Auto Loan Calculator
Estimate the monthly payment, total interest, and total cost of a car loan from the price, down payment, trade-in, sales tax, and rate.
Purchase details
Term presets
Apply sales tax to
Breakdown
- Vehicle price
- 35,000.00
- Sales tax (7% on vehicle price)
- 2,450.00
- Down payment
- -5,000.00
- Trade-in value
- -0.00
- Amount financed
- 32,450.00
- 60 payments of 634.92
- 38,095.29
Estimates cover principal and interest only and exclude registration, title, dealer fees, and insurance. Confirm exact figures on your finance contract.
Everything is calculated in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
How to calculate an auto loan payment
Enter the deal
Type the vehicle price, your down payment, any trade-in value, the sales tax rate, the APR, and the loan term in months.
Read the payment
The monthly payment, amount financed, total interest, and total cost update instantly as you type.
Compare the options
Tap a different term preset or switch how sales tax is applied to see how the payment and total interest change.
Why use this tool
Full deal breakdown
The amount financed is built from the price, sales tax, down payment, and trade-in, so the monthly payment reflects the whole deal and not just the sticker.
See the true cost of a longer term
Total interest and total cost sit beside the payment, which makes comparing a 60 month loan against a 72 month one a quick, honest check.
Term presets and sales tax options
One tap sets a 36, 48, 60, or 72 month term, and a toggle taxes either the full price or the amount you actually finance to match your state's rules.
Handles 0% financing
A zero percent promotional rate is valid input: the balance is divided evenly across the term instead of returning an error.
Runs entirely in your browser
Every figure is calculated on your device; nothing about the purchase is uploaded, stored, or logged.
About this tool
This auto loan calculator estimates the monthly payment on a car loan from the numbers on the deal sheet: the vehicle price, your down payment, the value of any trade-in, the local sales tax rate, the annual percentage rate, and the term in months. It first works out the amount financed, which is the price plus sales tax minus your down payment and trade-in credit, then applies the standard amortized-loan formula to turn that balance, the rate, and the term into a fixed monthly payment. The total interest and total cost update the moment you change any figure.
Use it to compare deals before you sign. Stretching a loan from 48 to 72 months lowers the monthly payment but raises the total interest, and the four result cards make that trade-off obvious at a glance. Term presets cover the common 36, 48, 60, and 72 month lengths, and a single toggle switches sales tax between the full vehicle price and the amount you actually finance, so the math matches how your state and dealer handle it. A 0% promotional rate is valid input and simply spreads the balance evenly across the term. For a loan without a trade-in or sales tax, the general loan calculator is simpler, and the sales tax calculator handles a standalone tax sum.
Every figure is calculated on your device as you type, and nothing is uploaded, stored, or logged. Results cover principal and interest only: registration, title, dealer fees, extended warranties, and gap insurance are not modeled, so treat the payment as an estimate and confirm the exact numbers on your finance contract. Amounts are shown as plain numbers without a currency symbol, so the same math works whatever you buy in.
Frequently asked questions
- How is the monthly car payment calculated?
- The tool works out the amount financed (vehicle price plus sales tax, minus your down payment and trade-in) and applies the standard amortized-loan formula: the balance times the monthly rate, divided by one minus (one plus the monthly rate) raised to the power of minus the number of payments. At 0% APR the balance is simply divided by the number of months.
- What does the sales tax toggle do?
- By default sales tax is charged on the full vehicle price. Switching the toggle applies it to the amount you actually finance instead (price minus down payment and trade-in), which matches states that only tax the financed balance. Use whichever matches your dealer's paperwork.
- What costs are left out?
- The estimate covers loan principal and interest only. Registration, title, documentation and dealer fees, extended warranties, and gap insurance are not included, so your real payment may be a little higher. Confirm the exact figures on the finance contract.
- Does a bigger down payment or trade-in lower the payment?
- Yes. Both reduce the amount financed, which lowers the monthly payment and the total interest. If your down payment and trade-in cover the price and tax in full, no loan is needed and the payment shows as zero.
- Is my data uploaded anywhere?
- No. Everything runs in your browser; the price, down payment, trade-in, and rate never leave your device and nothing is stored or logged.
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