Checking for a prepayment penalty before you sign your contract. If you're shopping for a car or auto loan, ask your lender or dealer if your contract has a prepayment penalty. You also want to review and double check your Truth in Lending (TILA) disclosures and the contract closely before signing it.
Simple interest is not compounded. Instead, the interest on a simple interest auto loan is based on the principal amount rather than the principal and interest combined. These types of auto loans can make your monthly payments more affordable and save you more money over time.
For example, the interest on a $30,000, 36-month loan at 6% is $2,856. The same loan ($30,000 at 6%) paid back over 72 months would cost $5,797 in interest. Even small changes in your rate can impact how much total interest amount you pay overall.
If you keep missing payments, your lender will warn you that you are not adhering to the loan terms and may threaten to repossess your vehicle. Once you are 30 to 90 days late on your repayments, your lender will likely say that your loan is in default.
Sign in to your account, select a loan and look at its repayment status to see if it's listed as in default. Your account also includes information about your servicer, if you need it. Pull your credit report. Your credit report will list federal and private student loan defaults under the negative information section.
A car loan can enter default if your payment is 30 or more days late. Time frames vary by lender, with some declaring a loan to be in default in as few as 30 days and others waiting up to 90 days before making that determination. Before a default, you should receive some warning signs and notices.
How much would a $30,000 car cost per month? This all depends on the sales tax, the down payment, the interest rate and the length of the loan. But just as a ballpark estimate, assuming $3,000 down, an interest rate of 5.8% and a 60-month loan, the monthly payment would be about $520.
How much is 26.99 APR on $3,000? An APR of 26.99% on a $3,000 balance would cost $67.26 in monthly interest charges.
On average, a new car buyer with an excellent credit score can secure an average interest rate of 5.25%, but that average jumps to 15.77% for borrowers with poor credit scores. For used car buyers, those averages range from 7.13% to 21.55%, depending on the borrower's credit history.
Read the fine print. No, it's not fun to read the details of a loan agreement, but it is important. Any mention of Rule of 78 or precomputed interest will tell you the loan is not simple interest and will have larger interest payments early in the loan. If the agreement mentions an interest refund, pay attention.
Extra payments made on your car loan usually go toward the principal balance, but you'll want to make sure. Some lenders might instead apply the extra money to future payments, including the interest, which is not what you want.
If you pay back the loan early, the lender may not have “earned” all the precomputed interest, and you may be entitled to a refund (or rebate). You can check your loan agreement for more details.
Paying off a car loan early can save you money on interest and improve your debt-to-income ratio. Early loan pay-off can also give you ownership of the vehicle sooner and reduce the risk of being upside-down on the loan. Before deciding to pay off your loan early, consider if your money could be better spent elsewhere.
Federal law requires that lenders disclose all information about any prepayment penalties. If you do have a prepayment penalty, it should be listed in the loan estimate or in any disclosure documents. You can also ask the lender if there is a prepayment penalty.
Auto loan interest is usually calculated using “simple interest,” which means it only applies to the amount you borrowed (your principal loan amount). This is important, since it means the interest added to your balance won't also accrue interest—which saves you money!
A loan's APR reflects the interest charged by a lender, but it also takes into account certain fees associated with the loan. These fees are called “prepaid finance charges” and may vary widely between lenders, so watch for them.
Balance transfer fee. This fee will typically be 3% to 5% of the amount transferred, which translates to $30 to $50 per $1,000 transferred. The lower the fee, the better, but even with a fee on the high end, your interest savings might easily make up for the cost.
NerdWallet recommends spending no more than 10% of your take-home pay on your monthly auto loan payment. So if your after-tax pay each month is $3,000, you could afford a $300 car payment. Check if you can really afford the payment by depositing that amount into a savings account for a few months.
A person making $60,000 per year can afford about a $40,000 car based on calculating 15% of their monthly take-home pay and a 20% down payment on the car of $7,900. However, every person's finances are different and you might find that a car payment of approximately $600 per month is not affordable for you.
Yes, you can trade in a financed car, but you still have to pay off the remaining loan balance. However, this is not as intimidating as it sounds. Visit our finance center at Chevrolet Center Inc to learn more about paying off car loans, interest rates, leasing a car, and more!
Contact Your Lender
Contact your lender as soon as you know you won't be able to make payments. Many lenders are willing to work with borrowers to avoid vehicle repossession and get their payments under control. The sooner you get in touch, the more options your lender may be able to offer.
If you financed a vehicle purchase through a dealership, it's possible that you may be able to return it. But this will depend on the dealership's return policy and rules. Similar to lemon laws, there may be a time limit on how long you have to return a financed car back to the dealer.
Failing to pay could result in your account going into default, the balance being sent to collections, your lender taking legal action against you and your credit score dropping significantly.