CINCINNATI -

Among the many intriguing findings from the Swapalease Q4 Lease Report, not only are consumers becoming more interested in leasing a Tesla, they appeared to be driving more in general judging by the softening amount of mileage left on a lease contract up for a takeover.

Analysts determined consumer searches for Tesla vehicles on the Swapalease.com marketplace increased 55% over the past 12 months, among the largest increases by any brand in the site’s recent history.

Furthermore, whether it’s a Tesla, another luxury vehicle or a base model for routine transportation, Swapalease reported that the average amount of miles remaining dropped from 23,718 in the third quarter to 21,921 in Q4.

However, when looking at the remaining mileage metric by gender, Swapalease discovered a stark difference in the Q4 averages.

For male lease holders looking to exit the contract, the site indicated the average amount of mileage left stood at just 18,199. But among female lease holders, the average came in much higher at 27,655.

Men looking to depart a lease in Q4 had a little lease term remaining at 21.6 months on average. Women wanting to move on from the vehicle lease still had an average of 25.9 months left.

But no matter male or female, if they leased a Tesla and want to make a change, Swapalease found demand in Q4.

“The consumer demand for Tesla is very real, and while Tesla doesn’t have a traditional retail network, the vehicle’s makeup positions it perfectly for a lease environment,” Swapalease.com executive vice president Scot Hall said in a news release.

“As it’s in the luxury category, many drivers enjoy the ability to lease rather than finance a Tesla,” Hall continued. “Furthermore, drivers feel the battery technology is improving at a rapid rate and enjoy the ability to change or upgrade every few years.”

Elsewhere in the luxury lease space, the report indicated BMW’s percentage of total traffic reached 19% during the fourth quarter, up from 17% during Q3. Mercedes-Benz dipped slightly from 8% to 7% on a sequential basis.

Swapalease added that other foreign brands such as Honda, Acura, Nissan and Infiniti also continue to see falling search numbers in the marketplace.

“While these brands have traditionally experienced higher-than-average lease rates, they continue to experience lower-than-average search traffic and demand in the marketplace due to their unfavorable lease and lease transfer policies,” the site said.

Also of note in the report that can be downloaded here, Americans paid an average of $519.46 per month on their leases during the Q4, down from $521.90 in Q3.

Swapalease broke down Q4 averages by automaker, pinpointing readings for 19 different brands. That rundown included:

Chevrolet: $424.21
Ford: $450.91
Chrysler: $380.46
Buick: $360.61
Cadillac: $754.84
GMC: $560.10
Ram: $536.21
BMW: $813.37
Mercedes-Benz: $826.72
Volkswagen: $404.91
Audi: $729.96
Lexus: $608.10
Honda: $384.61
Nissan: $375.71
Toyota: $395.87
Acura: $503.07
Infiniti: $536.52
Hyundai: $398.19
Subaru: $425.81

According to the report, the average incentive to take over a lease dropped from $583.65 in Q3 to $545.66 in Q4.

More leasing trends

Wantalease.com, a sister marketplace to Swapalease.com, also shared some leasing trends recently, delving into what analysts saw in January.

While many truck lease payments have remained steady, experts noticed that SUV lease pricing is experiencing a split in both increases and decreases, depending on the brand.

While Honda is increasing their lease payments on SUVs in the month of January, Wantalease indicated Toyota is decreasing lease payments for its SUVs.

The three largest decreases were the Toyota 4Runner with a 17.78% decrease in payment, followed by the Toyota RAV4 with a 12.62% decrease. Also softening was the Nissan Pathfinder with a 5.31% decrease.

Wantalease said the 4Runner is offered at $299 per month, the RAV4 is available at $209 per month, while the Nissan Pathfinder can be landed for $329 per month.

The largest lease price increases for SUVs in the month of January include the Honda Pilot, with a 12.06% increase from December, and the Honda CR-V with a 6.66% increase. Wantalease reported the Honda Pilot is listed at $329 per month, and the Honda CR-V is available at $239 per month.

“SUVs continue to be a category that garners a great deal of interest from new customers,” Hall said in another news release, as he also serves as executive vice president of Wantalease.com.

“It’s this demand that you continue to see some SUV brands increasing their lease offers, while others lower deals in hopes to sway potential customers away from the competition,” Hall added.

Currently, Wantalease discovered the Ford Focus is priced the lowest of all leases coming in at just $159 per month. The Ford Focus is priced lower than the Nissan Sentra, which was the vehicle holding the lowest lease offer last month at $149.

This month, the Nissan Sentra increased in monthly payments by 4.71%, according to Wantalease.

Other lease increases include models in the luxury category, which has seen an explosive increase in monthly payments.

Wantalease mentioned the BMW X5 M50i had a 20.88% increase and the Lexus IS 300 had a 20.34% increase. The BMW X5 M50i is now offered at $1,049 per month, while the Lexus IS 300 is now available at $349 per month.