Real amortization schedule
Month-by-month principal, interest, and balance — not just a single payment number.
Work out the real monthly payment — with tax, trade-in, and a full amortization schedule — or flip it around and solve for how much car your budget buys.
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Month-by-month principal, interest, and balance — not just a single payment number.
Start from the monthly payment you want and solve for the maximum vehicle price.
Models the amount you actually finance, the way dealers structure the deal.
Your numbers live in the link — copy the URL to save or share a scenario.
Vehicle price, down payment, trade-in value, sales tax, APR, and term.
Monthly payment, total interest, and the full amortization schedule update instantly.
Decode the VIN free to verify the build, options, and open recalls before you sign.
The monthly payment comes from the amount financed (vehicle price plus sales tax, minus your down payment and trade-in), the APR, and the loan term. The standard amortization formula spreads the balance plus interest evenly across the term — early payments are mostly interest, later payments mostly principal.
Rates vary with credit score, loan term, and whether the car is new or used. Strong credit on a new car commonly lands in the mid single digits; used-car and longer-term loans usually run higher. Even one percentage point matters — on a $30,000 loan over 60 months it changes the total interest by roughly $850.
Most buyers finance the tax, which is how this calculator models it: tax is added to the vehicle price before your down payment and trade-in are subtracted. Paying the tax in cash instead lowers the amount financed and the total interest.
Flip the calculator to "What can I afford" mode: enter the monthly payment you want, your down payment, trade-in, APR, and term, and it solves for the maximum vehicle price. A common rule of thumb is to keep total vehicle costs — payment, insurance, fuel — under about 15–20% of take-home pay.
A longer term lowers the monthly payment but raises the total interest, and it keeps you underwater on the loan longer. Compare a 60-month and 72-month schedule side by side here — the amortization table shows exactly how much more interest the extra year costs.
Decode the VIN free — factory build, options, and open recalls before you talk numbers.
Estimates only, for planning purposes — not a loan offer or financial advice. Your actual rate and payment depend on the lender, your credit, and local taxes and fees.