MINI Cooper S Lease Guide - $296/Month, $0 Down ($276 WITH SECURITY DEPOSIT)

This quirky Brit is a solid lease, especially if you qualify for conditional incentives. ($276/month with Multiple Security Deposit.)

Source: miniusa.com

MINI Cooper S Hardtop Automatic (2015) Sample Lease
MSRP	$26,200
Target Capitalized Cost	$24,725*
36-Month Residual	$15,720 (60% of MSRP)**
Money Factor	.00113 (2.71% APR)
Estimate	$296 per month
Valid Through	11/2/2015

$0 down payment with only first month's payment and government fees due at signing. Does not include sales tax. Southern California market.

*Assumes a 95th percentile sales price of $25,000, less $1,200 Option Credit, plus $925 acquisition fee.

**Assumes 12,000 miles per year. Add 1% for 10,000 miles per year.

Leasehackr Score: 7.4 years
Leasing this car for one year amounts to paying 14% of its MSRP.

Source: jalopnik.com (2014 Mini Cooper S Hardtop: The Jalopnik Review)

Our Take: 

MINI's lease program for the Cooper S Hardtop is decent, and a good deal (about $250/month) can be had if use MINI's Multiple Security Deposit program and qualify for conditional incentives. We like how all MINIs come with no-cost scheduled maintenance.

Conditional Incentives: 

There's a $500 College Grad Credit for recent grads, a $500 Owner Loyalty Credit for current MINI owners, and a $1,000 USAA Credit. MINI also provides the option of Multiple Security Deposits. Putting down 7 refundable security deposits ($2,100) will lower the money factor to .00064 (1.54% APR), which will save you about $20 each month.

2015 or 2016? 

Dealers have 2015s still in stock. Go for the 2015, which has a better lease program. The MINI Cooper S Hardtop is unchanged for 2016.

Manufacturer's Offer: $199/month. 36-month lease. $3,714 due at signing. $26,200 MSRP.

Also consider: Volkswagen GTI, Subaru WRX, Ford Focus ST, Audi A3, FIAT 500 Abarth
We love the: Characterful design. Fun-to-drive. Premium image.
But watch out for: Lack of interior space.