Ford Buyers Overwhelmingly Opted To Finance Their Vehicles In Q4 2021

2021 Ford F 150 Lariat Tremor
The Ford Flex Buy program allows Gary Crossley Ford customers to finance their new car, truck, or SUV with more affordable monthly payments for the first 3 years of ownership.

With the prices of new vehicles reaching new heights in recent months, itā€™s not terribly surprising that many people are either opting to lease or finance those purchases with longer terms in an effort to keep payments down. According to Experianā€™s Q4 2021 Auto Finance Insights Report, however, the overwhelming majority of Ford buyers chose to finance their vehicles last quarter, which is an interesting development when compared to the automakerā€™s competition.

2022 Ford Expedition Stealth Edition Performance Package Exterior 012 Front Three Quarters 1024x697
2022 Ford Expedition Stealth Edition-Performance Package
A full 80.32 percent of Ford buyers financed a vehicle in Q4 of last year, while just 19.68 percent opted to lease. That puts Ford near the top of the pack in that regard, as Dodge (88.56 percent financed), Ram (86.81 percent), GMC (86.12 percent), Toyota (82.26 percent), Tesla (81.89 percent), and Chrysler (80.68 percent) were the only automakers that enjoyed a higher finance rate than The Blue Oval. Meanwhile, a number of Fordā€™s other competitors ā€“ including Chevrolet, Honda, Kia, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, and Volkswagen ā€“ all finished with higher lease percentages.

However, Fordā€™sĀ new Options PlanĀ has proven to be a popular option on vehicles like theĀ Ford Mustang Mach-E, and will also be available with theĀ Ford F-150 Lightning, whichĀ has higher residual valuesĀ than its EV brethren butĀ lower than the ICE F-150. Fordā€™s Options Plan is a type of balloon financing that provides lower monthly payments than a purchase, yet also requires a larger one-time payment at the end of the loan term. However, it also puts the vehicle in a buyerā€™s name, unlike a lease. That last little detail allows consumers to claim the federal EV tax credit of $7,500, which lessees arenā€™t eligible for.

2021 Ford Mustang Mach E Gt China Exterior 002 Side 1024x683
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

Meanwhile, the Mach-E wasĀ the third-most financed electric vehicle in Q4, while the ICEĀ Ford F-150Ā wasĀ the fourth most-leased vehicleĀ last quarter. With incentives hitting long-time lows and many hot new vehicles beingĀ exempted from lease dealsĀ altogether, itā€™s possible that even more people could turn to loans moving forward.

Source: Ford Authority

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