Auto Loan Calculators
Tools for financing a vehicle: turn a sticker price, trade-in, and APR into the real monthly payment and the true lifetime cost of the loan.
Auto Loan Calculator
Free auto loan calculator. Estimate your monthly car payment from price, down payment, trade-in, sales tax, APR, and term, with total interest and payoff.
Car Affordability Calculator
Find out how much car you can afford. Enter your monthly budget, down payment, trade-in, tax, APR, and term to see the maximum vehicle price.
The monthly payment is only half the question
Dealers negotiate around the monthly payment because it is the easiest number to make look small — stretch the term far enough and almost any car fits almost any budget. The number that actually matters is the total cost: the price of the car plus every dollar of interest you pay to borrow for it. A low payment on a long loan can cost thousands more than a higher payment on a short one.
Two figures drive that total: the APR, which is the real yearly cost of the loan including fees, and the term, which is how long you carry it. Run the loan calculator with the actual APR your lender or credit union quotes — not the advertised teaser rate — to see the monthly payment and the total interest side by side before you sign.
Longer terms cost more than they look
Six- and seven-year car loans are now common because they push the payment down, but they carry two hidden costs. You pay interest for far longer, and for much of the loan you owe more than the car is worth — a gap called being underwater or upside-down. If you sell or total the vehicle during that window, you are still on the hook for the difference.
A shorter term raises the payment but shrinks total interest and gets you to positive equity faster. If the shorter term is a stretch, that is often a sign the car is more than you should finance — the affordability calculator works backward from a comfortable payment to a price range that fits your income.
Down payment, trade-in, and taxes change the loan
The loan is not the sticker price. A down payment and a trade-in both reduce what you finance, which lowers the payment and the interest. Sales tax, title, and registration fees push it back up, and in most states tax is charged on the price after the trade-in credit — a detail that can save real money.
Model all of it together rather than guessing. Entering the price, your down payment, a trade-in value, your state tax rate, and the APR gives you the true amount financed and what the car actually costs over the life of the loan, so the number at the dealer holds no surprises.
Guides & articles
Plain-English explainers to go with the calculators above — every figure tied to its source.
How Much Car Can You Afford?
Dealers sell you a monthly payment; your budget cares about the total cost. Here’s a simple rule for setting a car budget — and the costs people forget to count.
How Car Loan Interest Works (and Why a Longer Loan Costs More)
A lower monthly payment can hide a much bigger total cost. Here’s how car loan interest is set, why used-car rates run higher, and what a longer term really costs.
How Much Should You Put Down on a Car?
A down payment does three things at once: shrinks your payment, cuts your interest, and keeps you from owing more than the car is worth. Here’s how much to aim for.