Auto loan calculator
Estimate a car loan amount and monthly payment before you visit a dealer. It accounts for your down payment, trade-in value, any loan still owed on the trade-in, sales tax and fees.
- Runs in your browser
- Free, no account needed
- Copy or download the result
Result
Example
Vehicle price: 32000 Down payment: 4000 Trade-in value: 6000 Amount owed on trade-in: 2500 Sales tax rate: 6 Sales tax applies to: Price minus trade-in value Title, registration and other fees: 800 APR: 6.9 Loan term: 60
Monthly payment: $530.59 Loan amount: $26,860.00 Total interest: $4,975.73 Total of loan payments: $31,835.73 Sales tax: $1,560.00 Trade-in equity: $3,500.00 Total cost of the vehicle: $39,335.73 Loan amount = price + sales tax + fees - down payment - trade-in value + amount owed on trade-in. Total cost of the vehicle = loan payments + down payment + trade-in equity, which equals price + sales tax + fees + interest. Any negative equity rolled into the loan is old debt, so it is not counted as vehicle cost. Estimate only: dealer fees, rebates and tax rules vary.
How to use the auto loan calculator
- Enter the Vehicle price, Down payment, Trade-in value and Amount owed on trade-in.
- Enter the Sales tax rate, choose what Sales tax applies to, and add Title, registration and other fees.
- Enter the APR and Loan term in months, then press Run.
- Press Copy result to keep the estimate.
How it works
Loan amount = price + sales tax + fees - down payment - trade-in value + amount owed on the trade-in.
Sales tax can apply to the price minus the trade-in value or to the full price, because rules vary by state. Fees are added to the loan and not taxed.
If you owe more than the trade-in is worth, the difference is shown as negative equity and rolled into the loan.
APR must be 0% to 40% and the term 1 to 120 whole months. If your down payment and trade-in cover the full cost, the tool says there is no loan to calculate.
Results are estimates; dealer fees, rebates and tax rules vary.
Everything runs in your browser. Your input is not uploaded or stored.
Questions and answers
Is sales tax charged on the trade-in value?
Many states tax only the price minus the trade-in, but some tax the full price. Choose the option that matches your state.
What happens if I owe more than my car is worth?
That gap is negative equity. It is added to the new loan, which raises the loan amount and the payment.
Should I pick a longer loan term?
A longer term lowers the monthly payment but usually raises the total interest. Try a few terms to compare the totals.