Best Luxury Car Lease Deals for May 2026

Luxury lease programs tend to be more stable month-to-month than mainstream brand deals, but May 2026 has a few standouts worth noting — particularly from BMW and Cadillac, which are running unusually aggressive money factors and residuals. All lease examples below assume 36 months / 10,000 miles per year unless stated. MSRP and effective monthly costs are for the volume trim at each brand.

Programs are valid through May 31, 2026.

German brands

BMW

BMW is running some of the most competitive luxury lease programs of the year in May, with money factors at or near buy-rate on several models.

Model	Trim	Effective Monthly	Due at Signing	Notes
3 Series 330i	sDrive	$549/mo	$4,499	Best entry luxury sedan lease in May
3 Series 330i xDrive	AWD	$589/mo	$4,499	$40/mo AWD premium
5 Series 530i	xDrive	$749/mo	$4,999	Stepped up from prior month
X3 xDrive30i	—	$649/mo	$4,499	Strong SUV value
X5 xDrive40i	—	$899/mo	$5,499	Below recent averages
i4 eDrive35	—	$679/mo	$4,499	Best EV sedan lease value May 2026

The 3 Series at $549/mo is the headline. Money factor is at 0.00098 (equivalent to ~2.4% APR), which is among the lowest BMW has offered on the 330i in 18 months. Residual at 57% for 36/10K is healthy.

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Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes is more conservative with lease support this month but has competitive numbers on the C-Class and GLC.

Model	Trim	Effective Monthly	Due at Signing	Notes
C300	—	$599/mo	$4,999	Up ~$30/mo from April
C300 4MATIC	AWD	$639/mo	$4,999
GLC 300	—	$699/mo	$4,999	Most popular MB SUV
GLC 300 4MATIC	AWD	$729/mo	$4,999
E350	—	$849/mo	$5,499
EQS 450	—	class="relative z-10",099/mo	$5,999	Elevated vs BMW i7 equivalent

Mercedes residual values have softened on EVs, which explains the EQS lease premium vs BMW's electric lineup. The GLC 300 is the volume seller and at $699/mo represents fair current pricing.

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Audi

Audi's May programs are middle-of-the-road — not as aggressive as BMW but stronger than Mercedes at upper trims.

Model	Trim	Effective Monthly	Due at Signing	Notes
A4 45 TFSI	quattro	$579/mo	$4,499	Competitive with BMW 3
Q5 45 TFSI	quattro	$679/mo	$4,999	Most popular Audi lease
Q7 55 TFSI	quattro	$899/mo	$5,499
Q8 55 TFSI	—	class="relative z-10",049/mo	$5,999
e-tron GT	—	$999/mo	$5,999	Strong EV sport sedan option

The A4's money factor (0.00108) is slightly above BMW's 3 Series but the lower MSRP makes the effective monthly comparable. The Q5 is the volume trim and $679/mo is in line with market.

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Japanese luxury brands

Lexus

Lexus lease programs are typically conservative — the brand relies on strong residual values more than rate subsidies. May 2026 is no exception.

Model	Trim	Effective Monthly	Due at Signing	Notes
ES 350	—	$599/mo	$4,999	Reliable but unexciting program
ES 300h Hybrid	—	$649/mo	$4,999	Efficiency story justifies delta
RX 350	—	$749/mo	$5,499	Most popular Lexus
RX 500h F Sport	—	$949/mo	$5,499	Performance hybrid option
NX 250	—	$599/mo	$4,499	Best entry Lexus SUV value

The NX 250 at $599/mo is the standout. Good residuals on the NX (52% at 36/10K) keep the payment reasonable despite Lexus's higher-than-market money factor (0.00135).

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Acura

Acura is running one of the better Japanese luxury lease programs this month, particularly on the MDX.

Model	Trim	Effective Monthly	Due at Signing	Notes
TLX	—	$529/mo	$3,999	Best value entry luxury sedan lease
MDX	—	$699/mo	$4,499	Strong MDX program
MDX Type S	—	$849/mo	$4,999
ZDX (EV)	—	$649/mo	$4,499	Competitive EV luxury SUV option

The TLX at $529/mo is the lowest effective monthly in the luxury sedan category this month — $20/mo below the BMW 330i. The MDX continues to be one of the best-valued three-row luxury SUV leases available, with 36% of inventory moving on lease nationally.

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Domestic luxury

Cadillac

Cadillac is running aggressive Memorial Day programs, particularly on the Escalade and CT5.

Model	Trim	Effective Monthly	Due at Signing	Notes
CT5	Luxury	$589/mo	$4,499	Underrated vs German competition
CT5-V	—	$729/mo	$4,999
XT5	Luxury	$649/mo	$4,499
Escalade	Luxury	class="relative z-10",249/mo	$6,999	Strong residual for size
LYRIQ EV	Luxury	$599/mo	$3,999	Best luxury EV lease May 2026

The Cadillac LYRIQ at $599/mo with only $3,999 due at signing is the best luxury EV lease value in May. Money factor is at 0.00082 (sub-2% APR equivalent) with a 54% residual — GM is clearly prioritizing LYRIQ lease volume this month.

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How to read these numbers at the dealer

Money factor markup: dealers are allowed to mark up the money factor above the buy-rate Captive Finance sets. Ask the finance office for the "buy-rate money factor." If the number they quote you is more than 0.0003 above the buy-rate you've researched (resources like Edmunds forums post these monthly), you're being charged a dealer markup. Push back.

Acquisition fee: luxury brands charge $895– class="relative z-10",095 in acquisition fees that are typically non-negotiable but should be disclosed upfront, not buried in the cap cost.

Residual is not negotiable: unlike the vehicle selling price and money factor, the residual percentage is set by the manufacturer. Focus your energy on negotiating the cap cost (the effective vehicle price) down to or below invoice, then apply the lease program on top.

For a broader lease comparison across mainstream segments, see the May 2026 best lease deals. For the German luxury sedan head-to-head, see BMW 3 Series vs Mercedes C-Class.