Auto loan calculator
Your monthly car payment with sales tax, fees and your trade-in counted, and the same loan compared across every term.
The same loan, every term
A lower payment usually means more interest. Here is the trade-off for your numbers.
| Term | Monthly payment | Total interest | Total of all payments |
|---|
How it’s worked out
Your numbers, step by step.
- Taxable price
- Sales tax
- Amount financed
- Monthly payment
- M = P × r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)−n)
Where your payments go
Principal and interest paid in each year of the loan. Early on, most of each payment is interest.
- Principal
- Interest
Amortization schedule
What goes into a car payment
The loan covers the price, minus your down payment, rebates and trade-in, plus anything you still owe on the trade-in. If you choose, sales tax and fees are added too. The payment is the fixed monthly amount that pays that off, with interest, over the term.
Dealers talk about the monthly payment. The number that matters more is the total cost of the car, which leads the ledger here.
Questions people ask
Does my trade-in reduce the sales tax?
In most US states, yes: sales tax is charged on the price minus your trade-in value. A few states, such as California and Hawaii, tax the full price. Untick “Trade-in lowers the taxable price” if yours is one of them.
Should I roll taxes and fees into the loan?
Rolling them in means less cash at signing, but you pay interest on them for the whole term. Paying them upfront is cheaper overall.
What loan term is best for a car?
Shorter is cheaper. Longer terms lower the payment but add interest and make it more likely you’ll owe more than the car is worth. The comparison table shows your loan over every common term.