[Survey on Car Ownership] Car Lease Awareness at 73.7%, Considered by 60% of Car Buyers
A survey by Nyle Inc. reveals that 13.7% of recent car acquirers chose leasing, with awareness reaching 73.7% and indicating a shift in ownership trends.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 00:02 (4h 2m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 10:44 (10h 42m after Collected)
Nyle Inc. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Hisho Takahashi), operator of the car lease specialized media 'Carmo Magazine,' conducted an internet survey targeting 1,060 men and women nationwide who acquired a car between April 2025 and March 2026, regarding their methods of obtaining a car and their attitudes toward car leasing. The results are announced below.
[Survey Results Details]
- Methods of acquiring a car: 45.0% lump-sum purchase, 31.5% loan purchase, 13.7% car lease.
- Car lease awareness rate is 73.7%; roughly 3 out of 4 people who acquired a car know about it.
- 62.9% of those aware of car leasing considered it, with an actual contract rate of 18.6%.
- Future intentions among those who considered but did not contract are polarized: 24.4% 'want to use it' and 54.7% 'do not want to use it.'
[Survey Background]
In recent years, methods of car ownership have diversified. In addition to traditional lump-sum and loan purchases, car leasing—which allows you to drive a new car for a fixed monthly fee—has been gaining attention. Because it keeps initial costs low and flattens maintenance costs like vehicle inspections and taxes, its use is spreading, particularly among younger generations. On the other hand, understanding of car leasing is not yet fully pervasive, and many people have concerns such as 'What is the difference from a loan?', 'Does it mean it will never be mine?', or 'Won't it end up being more expensive in the long run?'
Therefore, 'Carmo Magazine' conducted an internet survey targeting people who actually acquired a car to uncover the reality of their acquisition methods and their awareness of car leasing. We introduce the results here.
[Survey Overview]
- Target audience: 1,060 men and women nationwide (those who acquired a car in the 1-year period from April 2025 to March 2026)
- Survey agency: In-house research (using the survey tool Freeasy)
- Survey method: Internet survey
- Survey period: April 1 to April 10, 2026
- Number of valid responses (sample size): 1,060
■ 'Lump-sum Purchase' is the most common acquisition method, 'Car Lease' is at 13.7%
Q1: How did you acquire that car?
Purchased with a lump sum: 477 people (45.0%)
Purchased with a loan: 334 people (31.5%)
Contracted a car lease: 145 people (13.7%)
Received from family/acquaintance: 103 people (9.7%)
Other: 1 person (0.1%)
When asked about the acquisition method among those who acquired a car within the past year, 'Purchased with a lump sum' was the most common at 477 people (45.0%), followed by 'Purchased with a loan' at 334 people (31.5%), and 'Contracted a car lease' at 145 people (13.7%).
While traditional purchasing methods combining lump-sum and loan account for 76.5%, car leasing was selected by about 1 in 7 people, demonstrating a solid presence as an option for car ownership.
■ Car lease awareness is 73.7%, showing high recognition among car acquirers
Q2: Do you know about car leasing?
Yes: 781 people (73.7%)
No: 279 people (26.3%)
When asked about their awareness of car leasing, 781 people (73.7%) answered 'Yes'. The result that roughly 3 out of 4 people who actually acquired a car know about car leasing suggests that awareness of it as a car ownership option is spreading.
Looking at gender, the awareness rate for men was 449 people (77.3%) and for women 332 people (69.3%), indicating a slightly higher trend among men.
■ 62.9% of those aware considered it, actual contract rate is 18.6%
Q3: When acquiring a car, did you consider car leasing?
Considered: 491 people (62.9%)
Did not consider: 290 people (37.1%)
When asking the 781 people who knew about car leasing whether they considered it when acquiring their car, 491 people (62.9%) answered 'Considered'. Over 60% of those aware are considering it, showing it is specifically compared and evaluated as an option.
Furthermore, the 145 people who answered 'Contracted a car lease' in Q1 represent 13.7% of the total and 18.6% of those aware of car leasing. Roughly 30% of those who considered it actually signed a contract, suggesting car leasing is evaluated as a realistic option.
