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Auto Loan Calculator

Estimate your monthly car payment, amount financed, total interest and total repayment from vehicle price, down payment, trade-in, APR and term.

Estimate the amount financed and monthly payment for a vehicle loan.

Result

How to Use

  1. Enter the vehicle's price, and your down payment and trade-in value if you have either (both default to 0).
  2. If you know the sales tax and fees you'll be charged, enter that as a single flat dollar amount — leave it at 0 to see just the vehicle financing on its own.
  3. Enter the APR your lender is quoting and the loan term in months (e.g. 60 for a 5-year loan).
  4. The result shows the amount actually financed, your estimated monthly payment, total interest, and total repayment.

Formula

Amount financed
financed = vehicle_price − down_payment − trade_in_value + taxes_and_fees
Monthly rate
monthly_rate = APR ÷ 100 ÷ 12
Monthly payment
payment = financed × monthly_rate ÷ (1 − (1 + monthly_rate)^−months)
Total repayment
total_repayment = payment × months
Total interest
total_interest = total_repayment − financed

Worked Example

A $30,000 vehicle, $3,000 down, a $2,000 trade-in, $1,500 in taxes/fees, 7% APR, 60-month term.

  1. Amount financed: $30,000 − $3,000 − $2,000 + $1,500 = $26,500
  2. Monthly rate: 7 ÷ 100 ÷ 12 ≈ 0.005833
  3. Monthly payment: $26,500 × 0.005833 ÷ (1 − 1.005833⁻⁶⁰) ≈ $524.73
  4. Total repayment: $524.73 × 60 ≈ $31,483.91
  5. Total interest: $31,483.91 − $26,500 ≈ $4,983.91

Result: Amount financed: $26,500.00 / Estimated monthly payment: $524.73 / Total interest: $4,983.91 / Total repayment: $31,483.91

About This Tool

What this tool does

This calculator estimates the amount you'd actually finance on a vehicle purchase — after your down payment and trade-in — and the resulting monthly payment, total interest, and total repayment over the loan term.

When to use it

Use it to compare how a trade-in or larger down payment changes your monthly payment, or to estimate financing costs before visiting a dealership.

What the result means

The amount financed accounts for your down payment and trade-in reducing what you borrow, and any taxes/fees you entered increasing it. Total interest and total repayment show the full cost of financing over the entire term, not just the monthly payment.

Assumptions & limitations

Taxes and fees are entered as a single flat dollar amount that you provide, rather than a calculated rate — sales tax treatment of a trade-in credit varies significantly by state (some states tax the full vehicle price, others only tax the price minus the trade-in), so this tool does not attempt to encode any state's specific rule; enter the actual taxes and fees quoted to you, or leave it at 0 to see financing on the vehicle price alone. This is an estimate only, not a financing offer, credit approval, or financing advice — a dealer's or lender's actual quote may differ due to their specific fees, add-ons, or underwriting.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate my car loan payment?
Subtract your down payment and trade-in value from the vehicle price (adding any taxes and fees) to get the amount financed, then apply the standard loan payment formula using your APR and term in months. This calculator does that automatically.
How does a trade-in affect my auto loan?
A trade-in reduces the amount you need to finance just like a down payment does, which lowers both your monthly payment and total interest paid — enter your trade-in's value here to see the effect directly.
Why do I need to enter taxes and fees manually?
Sales tax rates and how trade-in credits are taxed vary significantly by state, and dealer fees vary by dealership — rather than guess at a rule that might be wrong for your situation, this tool asks for the actual taxes and fees you've been quoted (or lets you leave it at 0 to estimate financing on the vehicle price alone).