There are three ways to have your own car: buy, lease, or flex. Each one handles your miles differently. When you flex, your mileage plan changes when your driving does, and the miles you don’t use roll over while you keep the car.
Over years of commutes, school runs and weekend drives, that difference adds up. Here’s how miles work with each option, and what they really cost.
How Miles Work When You Flex
Every Flexcar comes with a mileage plan. When you order, you choose one of three:
850 miles a month, about 10,200 a year
1,200 miles a month, about 14,400 a year
2,000 miles a month, 24,000 a year
What makes it work over the long run is what happens after you choose.
Unused miles roll over while you keep the car. A month of working from home banks miles for August, when the drive to the lake comes around again.
You can change your mileage plan at any time from your account. Take a job across town and you move up a plan. Nothing waits for you at the end.
Extra miles are added automatically in 100-mile bundles: about $39 to $49 on the 850-mile plan, or $24 to $34 on the 1,200- and 2,000-mile plans, depending on the car and your approval. The bigger your plan, the less each extra mile costs. If you find yourself adding bundles most months, check whether a bigger plan costs less for how you drive.
How Miles Work With a Lease
A lease sets your miles once, at signing. Most leases allow 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year, and that allowance holds for the whole term.
That number gets picked before you know what the next three years hold: a new job, a move, a kid who makes the travel team. If your commute doubles in year one, the lease doesn’t change. The bill just waits for you at turn-in, where each mile over the allowance typically costs about 12 to 30 cents, on top of any turn-in fee and wear charges.
If your lease is ending soon, our guide to returning it, buying it out, or flexing walks through the options.
How Miles Work When You Buy
A bought car has no mileage cap, but its miles aren’t free. Every mile lowers what the car is worth when you sell it, and maintenance and repairs climb as the miles add up.
Our savings calculator shows how much. Take a car equivalent to a typical Flexcar, bought from a dealership and sold after three years. Driving 24,000 miles a year instead of 10,000 adds about $7,500 to the cost of buying it. About half of that is resale: once the loan is paid off, the buyer gets back about $800 instead of about $4,700.
The buyer pays for those miles either way. The bill just arrives years later, at the sale.
What Flexing Costs When You Drive More
The calculator prices both sides at the same miles, the ones the Flexcar plan includes. For a typical Flexcar, flexing costs less than buying the same car over one, three and five years, whether you drive 10,000, 15,000 or 24,000 miles a year.
Model by model, flexing costs less over three years on at least 147 of the 163 models Flexcar stocks at each of those mileages.
That’s for a 25–34 driver with good (670–739) credit, averaged across Flexcar’s 8 markets, once the bought car is sold. The buyer gets the dealer’s extended warranty and GAP coverage and carries the cost of the money buying ties up. Your car, your market and your miles all move the answer, so set your own in the calculator. The methodology lists every assumption and source.
How to Choose Your Plan
Start with your week, not a guess at your year.
Add up your commute. A 20-mile round trip, five days a week, is about 430 miles a month.
Add the regular driving: groceries, school pickup, Sunday dinner at your parents’ place.
Pick the plan with some room to spare. Unused miles roll over, so the cushion isn’t wasted.
When your driving changes for good, change the plan from your account. Or flex into another Flexcar that fits the new routine, like a hybrid for a longer commute or a minivan when the family grows.
The Bottom Line
A lease fixes your miles for years and bills the overage at the end. A bought car has no cap, but every mile comes out of what it’s worth. Flexing gives you a plan that changes when your driving does and keeps the miles you don’t use, for as long as you keep your Flexcar.
That’s the freedom of flexing.
See why flexing beats buying or leasing, or find your Flexcar.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Miles Do I Get With Flexcar?
Choose 850, 1,200, or 2,000 miles a month when you order, and unused miles roll over while you keep the car. Need more? Miles are added automatically in 100-mile bundles: about $39 to $49 on the 850-mile plan, or $24 to $34 on the 1,200- and 2,000-mile plans, depending on the car and your approval. The bigger your plan, the less each extra mile costs. You can change your mileage plan at any time from your account.
Do Unused Miles Roll Over?
Yes. Unused miles roll over while you keep the car, so a lighter month builds room for a busier one.
Can I Change My Mileage Plan Later?
Yes, at any time from your account. Your monthly payment can change with your mileage plan.
How Many Miles Does a Car Lease Allow?
Most leases allow 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year, set when you sign. Miles over the allowance typically cost about 12 to 30 cents each, charged when you turn the car in.
Is Flexing Cheaper Than Buying If I Drive a Lot?
For a typical Flexcar, yes. Compared with buying that same car with a loan, flexing costs less over one, three and five years at 10,000, 15,000 and 24,000 miles a year, once the bought car is sold, for a 25–34 driver with good (670–739) credit, averaged across Flexcar’s 8 markets, with the dealer’s extended warranty and GAP coverage and buying’s cost of capital. Results vary by model, so check the car you want in the savings calculator.
Savings are estimates for a 25–34 driver with good credit driving about 10,000, 15,000 or 24,000 miles a year, averaged across Flexcar’s 8 markets, using model-average prices as of October 2026. Flexing includes Essential protection and the annual membership, with modeled price step-downs; buying includes financing, ownership costs, the dealer’s extended warranty and GAP coverage, its cost of capital, and the car’s resale value. Actual savings vary and aren’t guaranteed. Maintenance, covered repairs, and roadside come with the $249 annual membership. Estimates include each side’s taxes but not extra mileage, swaps, damage, fuel, or tolls. Insurance limits, deductibles, and exclusions apply. Availability varies. Month-to-month returns have no early-termination penalty; usage and damage charges still apply. Terms vary by plan and state; see the Membership Agreement.