Online Tool Store
Car Loan Calculator
Calculate monthly car payments including trade-in value, down payment, and sales tax, plus the full amortization schedule. Runs entirely in your browser.
🔒 This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to a server.
How the car loan calculator works
- Enter the vehicle price, trade-in value, down payment, and sales tax rate.
- Enter the annual interest rate (APR) and loan term in months.
- Review the estimated monthly payment, amount financed, sales tax, total interest, and the full payment-by-payment schedule.
The formula
The amount you finance accounts for your trade-in, down payment, and sales tax on the taxable amount (price minus trade-in):
Sales tax = (Vehicle price − Trade-in) × Tax rate
Amount financed = Vehicle price − Trade-in − Down payment + Sales tax
The monthly payment then follows the standard fixed-payment amortization formula:
Payment = P × r / (1 − (1 + r)−n)
where P is the amount financed, r is the monthly interest rate (APR ÷ 12), and n is the number of monthly payments. Example: a $32,000 car with a $5,000 trade-in, $3,000 down, 7% sales tax, 6.9% APR, and a 60-month term finances about $25,890 and comes to roughly $511/month.
This estimate assumes a fixed interest rate and equal monthly payments. It does not include registration, documentation, or dealer fees, and trade-in tax treatment varies by state and country — check your local rules.
FAQ
Does the trade-in value reduce the taxable amount?
This calculator assumes it does — sales tax is calculated on the vehicle price minus your trade-in value, which is how many U.S. states handle it. Some states and countries tax the full price regardless of trade-in, so set the tax rate to 0% and add tax to the vehicle price yourself if that's how your local rules work.
Is the down payment taxed?
No — this calculator only applies sales tax to the price minus your trade-in, then subtracts the down payment separately. That matches how most lenders structure the amount financed.
What loan term should I use?
Auto loans commonly run 36 to 72 months, sometimes up to 84. A shorter term means higher monthly payments but less total interest paid over the life of the loan.
Does this include registration, documentation, or dealer fees?
No — only vehicle price, trade-in value, down payment, sales tax, interest rate, and term are included. If your dealer quotes extra fees, add them to the vehicle price before calculating.
Is my information saved or uploaded anywhere?
No. Every number you enter and the entire calculation stay in your browser — nothing is sent to a server.
How we compare
| Feature | Online Tool Store | Bankrate / NerdWallet | Edmunds |
|---|---|---|---|
| No lender offers or loan ads shown | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Runs entirely in your browser — no data sent anywhere | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Embeddable on your own site | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
If you'd rather run the numbers without lender offers or loan ads attached to the result, Car Loan Calculator is the straightforward choice — everything above runs on your device, in this tab.