Electric Dodge Charger Daytona Lease Deals Are Heinously Bad Compared To The Gas Car

Ask yourself when you last saw a Dodge Charger Daytona — ya know, the electric muscle car that was going to change the whole world. Yeah, it's been a minute. Despite the fact that Stellantis still insists on building the damn things, it doesn't seem like the automaker has much of an interest in selling them. Thus far this year, Dodge has moved just 767 Chargers — an 89% drop from the year prior. And a lot of that could be due to its horrendous lease offers for the full-size coupé.

Right now, the effective monthly lease for a Charger EV is more than twice what a similar Charger Sixpack (the Hurricane inline-6-powered Charger) would be, according to CarsDirect. The outlet found that a two-door 2026 Charger Daytona Scat Pack is listed at $1,312 per month for 36 months with $6,269 due at signing. That estimate is based on a $60,690 manufacturer's suggested retail price and 10,000 miles per year, meaning the effective cost of the lease is about $1,486 per month, excluding taxes and fees. That's an awful deal made worse by this: the two-door 2026 Charger Scat Pack with an MSRP of $55,690 can be found for $573 per month for 36 months with $5,769 due at signing. That means the effective monthly cost is just $733.

When comparing MSRPs, things get nasty. Sure, the Daytona is a bit more expensive — 9%, to be exact — but the latest incentives found by CarsDirect make it nearly 103% more expensive to lease than its gas-powered counterpart. That's certainly weird when you consider the fact that the Daytona was meant to be the crown jewel of the Charger lineup, the way forward. The future of Mopar muscle.

While it might seem more than a bit odd at first glance, the second you look at the expected residual values of both these cars after the 36-month lease terms are up, things quickly snap into view. By the end of the lease, Dodge expects the Charger Daytona to be worth a measly 40% of its MSRP, according to CarsDirect. Meanwhile, the broadly appealing Sixpack will have retained 67% of its value.

Because of that, it makes plenty of sense why Dodge wouldn't want to bother leasing the Daytona. After three years, its dealers would be stuck with an even more out-of-date EV worth nearly nothing. Honestly, I can't see into the future (yet), but I've got a feeling that 40% number is a bit, well, generous. Considering the fact that Dodge has already raised Daytona prices and you can currently pick up low-mile, clean-title 2025 Daytona R/Ts for under $35,000 tells me all I need to know.

In a bubble, the Charger Daytona could have been a very cool car. Unfortunately for Dodge, we do not live in a bubble, and there are a hell of a lot of other cars out there — cars that do what the Daytona tries to do, but better.