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Auto loan calculator

Work out your monthly car payment with tax, fees and a trade-in, or work backwards from the payment you want to the price you can pay.

By the Calcist team · Checked against known answers · Updated October 27, 2026

Private: calculated on your device. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Estimates for planning, not financial, tax or legal advice. Figures use US rules unless the page says otherwise.

Next: Thinking of leasing instead? Compare with the auto lease calculator. Dealer charging a fee? See its true cost with the APR calculator.

How the car payment is calculated

First the calculator works out how much you're borrowing (the amount financed). Then it uses the standard loan payment formula.

Amount financed = price − down payment − trade-in value + amount still owed on the trade-in + sales tax + fees you finance
Payment = A × i ÷ (1 − (1 + i)−n)

A is the amount financed, i is the APR ÷ 12 and n is the number of monthly payments. Total interest comes from a month-by-month schedule in whole cents, the same way a lender works it out.

Worked example

You buy a $35,000 car with $5,000 down. The dealer gives you $8,000 for your old car, but you still owe $10,000 on it. Your state taxes the price minus the trade-in at 7%: 7% × $27,000 = $1,890. You finance $1,000 of title, registration and doc fees.

35,000 − 5,000 − 8,000 + 10,000 + 1,890 + 1,000 = $34,890 financed
At 7.5% APR for 72 months: $603.25 a month, $8,544.22 total interest

The $2,000 of negative equity on the old car is now part of the new loan. You'll pay interest on it for six years.

Sales tax and trade-ins: state rules vary

Most states charge sales tax only on the price minus your trade-in. That's a real saving of trading in rather than selling privately. A few states tax the full price no matter what you trade in, and some don't charge sales tax on cars at all. Rebates can be taxed or not, depending on the state. Pick "Full price" if your state doesn't give a trade-in credit, and check with your state's motor vehicle or revenue department.

Working backwards from a budget

Choose "Find price" and enter the payment you want. The calculator finds the loan that payment supports, adds your down payment and trade-in equity, then takes off the tax and any financed fees:

Loan = payment × (1 − (1 + i)−n) ÷ i
Price = (loan + down + trade-in − owed − financed fees + tax rate × trade-in) ÷ (1 + tax rate)

Limitations

  • It assumes a fixed rate and equal monthly payments. Some buy-here-pay-here loans use weekly or biweekly payments.
  • Dealer add-ons like service contracts, GAP insurance or paint protection raise the amount financed. Add them to the fees if you're financing them.
  • Manufacturer rebates and 0% offers are often either/or. Run both to see which saves more.
  • Your real APR depends on your credit. Get a preapproval from a bank or credit union to compare with the dealer's offer.

Sources

How we checked this

Before every update, this calculator is run in a real browser with these known answers, and it must match all of them:

  • $27,000 financed at 6% for 60 months: $521.99/month ✓
  • $35,000 car, $5,000 down, $8,000 trade-in with $10,000 owed, 7% tax on price minus trade-in, $1,000 fees financed, 7.5% for 72 months: $603.25 ✓
  • Same, but taxed on the full price: $612.93 ✓
  • $500/month at 6% for 60 months, $3,000 down, 6% tax: about $27,229 car ✓
  • Down payment bigger than the price: nothing to finance ✓

Last checked October 26, 2026. Spotted something wrong? The math is done in your browser with the formula shown on this page, so you can check any result by hand.

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Questions people ask

How much is the payment on a $30,000 car loan?

At 6% APR for 60 months, $579.98 a month, with $4,799.09 in total interest. Over 72 months it drops to $497.19, but total interest rises to $5,797.35.

Is sales tax included in a car loan?

It usually is, unless you pay it upfront. The calculator adds the tax to the amount financed, which is what most dealers do.

What happens if I owe more on my trade-in than it's worth?

That gap is negative equity. The dealer pays off your old loan and adds the difference to your new one, so you borrow more and pay interest on it.

Is a 72- or 84-month car loan a good idea?

The payment is lower, but you pay more interest and stay longer owing more than the car is worth. Shorter terms usually come with lower rates too.

Should I pay the fees upfront or finance them?

Paying upfront avoids interest on them. Financing them keeps cash in your pocket today but costs a little more over the loan.

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