u/acedaniels10

I’m shopping for a hybrid crossover/SUV in the San Francisco Bay Area and would appreciate help identifying the strongest lease programs right now.

What I’m looking for:
36-month lease
15,000 miles per year
Excellent credit
Ideally true sign-and-drive / $0 due at signing
AWD preferred, but I’d consider FWD for a substantially better deal
Mid-level trim with heated seats, adaptive cruise control and a power lift gate

Target payment: ideally under $600/month including tax.

Vehicles I’m considering:
Kia Sportage or Sorento Hybrid EX

Honda CR-V Hybrid Sport-L or Sport Touring

Mazda CX-50 Hybrid Preferred or Premium

Open to other hybrid SUVs with strong lease support
I care more about getting a good lease structure than choosing a particular brand.

Are any of these leasing especially well right now? I’d appreciate recent deal examples, especially in California.

Looking for objective advice. I leased a 2025 Kia Sportage PHEV X-Line in California. Payment is $972/month. About 20k miles with about 30 payments left. One minor accident (passenger door repaired). Current online buyout is about $48.9k. CarMax offered $31k. I’m trying to determine whether it’s worth getting out early.

My current thoughts are to…
- Get dealer payoff from Kia Finance.
- Get multiple trade appraisals.
- Finance the negative equity separately with a - personal loan instead of rolling it into a new lease.
- Lease something like a Kia Sorento Hybrid or Honda CR-V Hybrid.

Am I missing another strategy? Has anyone successfully handled a situation like this without rolling negative equity into the next lease?

Looking for objective advice. I leased a 2025 Kia Sportage PHEV X-Line in California. Payment is $972/month. About 20k miles with about 30 payments left. One minor accident (passenger door repaired). Current online buyout is about $48.9k. CarMax offered $31k. I’m trying to determine whether it’s worth getting out early.

My current thoughts are to…
- Get dealer payoff from Kia Finance.
- Get multiple trade appraisals.
- Finance the negative equity separately with a - personal loan instead of rolling it into a new lease.
- Lease something like a Kia Sorento Hybrid or Honda CR-V Hybrid.

Am I missing another strategy? Has anyone successfully handled a situation like this without rolling negative equity into the next lease?