Dodge's electric Charger comes with a sticker price just 9% higher than its gas-powered counterpart, but drivers looking to lease the vehicle face a much steeper difference.
Leasing the battery-powered muscle car costs more than twice as much, putting it further out of reach for shoppers.
Here's what to know
The two-door 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack has a 36-month lease payment of $1,312 monthly and requires $6,269 at signing, according to CarsDirect figures cited by The Drive. Its manufacturer's suggested retail price is $60,690.
By comparison, the gas-powered, two-door 2026 Charger Scat Pack starts at $55,690. Dodge's online payment estimator lists its monthly lease payment at $573 for the same term and requires an initial payment of $5,769, per CarsDirect.
Excluding taxes and fees, the effective monthly cost reaches approximately $1,486 for the electric Charger, compared to $733 for the gas model.
That makes the electric version almost 103% more expensive to lease, despite a relatively modest $5,000 sticker-price difference.
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More background
Lease-end value estimates from Dodge's parent company, Stellantis, help explain much of the difference in payments.
According to The Drive, the electric Charger reportedly has an estimated residual value of just 40% of its original sticker price. The inline-six gas model, known as the Sixpack, has a projected residual value of 67%.
That difference means drivers leasing the electric model must cover a substantially larger share of the car's original value over the same period.
Beyond the projected resale values, The Drive found no lease incentives for the electric Charger.
What's being done?
Rather than providing additional lease support for the electric Charger, Stellantis has been reshaping the vehicle's lineup.
The company discontinued the Daytona R/T and canceled the planned, higher-output Banshee, according to the report. Those decisions came as Stellantis brought Hemi V8 engines back to other vehicles in its lineup.
The Drive also pointed to the end of the federal EV rebate as a setback for the Daytona, though the report did not establish how much that change contributed to the car's difficulties.
For shoppers weighing these offers, Dodge's payment estimator provides a clearer picture of the financial commitment than sticker prices alone.
On the Charger's official website, the gas-powered Sixpack receives top billing rather than the more expensive electric Daytona.
Where can I learn more?
The Charger's lease gap shows why shoppers need to look beyond sticker prices when comparing electric and gas-powered cars. These stories explore EV lease pricing, purchase costs, delivery fees, and running costs.
• In the United States, falling EV prices are narrowing the gap with gas-powered cars.
• Mitsubishi's new EV starts at $37,745, with a $1,995 delivery fee added.
• In Europe, EVs are 33% cheaper to run as gasoline approaches $9 a gallon.
• Gas would need to cost $1.14 a gallon to rival home EV charging.
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