Auto Loan Calculator
Estimate the monthly payment on a car loan, including tax and trade-in.
Results update as you type.
About this calculator
An auto loan calculator turns the vehicle price, down payment, trade-in, sales tax and interest rate into a monthly car payment and the total interest you pay. It subtracts your down payment and trade-in from the price, adds sales tax and any fees to get the amount financed, then amortizes that over the term at your APR to produce a fixed monthly payment.
For example, a 30,000 car with 4,000 down financed at 7% APR over 5 years leaves a 26,000 loan and a payment of about 515 a month. Across the 60 payments you pay roughly 4,900 in interest on top of the amount borrowed. Adding sales tax or fees raises the financed amount and the payment; a larger down payment or trade-in lowers both.
Switch to the monthly-payment tab to work backwards from a payment you can afford to the vehicle price it supports — handy when shopping to a budget. Use it to compare loan terms, judge whether a longer term is worth the extra interest, and see the true cost of driving a financed car off the lot.
Frequently asked questions
Is sales tax added to the loan?
Usually yes — tax is charged on the price less any trade-in, then added to the amount financed. Turn on advanced options to include it.
Does a trade-in lower my payment?
Yes. A trade-in reduces both the taxable amount and the amount you need to finance, which lowers the monthly payment.
How does the monthly-payment mode work?
Switch to the Monthly payment tab and enter the payment you can afford. The calculator works backwards to the loan it supports at your rate and term, then adds your down payment and trade-in to show the vehicle price that fits your budget.
How much should I put down on a car?
A larger down payment lowers the amount financed, the monthly payment and the total interest, and reduces the risk of owing more than the car is worth. Many buyers aim for 10–20% of the price, but enter any figure to see its effect.
Is a longer loan term cheaper?
A longer term lowers the monthly payment but increases the total interest, because you borrow the money for longer. Compare a 4-year and a 6-year term in the calculator to see the trade-off between affordability and total cost.
Are title and dealer fees included?
They can be. Enter registration, documentation and dealer fees under advanced options and they are rolled into the amount financed, so the monthly payment and total reflect them.
What interest rate will I get on a car loan?
It depends mainly on your credit score, the loan term and whether the car is new or used, with new cars usually getting lower rates. Enter the APR you have been quoted to see the real payment and total interest it produces.
API — use this calculator from code
Call this calculator as a free JSON endpoint — no key required. Send the field values below as query parameters or JSON. Read the full API docs →
Endpoint
GET https://calculator.free/api/v1/auto-loan/curl
curl "https://calculator.free/api/v1/auto-loan/?price=30000&target_payment=450&down=4000&rate=7&years=5&_mode=price"JavaScript fetch()
const r = await fetch(
"https://calculator.free/api/v1/auto-loan/?" + new URLSearchParams({
"price": "30000",
"target_payment": "450",
"down": "4000",
"rate": "7",
"years": "5",
"_mode": "price"
}));
const data = await r.json();
console.log(data.results);Results are estimates for general guidance only, not financial, medical or tax advice.