Auto Loan Calculator

By the Bureau of Wealth team Updated 15 September 2026

This calculator is general information, not financial advice. Check your own figures with the provider or a qualified adviser before acting on them.

Enter the vehicle price, what you are putting down, your trade-in, sales tax, fees, APR and term to see the amount financed, your monthly payment and what the car costs in total.

Check the highlighted fields to see your results.

What this calculator assumes

Sales tax is charged on the vehicle price minus the trade-in value. Not every state works this way: California, for example, taxes the full selling price, so check your state's rule.
Title, registration and dealer fees you enter are added to the loan rather than paid in cash. If you pay them upfront, leave them out.
The APR is fixed, divided by 12 to get a monthly rate, and every payment is made on time for the whole term.
The trade-in is worth the value you enter and you owe nothing on it. If you still have a loan on your current car, the amount owed reduces what the trade-in is worth to you.
Optional add-ons such as extended warranties, GAP coverage and credit insurance are not included unless you add their cost to the fees.
Insurance, fuel, maintenance and depreciation are not part of the result.

Loan Repayment Calculator
Already know the amount you are financing? See how much interest extra monthly payments would save and how much sooner the car would be paid off.
The True Cost of Financing a Car, Term by Term
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How the amount financed is worked out

The calculator starts with the vehicle price and takes off your down payment and trade-in value. It then works out sales tax on the price after the trade-in, adds that tax and any fees you are rolling into the loan, and the result is the amount financed. Anything you finance on top, such as an extended warranty, raises that figure, so add its cost to the fees if you are buying one.

The monthly payment comes from the standard amortization formula for a fixed-rate loan, using the APR divided by 12 and the number of months in the term. Total cost of the vehicle adds your down payment, your trade-in value and every loan payment together.

A worked example

Say the car costs $30,000. You put $3,000 down, trade in a car worth $5,000, pay 6% sales tax and roll $800 of title, registration and doc fees into the loan. Tax on the $25,000 left after the trade-in is $1,500, so you finance $24,300. At 6.5% APR over 60 months the payment is $475.46, you pay $4,227.44 in interest, and the car costs $36,527.44 in total.

In a state that taxes the full $30,000, the tax rises to $1,800 and the same deal costs $481.33 a month. You can check the payment in a spreadsheet with =PMT(6.5%/12, 60, -24300), which returns 475.46.

Why the term matters

Stretching the same $24,300 loan to 72 months cuts the payment to $408.48, but interest rises to $5,110.65, about $880 more. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau makes the same point: a longer loan lowers the monthly payment, but you end up paying more interest over the life of the loan. A shorter term costs more each month and less overall.

What you can negotiate

The CFPB lists the APR, the length of the loan, the trade-in value, optional add-on products and additional fees for buying the vehicle or taking out the loan as negotiable. Taxes, title and registration fees set by your state and local government are not. Getting a preapproved quote from a bank or credit union before you visit the dealer gives you an APR to compare against the dealer's financing offer.

Once you have an offer, the loan repayment calculator shows how much interest you would save by paying a little extra each month.

Frequently asked questions

Does my trade-in reduce the sales tax?

This calculator takes the trade-in value off the price before working out sales tax. Not every state does that: California, for example, taxes the full selling price. Your state's revenue department or the dealer can tell you which rule applies.

Should I roll taxes and fees into the loan?

Rolling them in means you pay interest on them for the whole term. Paying them in cash keeps the amount financed lower, so enter zero for fees if that is your plan.

What if I still owe money on my trade-in?

Subtract what you owe from the trade-in value and enter the difference. If you owe more than the car is worth, the shortfall can be added to the new loan, which raises both your payment and the interest you pay.

Is a 72 or 84 month auto loan a bad idea?

It lowers the payment but adds interest and keeps you in debt for longer. Compare the total interest at 60 and 72 months in the calculator before you decide.

How much should I put down on a car?

There is no fixed rule, but a bigger down payment means you borrow less and pay less interest. The CFPB notes that a larger down payment may also help you get a lower interest rate.

Sources

Figures come from institutions millions of people rely on. How we keep calculators accurate.