Auto Loan Calculator

Work out your car payment from the vehicle price, down payment, trade-in, sales tax, rate, and term, with the total loan amount and interest paid.

Monthly payment

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Amount financed-
Total interest-
Total cost of loan-

Show the math

The amount financed is the taxed price minus what you put toward it:

loan = price × (1 + tax) − down − trade-in

That loan is then amortized at your rate over the term to get the monthly payment. Total interest is every payment minus the amount financed. Some states tax the price after the trade-in credit, if yours does, lower the price by your trade-in for a closer estimate.

What this does

An auto loan calculator estimates your monthly car payment and the total interest you will pay. It works from the vehicle price, down payment, trade-in, sales tax, interest rate, and loan term to show the amount you actually finance.

How to use it

  1. Enter the vehicle price and your down payment.
  2. Add any trade-in value and your local sales tax rate.
  3. Enter the interest rate (APR) and choose a loan term.
  4. Read your monthly payment, amount financed, and total interest.

How it works

The amount financed is the price plus sales tax, minus your down payment and trade-in. That balance is amortized over the term at your APR, so a higher rate or longer term raises the total interest even when the monthly payment looks smaller.

Understanding your result

A longer term lowers the monthly payment but increases total interest; a larger down payment or trade-in does the opposite. Compare the total interest, not just the monthly figure, when weighing offers.

Example

Financing $30,000 at 7% APR over 60 months is about $594 a month and roughly $5,640 in total interest. Stretching the same loan to 72 months drops the payment to about $512 but raises total interest to about $6,860.

Sources & methodology

Last updated .

Frequently asked questions

How is the loan amount calculated?

It is the vehicle price plus sales tax, minus your down payment and any trade-in value. The result is the amount you finance and pay interest on.

How is sales tax handled?

Sales tax is applied to the vehicle price and added to the amount financed. Some states tax the price after the trade-in credit; if yours does, lower the price accordingly for a closer estimate.

Should I make a bigger down payment?

A larger down payment (or trade-in) reduces the amount financed, which lowers both the monthly payment and the total interest you pay over the loan.

Do you store my details?

No, everything runs locally in your browser and nothing is uploaded.