People who actually contracted a car lease provided comments such as the following:
- 'Even without preparing a lump sum (down payment, registration fees), you can drive a new car while keeping monthly payments fixed, so the hurdle to contract is low.' (35-year-old female, Saitama Prefecture)
- 'Because vehicle inspections and taxes were included.' (30-year-old male, Tokyo)
- 'Because I can freely choose the car I like.' (48-year-old...
[Survey Results Details]
- Methods of acquiring a car: 45.0% lump-sum purchase, 31.5% loan purchase, 13.7% car lease.
- Car lease awareness rate is 73.7%; roughly 3 out of 4 people who acquired a car know about it.
- 62.9% of those aware of car leasing considered it, with an actual contract rate of 18.6%.
- Future intentions among those who considered but did not contract are polarized: 24.4% 'want to use it' and 54.7% 'do not want to use it.'
[Survey Background]
In recent years, methods of car ownership have diversified. In addition to traditional lump-sum and loan purchases, car leasing—which allows you to drive a new car for a fixed monthly fee—has been gaining attention. Because it keeps initial costs low and flattens maintenance costs like vehicle inspections and taxes, its use is spreading, particularly among younger generations. On the other hand, understanding of car leasing is not yet fully pervasive, and many people have concerns such as 'What is the difference from a loan?', 'Does it mean it will never be mine?', or 'Won't it end up being more expensive in the long run?'
Therefore, 'Carmo Magazine' conducted an internet survey targeting people who actually acquired a car to uncover the reality of their acquisition methods and their awareness of car leasing. We introduce the results here.
[Survey Overview]
- Target audience: 1,060 men and women nationwide (those who acquired a car in the 1-year period from April 2025 to March 2026)
- Survey agency: In-house research (using the survey tool Freeasy)
- Survey method: Internet survey
- Survey period: April 1 to April 10, 2026
- Number of valid responses (sample size): 1,060
■ 'Lump-sum Purchase' is the most common acquisition method, 'Car Lease' is at 13.7%
Q1: How did you acquire that car?
Purchased with a lump sum: 477 people (45.0%)
Purchased with a loan: 334 people (31.5%)
Contracted a car lease: 145 people (13.7%)
Received from family/acquaintance: 103 people (9.7%)
Other: 1 person (0.1%)
When asked about the acquisition method among those who acquired a car within the past year, 'Purchased with a lump sum' was the most common at 477 people (45.0%), followed by 'Purchased with a loan' at 334 people (31.5%), and 'Contracted a car lease' at 145 people (13.7%).
While traditional purchasing methods combining lump-sum and loan account for 76.5%, car leasing was selected by about 1 in 7 people, demonstrating a solid presence as an option for car ownership.
■ Car lease awareness is 73.7%, showing high recognition among car acquirers
Q2: Do you know about car leasing?
Yes: 781 people (73.7%)
No: 279 people (26.3%)
When asked about their awareness of car leasing, 781 people (73.7%) answered 'Yes'. The result that roughly 3 out of 4 people who actually acquired a car know about car leasing suggests that awareness of it as a car ownership option is spreading.
Looking at gender, the awareness rate for men was 449 people (77.3%) and for women 332 people (69.3%), indicating a slightly higher trend among men.
■ 62.9% of those aware considered it, actual contract rate is 18.6%
Q3: When acquiring a car, did you consider car leasing?
Considered: 491 people (62.9%)
Did not consider: 290 people (37.1%)
When asking the 781 people who knew about car leasing whether they considered it when acquiring their car, 491 people (62.9%) answered 'Considered'. Over 60% of those aware are considering it, showing it is specifically compared and evaluated as an option.
Furthermore, the 145 people who answered 'Contracted a car lease' in Q1 represent 13.7% of the total and 18.6% of those aware of car leasing. Roughly 30% of those who considered it actually signed a contract, suggesting car leasing is evaluated as a realistic option.
People who actually contracted a car lease provided comments such as the following:
- 'Even without preparing a lump sum (down payment, registration fees), you can drive a new car while keeping monthly payments fixed, so the hurdle to contract is low.' (35-year-old female, Saitama Prefecture)
- 'Because vehicle inspections and taxes were included.' (30-year-old male, Tokyo)
- 'Because I can freely choose the car I like.' (48-year-old...