Generally, you should pay off your car loan early if you don't have other high-interest debt or pressing expenses to worry about. But if that money could be better spent elsewhere, paying off your car loan early may not be the best choice.
Paying off a car loan early can save you money in interest in the long term. When you pay off a car loan early, you also reduce the total amount of money that you owe, which may boost your credit score. Some lenders charge prepayment penalties that can offset what you would save in interest.
Some may have a prepayment penalty — a fee for paying off a loan early or making extra payments. This is especially common with auto loans that use precomputed interest. On average, the penalty is about 2 percent of your outstanding balance. So, if you have $7,000 remaining, you would have to pay $140.
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.
Sell the Car
One way to get out of a car loan is to sell the vehicle privately. If you're not upside down on the loan, meaning the car is more valuable than what you currently owe on it, you can use the proceeds of the sale to pay off the current loan in full.
A prepayment penalty is a fee that some lenders charge if you pay off all or part of your mortgage early. If you have a prepayment penalty, you would have agreed to this when you closed on your home. Not all mortgages have a prepayment penalty.
The best benefit from paying off a loan early is reduced interest costs –– saving you a lot of money. But there are other significant reasons you should consider it. Eliminating debt and demonstrating responsible financial behavior may also boost your credit score.
You may have to pay a prepayment penalty.
You can check to see if your loan contract has a prepayment penalty clause and how much it is. But don't let the idea of a penalty scare you into not paying off your car loan early. Usually, the penalty is way less than the amount you'll save in interest anyway.
The sooner you pay off your loan, the less you'll have to pay in total interest. If you have an interest-bearing loan, this means less daily simple interest will accrue. If you have a precomputed loan, you may be eligible for a refund or rebate based on how much earned interest had already been paid.
In addition, when you pay off a car loan, your credit mix changes because you now have one less account in your name. This change can lead to a drop in your credit score. Let's take a closer look at factors that affect a credit score and how paying off a car loan can impact them.
When your loan is paid off, your lender will send the lien release to the DMV. The DMV or other state office will then send the updated title to you. This process can take longer than in a title-holding state. However, you may not have to submit much, if any, paperwork.
Maximum Length for Used Car Financing
Charles lenders or banks might not consider a pre-owned vehicle that has over a certain amount of miles on the odometer or if it's a certain amount of years old. Most loan terms last anywhere from 24-84 months, but you'll have to contact your lender to get an exact number.
Higher interest costs
The longer the term, the more interest you will pay on the loan, both in terms of the rate itself and the finance charges over time. The average loan amount for a new car in 2023 to date is around $40,000, with an average interest rate of 7.2% and an average term of 69 months.
Prepayment penalties on auto loans are generally used to discourage you from paying off your loan early as it reduces the amount of interest a lender collects on your loan. As a result, your lender may include a penalty or fee if you pay it off early.
They are usually calculated as a percentage of the remaining mortgage loan balance or a specific number of months' worth of interest payments. For instance, it could be 3% of the remaining mortgage loan balance or equal to six months' worth of interest.
When you pay off your loan early, you'll be cutting down on the amount of interest you pay over the life of your loan. These savings can be particularly pronounced if you have a high interest rate loan, explains Forbes contributor Casey Bond.
You could save interest and free up room in your budget by paying your auto loan off early. There are several options available — including refinancing, paying biweekly and rounding up payments, just to name a few. Confirm your lender doesn't charge a prepayment penalty since the cost could be more than what you save.
Trade In or Sell Your Vehicle
If you need more than just short-term relief and refinancing isn't an option, it might be worth it to get rid of the car. You could either trade it in to a dealership or sell it to a private party and buy a used vehicle.
Making additional principal payments will reduce the principal balance and long-term interest charges; however, the extra principal payments will not lower your ongoing monthly car loan payment amount.
The sooner you pay off the loan, the less you'll spend on interest — potentially saving you hundreds of dollars. If you paid off your $20,000 loan in four years instead of five, you would end up paying $2,108 in interest — a difference of $537.