lease-vs-cash-analyzerlisted

# Lease vs Cash Analyzer > **Caveat**: this skill is one author's playbook + 5-scenario stress test. Verify state fees / CPO terms / EV credits / dealer practices against current sources before quoting numbers to a dealer or making financial decisions. Not tax, legal, or financial advice. > **last_verified**: 2026-05-18 (Phase 3C sub-skill split from orchestrator) Narrow helper: lease structure math, lease-vs-cash break-even, captive lender policy lookup. Defers the full theory + worked tables to `../orchestrator/references/lease_playbook.md`. ## When To Use - Buyer asks "should I lease or buy?" with a concrete vehicle + horizon - Need to verify a dealer-quoted lease monthly is honest (MF buy-rate check) - Need lease-end disposition / early-buyout policy for one OEM captive > **NOTE, federal §45W lease pass-through is TERMINATED (acquired after 2025-09-30, OBBBA).** > The "EV buyer fails §30D AGI cap, so route to §45W lease pass-through" play is **dead** > for any 2026 lease. Lessor captives can no longer capture the federal $7,500 commercial > credit, so it is not available as cap cost reduction. Any "EV lease credit" a dealer > advertises in 2026 is ordinary OEM lease cash / marketing money, NOT a federal credit , > do not present it as §45W pass-through or count it as a federal incentive. See the > CRITICAL banner in `ev-buyer-helper`. §45W content below is HISTORICAL only. ## When NOT To Use - General OTD cash math - delegate to `otd-calculator` - EV federal credit