Refinancing — or just making extra payments — are the best ways to pay off your car loan faster. Even if it's just a few extra dollars, you will reduce your debt and may cut a few months out of your loan.
It's total loan amount (including interest) divided by the loan term (number of months you have to repay the loan. For example, the total interest for a $30,000, 60-month loan at 7% would be $6,497.40. So the monthly payment would be $608.29 ($30,000 + $6,497.40 ÷ 60 = $552.50).
Typical Down Payment: Many people put down between 10% to 20% of the vehicle's price. For a $30000 car, this would be between $3000 and $6000.
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.
In general, a good credit score, usually a score of 680 or above, can ensure a low interest rate. Lower monthly payments. The more competitive your interest rate is, the less expensive your monthly vehicle payment will likely be.
It's good practice to make a down payment of at least 20% on a new car (10% for used). A larger down payment can also help you nab a better interest rate. But how much a down payment should be for a car isn't black and white. If you can't afford 10% or 20%, the best down payment is the one you can afford.
As a general rule of thumb, it's recommended that you put down at least 20% on a new vehicle, and at least 10% on a used car.
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.
Step 2: Consult your budget
Experts say your total car expenses, including monthly payments, insurance, gas and maintenance, should be about 20 percent of your take-home monthly pay. For non-math wizards, like me – Let's say your monthly paycheck is $4,000. Then a safe estimate for car expenses is $800 per month.
Some lenders charge a penalty for paying off a car loan early. The lender makes money from the interest you pay on your loan each month. Repaying a loan early usually means you won't pay any more interest, but there could be an early prepayment fee.
If you have $30,000 in debt and have 20% interest rate, your minimum payment (interest plus 1% of balance) is $800 a month. It would take 455 months – almost 38 years – to pay it off and you'll pay $49,389.90 in interest along the way. And that's assuming you don't add any more credit card debt along the way!
Put extra money toward a lump-sum payment
Windfalls, like your tax refund or a bonus at work, can go a long way toward paying off your auto loan early. Ideally (as with all of these examples), any amount of extra money that you pay should be applied to your principal balance to reduce the total amount that you owe.
72 months equals 6 years. To figure this out, we recognize the well-known relationship between months and years. That is, there are 12 months in 1 year.
No down payment means a bigger car loan, leading to more interest (unless you pay your car loan off early). You might also need to choose a longer term to keep your monthly payments affordable, which means you'll pay more interest over the life of your loan.
Financial experts recommend spending no more than 10% of your monthly take-home pay on your car payment and no more than 15% to 20% on total car costs such as gas, insurance and maintenance as well as the payment. If that leaves you feeling you can afford only a beat-up jalopy, don't despair.
A $30,000 auto loan balance with an average interest rate of 5.0% paid over a 5 year term will have a monthly payment of $566.
What is the highest credit score possible? To start off: No, it's not possible to have a 900 credit score in the United States. In some countries that use other models, like Canada, people could have a score of 900. The current scoring models in the U.S. have a maximum of 850.
There's no perfect formula for how much you can afford, but our short answer is that your new-car payment should be no more than 15% of your monthly take-home pay. If you're leasing or buying used, it should be no more than 10%.
You'll pay less interest overall.
If you have a 60-month, 72-month or even 84-month auto loan, you'll pay quite a bit in interest over the loan term. As long as your loan doesn't have precomputed interest, paying extra can help reduce the total amount of interest you'll pay.
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.