A vehicle is a major purchase, and it's one that could take several years to pay off. That's a huge financial commitment, so it's important that you are able to calculate your monthly car payment before shopping around. It's a good idea to know your budget and how much you can afford to spend on a vehicle.
How Do You Calculate the Monthly Car Payment?
Use our online auto loan calculator to easily figure out your monthly car payment. This handy tool is easy to use and in just seconds, it can give you an idea of how much a monthly payment will be on the vehicle of your choice.
Just enter the car loan amount, annual interest rate, the duration, or term, of the car loan (in years), and then press Calculate. You'll immediately see the monthly payment amount and the number of monthly payments you'll have to make to pay off the vehicle. If you prefer to lease a vehicle, you can also use this as a car lease monthly payment calculator.
Factors that Go Into the Monthly Payment Calculation
There are two values that affect the monthly payment estimate: the loan amount and interest rate. There are two main ways to lower the loan amount: pay a larger down payment or negotiate on the price. You can better negotiate by using the invoice price of a vehicle rather than the MSRP. Invoice Pricing can help you find the invoice price of a new vehicle-this is discussed in more detail later.
Auto loan interest rates are based primarily on credit scores. If your credit score is among the lowest, then expect to pay 11-14% in interest. However, if your score is 661 or above, then a good interest rate on an auto loan would be 3-4%. There are some nontraditional banks that offer lower rates-even as low as 0.99% - but there are often restrictions that apply. If you lower the loan term (under five years), then you'll get the best rates.
What Costs Should You Know About?
When using our auto loan payment calculator, there are two prices to keep in mind: invoice price and Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). The invoice price is what the dealer pays, while the MSRP is the sticker price, or what the dealer wants you to pay. When negotiating, you want to get as close to the invoice price as possible. However, dealers are reluctant to publicize their invoice prices. That's where Invoice Pricing comes in.
How Invoice Pricing Can Help
We can help you get the invoice price of a new car in just minutes. Fill out the Invoice Pricing Application and you'll be taken to a page where you can fill out your contact information. We'll contact you and give you the invoice price, as well as other helpful information to score a deal on a new car. It's easy to use our services, and it's 100% free.
