Credit Union Leasing of America (CULA) delivered strong growth in 2024, with double-digit increases in credit union and dealer partnerships as an increasing number of credit unions leveraged CULA’s indirect vehicle leasing program. CULA partner credit union members saved a total of more than $63 million on lease payments in 2024, and an average of $159[1] per month versus traditional auto loan payments.

Expanding its presence to 27 states in 2024, CULA added four new states—Oregon, Maine, Idaho, and Vermont—further strengthening its national footprint. The Company also increased its active dealer partners by 91% in 2024 compared to 2023. Today, CULA has over 2,554 total dealer partners signed to its program.

As affordability remains a major challenge in the auto market, more consumers are choosing leasing versus traditional auto loans, given leasing’s dramatic savings. In 2024, vehicle leasing rose to 24.5% of new auto sales nationally, from 22.6% in 2023 and 17.2% in 2022, according to “Experian’s State of the Automotive Market Q4 2024 Report.”

In addition to enabling savings for its partner credit unions’ members, CULA data revealed that those credit unions using its program in 2024, compared to credit unions not partnered with CULA, realized higher loan yield (25 bps higher), greater auto loan growth (2.21% vs -3.62%) and higher member growth (3.96% vs 3.36%).