The 20/3/8 car buying rule says you should put 20% down, pay off your car loan in three years (36 months), and spend no more than 8% of your pretax income on car payments. As we go into depth to determine how realistic this rule is, you may consider whether it can actually help you budget for your next car.
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.
Pros: Lower monthly payments: Many choose to get a 72-month loan because the monthly payments are lower. And, borrowers may be able to get a more expensive used or new car and still stay within their budget.
In general, you should strive to make a down payment of at least 20% of a new car's purchase price. For used cars, try for at least 10% down. If you can't afford the recommended amount, put down as much as you can without draining your savings or emergency funds.
As a general rule, you should pay 20 percent of the price of the vehicle as a down payment. That's because vehicles lose value, or depreciate, rapidly.
Payment Amount
For example, for a car price of $20,000, a down payment of $4,000, a loan amount of $16,000, a loan term of 48 months, an annual interest rate of 5%, and a start-of-period payment method, your payment amount would be $366.94. You would be paying this amount each month for your auto loan.
Down payment on a new car
A high down payment of 20 percent or more can help protect you from that loss of value by making sure you have more equity in the car than what you owe. However, just because you can pay more cash upfront doesn't mean you should sign off on a vehicle that you cannot truly afford.
Lenders consider long-term loans riskier and consequently charge higher interest rates for them. You'll also spend more time paying down interest at the start of the loan before reducing the principal, adding to your loan's overall cost.
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.
The 20/4/10 Rule
This rule recommends making a downpayment of no more than 20% of the vehicle's cost, not taking a loan with a longer term than four years, and not allowing the monthly payment to exceed 10% of gross monthly income, said Peter C.
The average monthly car payment was $644 for a new vehicle and $488 for used vehicles in the U.S. during the fourth quarter of 2021, according to Experian data. The average lease payment was $531 a month in the same period.
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.
An increase in your monthly payment will reduce the amount of interest charges you will pay over the repayment period and may even shorten the number of months it will take to pay off the loan.
A lease doesn't typically require a down payment, but you will have to provide the first month's payment along with a security deposit, acquisition fee, and any other applicable costs. It's possible to lower the amount of your monthly payments by increasing your initial fee.
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.
Refinancing and extending your loan term can lower your payments and keep more money in your pocket each month — but you may pay more in interest in the long run. On the other hand, refinancing to a lower interest rate at the same or shorter term as you have now will help you pay less overall.
In general, you'll need a FICO credit score of at least 600 to qualify for a traditional auto loan, although there are lenders that offer bad credit auto loans.
An example of the difference a loan's term can make: If you take out a $40,000 new car loan with an 84-month term at 9% APR, you would pay about $623 monthly and $12,369 in total interest over seven years.