How it works
Calculate your monthly car payments, factoring in trade-in value and sales tax.
Input query strings and outputs
Use an input name in this page’s URL as ?name=value, and join additional inputs with &. Portable shared links may instead use the compact ?ac= state parameter.
Input query strings
6-
?vehiclePrice=Vehicle PriceNumber · Optional · Default: 35,000
-
?downPayment=Down PaymentNumber · Optional · Default: 5,000
-
?tradeIn=Trade-in ValueNumber · Optional · Default: 2,000
-
?salesTax=Sales TaxNumber · Optional · Default: 7
-
?interestRate=Interest RateNumber · Optional · Default: 6.5
-
?months=Loan Term (Months)Number · Optional · Default: 60
Outputs
1-
resultResultText · Primary output
result contains the calculator’s complete rendered result area, including its visible result cards, tables, charts, and messages.
Estimate monthly car payments
Description
The Auto Loan Calculator helps you estimate the monthly payments for a new or used vehicle. It accounts for trade-in value, down payments, and sales tax to give you a realistic view of your financing costs.
Inputs
- Vehicle Price: The sticker price of the vehicle ($).
- Down Payment: The amount of cash you put down upfront ($).
- Trade-in Value: The value of your current vehicle if trading it in ($).
- Sales Tax: The state/local sales tax rate (%).
- Interest Rate: The annual interest rate for the auto loan (%).
- Loan Term: The length of the loan in months.
Outputs
- Monthly Payment: The estimated monthly payment amount.
- Loan Amount: The total amount being financed after down payment and trade-in.
- Total Interest: The total interest paid over the life of the loan.
- Total Cost: The true total cost of the vehicle including interest and tax.
Chart
- Donut Chart: Breaks down the Total Cost into Vehicle Price, Sales Tax, and Total Interest.
“Good to Know”
- A larger down payment reduces the loan amount, which lowers both your monthly payment and total interest.
- Sales tax is typically calculated on the difference between the vehicle price and trade-in value (depending on state laws).
- Longer loan terms lower monthly payments but increase the total interest paid.
Examples
Example 1: New Car Purchase
- Input:
- Price: $35,000
- Down Payment: $5,000
- Trade-in: $2,000
- Sales Tax: 7%
- Rate: 6.5%
- Term: 60 Months
- Output:
- Monthly Payment: ~$588
- Loan Amount: ~$30,310
- Total Interest: ~$5,273
- Total Cost: ~$42,583
Example 2: Used Car
- Input:
- Price: $15,000
- Down Payment: $2,000
- Trade-in: $0
- Sales Tax: 6%
- Rate: 8%
- Term: 48 Months
- Output:
- Monthly Payment: ~$340
- Loan Amount: ~$13,900
- Total Interest: ~$2,416
- Total Cost: ~$18,316
Example 3: Luxury Vehicle with Trade-in
- Input:
- Price: $60,000
- Down Payment: $10,000
- Trade-in: $15,000
- Sales Tax: 8%
- Rate: 5%
- Term: 72 Months
- Output:
- Monthly Payment: ~$614
- Loan Amount: ~$38,600
- Total Interest: ~$6,145
- Total Cost: ~$69,745