{
  "slug": "auto-loan-payment",
  "title": "Auto Loan Payment Calculator",
  "heading": "Auto Loan Payment Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/auto-loan-payment",
  "summary": "Monthly payment, total interest, and payoff for a car loan.",
  "description": "Dealers negotiate on payment, not price, because stretching a loan from 60 to 84 months hides thousands in interest behind a smaller number.",
  "formula": "Payment = P × r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)^−n), where r is the monthly rate.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=auto-loan-payment",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "price",
      "label": "Vehicle price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 32000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "down",
      "label": "Down payment",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 4000,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "trade",
      "label": "Trade-in value",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "tax",
      "label": "Sales tax rate",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 6.5,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 15
    },
    {
      "id": "fees",
      "label": "Fees (doc, title, registration)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 800,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "rate",
      "label": "APR",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 7.2,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "term",
      "label": "Term (months)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 60,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 12,
      "max": 96
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "payment",
      "label": "Monthly payment",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "financed",
      "label": "Amount financed",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "interest",
      "label": "Total interest",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "tax",
      "label": "Sales tax",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Total cost of the vehicle",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "perYear",
      "label": "Annual payments",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Vehicle price: 32000 $",
      "Down payment: 4000 $",
      "Trade-in value: 0 $",
      "Sales tax rate: 6.5 %",
      "Fees (doc, title, registration): 800 $",
      "APR: 7.2 %",
      "Term (months): 60"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Monthly payment: $614.38",
      "Amount financed: $30,880.00",
      "Total interest: $5,982.74",
      "Sales tax: $2,080.00",
      "Total cost of the vehicle: $40,862.74",
      "Annual payments: $7,372.55"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter vehicle price ($).",
      "Enter down payment ($).",
      "Enter trade-in value ($).",
      "Enter sales tax rate (%).",
      "Enter fees (doc, title, registration) ($).",
      "Enter apr (%).",
      "Enter term (months).",
      "Read your monthly payment on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "price": 19000,
        "down": 2500,
        "trade": 0,
        "tax": 3.9,
        "fees": 500,
        "rate": 7.2,
        "term": 36
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "price": 32000,
        "down": 4000,
        "trade": 0,
        "tax": 6.5,
        "fees": 800,
        "rate": 7.2,
        "term": 60
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "price": 51000,
        "down": 6500,
        "trade": 0,
        "tax": 10.4,
        "fees": 1300,
        "rate": 7.2,
        "term": 96
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the auto loan payment calculator work?",
      "a": "Dealers negotiate on payment, not price, because stretching a loan from 60 to 84 months hides thousands in interest behind a smaller number. The underlying maths is: Payment = P × r ÷ (1 − (1 + r)^−n), where r is the monthly rate."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "7 values: vehicle price, down payment, trade-in value, sales tax rate, fees (doc, title, registration), apr, and term (months). Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the monthly payment result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/car-affordability-calculator",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/lease-or-buy-car",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/car-depreciation"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Auto Loan Payment Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/auto-loan-payment)"
}