor, a forward-collision warning, and a rearview camera.

2019 Chevrolet Malibu

Chevy has its own high-value car leases under $200. Consider this summer’s offer on the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu: For $199 per month, you could get into a mid-size Malibu RS featuring a standard turbocharged engine.

The RS trim level is new for 2019 and wears aggressive design cues such as 18-inch machined aluminum-alloy wheels, a black sport-style grille, a rear spoiler, dual exhaust outlets, and a menacing black cabin theme. Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and an 8-inch touchscreen are standard as well. Motivating the Malibu RS is a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that’s paired with a new CVT. So you also get EPA ratings of 29 mpg in the city, 36 mpg on the highway, and 32 mpg combined. That's an extra 2 mpg in city and combined driving versus the same engine in last year’s Malibu.

Photo by Chevrolet

2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback

If you’re looking for car leases under $200 per month, yet you still want an all-new design and plenty of standard safety features, we recommend the 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback. All models blend an aggressive hot-hatch vibe with standard technologies like automatic forward emergency braking, a forward-collision warning, pedestrian/cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, lane-centering assistance, and a rearview camera. Nor is there any shortage of infotainment technology: The Corolla also comes with a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot, Amazon Alexa, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, and app-based navigation.

Another highlight is a versatile cabin. Although it’s a compact car, the Corolla’s standard 60/40 split rear seats can be folded to give you much more cargo capacity than the mid-size sedans we previously mentioned. 

Photo by Toyota

2019 Honda Civic

Summertime has also seen Honda roll out car leases under $200 a month for all three of the 2019 Civic body styles. For instance, June brought $169 deals on the Civic coupe and sedan, along with a $179 offer for the Civic five-door hatchback.

All leases were for the LX entry models, but don’t worry — you’ll benefit from an extensive list of standard driver-assistance technologies. Every Civic is equipped with automatic forward emergency braking, a forward-collision warning, a lane-departure warning, and a multi-angle rearview camera with reversing guidelines. If we did have to pick only a single Civic, the hatchback would have our votes. That’s because it provides almost 45 percent more cargo space behind its rear seat — with a $20 lower payment — than the competing Corolla hatchback we already covered. 

Photo by Honda

2019 Nissan Sentra

Nissan’s car leases under $200 a month include a summer deal on the 2019 Nissan Sentra. In fact, that one was way under our mark, as it allowed you to get into a compact Sentra SR for a mere $139 per month.

The SR is no entry-level trim, either. It serves up standard features like LED low-beam headlights, mirror-mounted LED turn signals, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and automatic forward emergency braking. To be clear, the SR also provides a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT), not a manual. The CVT then works with the Sentra’s 124-horsepower standard engine for EPA ratings of 29 mpg city/37 mpg highway/32 mpg combined. A further practical benefit is a relatively roomy trunk, which has 15.1 cubic feet of cargo space.

Photo by Nissan

2019 Subaru Impreza

Subaru brings its usual advantages to our list of car leases under $200 per month: The 2019 Subaru Impreza compact is the only vehicle here that’s under our ceiling with standard all-wheel drive. In June, you could find Impreza leases with a monthly payment of $195.

Now, to maintain that sort of price, the arrangements were for a base-model Impreza 2.0i with a five-speed manual transmission. But a stick can be a lot more fun to drive, and it makes for a highly effective theft-prevention feature — since so few folks know how to shift for themselves. The Impreza also carries upscale technologies like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay despite its low cost. Neither of those systems is available with, for example, the 2019 Lexus IS at any price.

Photo by Subaru

2019 Hyundai Veloster

The 2019 Hyundai Veloster shows that dynamic design is available with some car leases under $200 per month. Newly redesigned this year, the Veloster updates its unique three-door body style with a sleeker, more sophisticated appearance that’s set off by powerful bulging fenders.

It’s also worth noting that when we call the Veloster a “three-door” car, we’re not counting the tailgate as one of the doors. The Veloster actually has four doors if you count the hatch. They also include one conventional driver’s door, one conventional passenger door, and then a third, smaller passenger door for easier access to the back seats. That’s a sensible addition to go with the Veloster’s standard connectivity and driver-assistance technologies. The kicker is a sensible lease with monthly payments of $189.

Photo by Hyundai

2019 Kia Optima

Kia doesn’t boast much about being a value brand anymore. Instead, it delivers without making a fuss. A perfect example of this is the company’s approach to car leases under $200 a month, which extend up into the mid-size segment: The refreshed 2019 Kia Optima could be leased for as little as $149 per month this summer.

To help you optimize your Optima budget, the deal covered premium goodies such as LED daytime running lights, the latest in Android/Apple smartphone connectivity, and a healthy array of safety technologies — including automatic emergency braking and a driver-attention monitor. An unexpected performance enhancer is the Optima’s advanced standard suspension. This relies on shock absorbers with sport dampers to sharpen the car’s reflexes.

Photo by Ron Sessions

2019 Volkswagen Jetta

You can find car leases under $200 per month from VW, too. A case in point is a recent offer on the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta compact sedan. Starting at $179 a month, this deal undercuts many rivals while still supplying the popular Android Auto/Apple CarPlay combination plus full LED headlights with matching LED daytime running lights and LED taillights.

This particular lease also swapped out the Jetta’s standard manual transmission for a high-tech eight-speed automatic gearbox. Because that transmission is paired with a responsive turbocharged engine, the Jetta builds on its advantages with a blend of responsive performance and responsible efficiency. The tale of the tape for the Jetta S: 147 horsepower, 184 pound-feet of torque, and EPA ratings of 30 mpg city/40 mpg highway/34 mpg combined. 

Photo by Volkswagen

2019 Mitsubishi Mirage

We always prefer to provide you with as many different brands as possible, so you can choose from a diversity of options. This brings us to the 2019 Mitsubishi Mirage. The subcompact Mirage is one of the least expensive new cars in the country, and it’s a natural fit for our list of car leases under $200 a month.

That being said, considering its typical 2019 offer of $189 per month, you could probably get more car for less money. The Mirage’s main selling points at this price are its stellar EPA ratings. Rocking a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine and the CVT that’s part of the lease deal, the Mirage returns fuel-economy grades of 36 mpg city/43 mpg highway/39 mpg combined.

Photo by Mitsubishi