Most calculators stop at price, APR and loan term. LotGauge also estimates your APR from your credit score, shows what your trade-in saves in sales tax, looks up sales tax by ZIP, checks the dealer's doc fee against your state's average and legal limit, itemizes fees and dealer add-ons, adds insurance, compares 36–84 month terms and gives you a printable deal sheet to bring to the dealer.
Loan payment, insurance, trade equity, taxes, fees, extra principal, payoff timing and interest all stay connected.
Manual tax is calculated on the full vehicle price. Actual transaction taxes, allowable trade-in credits, fees and lender terms vary by location and seller.
| Term | Loan payment | With insurance | Total interest | Owed after 3 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 mo | $758.56 | $938.56 | $2,558 | $0 |
| 48 mo | $586.95 | $766.95 | $3,423 | $6,802 |
| 60 mo | $484.26 | $664.26 | $4,306 | $10,871 |
| 72 mo✓ | $416.05 | $596.05 | $5,205 | $13,575 |
| 84 mo✓ | $367.52 | $547.52 | $6,122 | $15,498 |
✓ = fits your monthly target. Lenders often charge higher APRs on longer terms; this table keeps your APR the same for every term.
| Year | Payments | Principal | Interest | Ending balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4,992.55 | $3,486.45 | $1,506.10 | $21,263.55 |
| 2 | $4,992.55 | $3,719.94 | $1,272.60 | $17,543.60 |
| 3 | $4,992.55 | $3,969.08 | $1,023.47 | $13,574.53 |
| 4 | $4,992.55 | $4,234.89 | $757.66 | $9,339.64 |
| 5 | $4,992.55 | $4,518.51 | $474.04 | $4,821.12 |
| 6 | $4,992.55 | $4,821.12 | $171.42 | $0.00 |
Your financial figures stay in your browser. We don't submit or save your payment scenario to a search profile. If you choose automatic tax, only the registration ZIP, transaction type and optional dealer ZIP are sent for a cache-only rate lookup. No bank connection, credit check or sign-in required. See our Privacy Policy for details.
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In most states you pay sales tax only on the price minus your trade-in. That credit is real money: at 7% tax, a $10,000 trade saves $700, so the trade is worth about $10,700 to you. The calculator shows that number, so you can tell whether a dealer's trade offer beats selling the car yourself, and check that the buyer's order actually applies the credit.
Extended warranties, GAP coverage and protection packages are often added at signing and rolled into the loan, which is why dealer quotes come in higher than online estimates. Enter them separately to see their effect on the out-the-door price, amount financed and monthly payment.
Dealer documentation fees range from $85 in California, where they're capped, to nearly $1,000 on average in Florida. Enter the dealer fee and the dealer's ZIP and the calculator compares it with that state's average and legal limit. A fee well above the average is a negotiating point: ask the dealer to lower it, or to take the difference off the price.
Don't know your rate? Pick your credit score range to use the latest average used-car APR for it, then compare the same deal at 36, 48, 60, 72 and 84 months. The comparison shows total interest and how much you'd still owe after 3 years, and warns when you'd owe more than the car is worth.
Copy a link that reopens the calculator with your numbers, or print a one-page deal sheet with the itemized out-the-door price, trade-in details and term comparison. Save it as a PDF from the print dialog.
The vehicle price is only the starting point. Taxes, title and registration fees, dealer fees, cash down and trade equity all change how much principal actually enters the loan.
Trade value and trade payoff are separate because a $15,000 trade with a $10,000 payoff contributes very different equity than a $15,000 trade with an $18,000 payoff. Read how trade-in equity changes your payment.
Insurance is not part of the loan, but it is part of the monthly amount leaving your budget. The calculator shows the planned loan payment and your insurance estimate together as an estimated true monthly figure.
A longer loan can reduce the required payment while keeping the balance outstanding longer. The payoff chart and amortization schedule show how principal and interest move through the loan.
Compare the tradeoff in the 72 vs. 84 month car loan guide.
Add an optional monthly principal amount and the calculator estimates the new payoff time and interest savings. This lets you compare a lower required payment with a faster voluntary payoff.
All results are estimates. Final taxes, fees, insurance premiums and lender terms should be verified before purchase.
Yes. In states that tax only the price minus your trade-in, the calculator shows the sales tax your trade saves and what the trade is really worth, so you can compare a dealer's trade offer with selling the car privately. It says so when no credit applies, such as a private-party purchase or a state without the credit.
Yes. Pick a credit score range and the calculator fills in the average used-car APR for that range from Experian's latest State of the Automotive Finance Market data. You can still type your own rate.
Yes. Extended warranty or service contract, GAP coverage and other add-ons are separate lines in the out-the-door price and amount financed.
Yes. A comparison table shows the same deal at 36, 48, 60, 72 and 84 months with the payment, payment plus insurance, total interest and the balance still owed after 3 years, and warns when a long term or rolled-in negative equity means owing more than the car is worth.
Yes. Enter your registration ZIP (and the dealer's ZIP for a dealer purchase) to use a verified, cached state and local vehicle-tax rule, or enter your own percentage.
The calculator checks it. Enter the dealer fee and the dealer's ZIP, and it compares the fee with the average dealer documentation fee in that state (from CarEdge's 2026 study of 85,000+ out-the-door quotes; the national average is $471) and rates it low, typical or high. In the 19 states that cap doc fees, it also flags a fee above the legal limit. For example, an $895 doc fee in Utah is about twice the state's $446 average, and Utah has no cap, so it's worth negotiating.
Yes. Copy a share link that reopens the calculator with the same numbers, or print a deal sheet (or save it as a PDF) with the itemized out-the-door price, trade-in details and term comparison.