Car Loan Calculator

Figuring out what a car loan will actually cost you shouldn’t require a finance degree. This car loan calculator takes your vehicle price, down payment, loan term, and interest rate, then instantly shows your estimated monthly payment and total interest paid over the life of the loan. Just enter your numbers above and adjust them to see how a bigger down payment or a shorter term changes your monthly cost. If you’re not sure what interest rate to expect, our guide on car loan interest rates breaks down what lenders actually look at, and our post on how your credit score affects your rate can help you estimate a realistic APR before you plug in a number.

Estimate your monthly car loan payment, including sales tax, fees, trade-in value, and total interest over the life of the loan.

Varies by state; applied to price minus trade-in value

Your Estimated Monthly Payment

$0 / month
Vehicle Price $0
Down Payment $0
Trade-In Value $0
Sales Tax $0
Title & Fees $0
Amount Financed
$0
Total Interest Paid
$0
Total Cost of Loan
$0
Out-the-Door Price
$0

Out-the-door price includes the vehicle price plus sales tax and fees, before your down payment and trade-in are applied. Actual dealer fees and tax rules vary by state.

Getting the calculator numbers right matters more than most buyers realize, since a small difference in APR or loan length can add up to hundreds of dollars a year. Before you decide on a term length, it's worth reading how 36, 60, and 72-month loans compare in total cost, not just monthly payment. And if you're trying to figure out a comfortable budget first, check out how much car loan you can actually afford based on your income. Once you have a monthly payment estimate you're comfortable with, you can cross-check it against real-world numbers using our car payment calculator, or compare loan offers side by side with our auto loan calculator.

Loan Details

$
$5,000.00
$
months
5.5%
%

$0.00

Total Loan Amount $0.00
Total Interest Paid $0.00
Total Cost of Loan $0.00

Enter the vehicle price, your down payment, the loan term, and the interest rate, and the calculator applies a standard amortization formula to estimate your monthly payment and total interest over the life of the loan. You can adjust any of these inputs to instantly see how the result changes. For a closer look at the math behind it, see our guide on how a car loan calculator actually works.

If you haven't been pre-approved yet, use a rate based on your general credit range as a starting estimate. Our article on how your credit score affects your car loan rate explains what range you might expect, and car loan interest rates explained covers the other factors lenders consider.

A longer term does lower your monthly payment, but it also increases the total interest you'll pay over the life of the loan. Our comparison of 36, 60, and 72-month loan terms shows exactly how much that tradeoff costs, so you can decide what balance works best for your budget.

This calculator focuses on the loan itself — principal and interest — rather than sales tax, title, or registration fees. For an estimate that includes those additional costs, use our car payment calculator, which factors tax into your total monthly figure.

Yes. This calculator gives you the monthly payment and total interest summary, and our car loan amortization calculator shows the complete month-by-month schedule, including how much of each payment goes toward principal versus interest.

A common guideline is keeping your total monthly car costs under roughly 15-20% of your take-home pay. Our guide on how much car loan you can actually afford walks through this in more detail, and our car affordability calculator works backward from your income to a target vehicle price.

Extra payments applied to principal reduce the interest that accrues on your remaining balance, which can shorten your loan term and lower your total interest cost. Our car loan payoff calculator shows exactly how much time and interest you could save.

Yes, this calculator is completely free with no sign-up required, and you can run as many loan scenarios as you need before deciding on a term, rate, or vehicle price.

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