The term, 1 year lease, one-year lease or 12 month lease, as it relates to car leasing, refers to the length of the lease contract. Most people searching on this term are interested in a shorter-than-normal new-car lease.

Normal car leases begin at 2 years (24 months).

A typical lease is 36 or 39 months. Although a 1-year or 12 month lease is not normal, some dealers, through their lease finance company (e.g. Ford Credit, Honda Finance, etc.) can offer shorter leases from time to time. However, there is no consistency in when or if they might offer these short lease terms. For those who are interested, the best way to find out is simply to ask a dealer who sells the vehicle you want.

People who are interested in one-year leases may not find them available, in which case they could look one of the following solutions:

Long-term car rental from a small local rental company. They will have the best long term rates.

Buy a good used car that typically maintains high resale values (e.g. Honda, Toyota) and resell it when you no longer need it, to recover much of your original investment. See Auto Credit Express for used car financing, quick approval and good rates.

A lease takeover from someone who wants out of their lease and has about a year remaining. Check out Swapalease.com to find “sellers” who advertise their lease takeover deals.

For more information, see our article Short-Term Leasing.