What type of account is a vehicle loan?

Asked by: Dr. Verna Dooley Sr.  |  Last update: May 19, 2026
Score: 4.4/5 (72 votes)

A vehicle loan is a secured installment loan (or secured personal loan) typically used to finance a car purchase, where the vehicle serves as collateral. It is classified as a long-term or short-term liability on a balance sheet. These loans involve a lump sum payment with regular monthly installments, usually over 36–72 months.

What account type is a car loan?

Just like the equipment loan the amount that is given for the car loan is booked to a Long Term Liability account that could be called 'Name of Car Loan' and is offset by booking the amount of a fixed asset account called 'Year – Model of Car'.

How to categorize a vehicle loan in QuickBooks?

To do this:

  1. Go to Settings and select Chart of Accounts. ...
  2. From the Account Type dropdown, select Long-Term Liabilities. ...
  3. Under the Detail Type dropdown, select Notes Payable and enter a relevant name, like Auto Loan.
  4. Choose when you want to start tracking your finances. ...
  5. Once done, click Save and Close.

How to record a car loan in accounting?

Best Practice for Recording Car Purchase/Loan

  • Purchase price set up as a transfer to the asset account
  • Split lines for dealer fees, registration fees, etc. categorized as expenses
  • Positive loan amount set up as a transfer to the loan account

Is a vehicle loan an asset or liability?

Is a Financed Car Still an Asset? Yes and no. The vehicle is an asset with a cash value if you need to sell it. However, the car loan is a liability, and the loan should be deducted from the car's value.

ACCOUNTANT EXPLAINS: Should You Buy, Lease or Finance a New Car

23 related questions found

What type of loan is an auto loan?

Auto loans are a type of installment loan that you pay back with regular monthly payments, including interest. The size of your payment will depend on the size of the loan you're taking out, the interest rate, and the length of the loan. Your credit score can affect the interest rate you get.

Is a car loan a current liability?

Noncurrent liabilities are everything that isn't current and include things like vehicle loans, bonds payable, capital lease obligations, pension, and other post-retirement benefit obligations, and deferred income taxes.

What type of expense is a car loan?

Only the interest portion of an automobile loan payment is an expense. The principal portion of the loan payment is a reduction of the loan balance, which is reported as a Note Payable or Loan Payable in the liability section of the balance sheet.

How to record a loan in bookkeeping?

The double entry to be recorded by the company is: 1) a debit of $30,000 to the company's current asset account Cash for the amount that the bank deposited into the company's checking account, and 2) a credit of $30,000 to the company's current liability account Notes Payable (or Loans Payable) for the amount of ...

Can a car loan be a business expense?

Car loan payments are deductible only if the car is used 100% for business purposes. This policy applies to company cars, not personal vehicles used for business purposes. If you purchase a car strictly for business use, you can deduct the entire cost of business-owned vehicles and their operation.

How to enter a car loan in QuickBooks Desktop?

Create a journal entry.

  1. Go to the Company menu, then select Make General Journal Entries.
  2. Fill out the Date and Entry Number fields.
  3. Select the first line. ...
  4. In the Debit column, enter the loan amount.
  5. Select the second line. ...
  6. In the Credit column, enter the loan amount.
  7. Select Save.

Is a loan a liability or asset?

A loan is a liability: As you can see, if you take out a loan, that is money you owe to the bank, which makes it a liability.

How to categorize vehicle expenses in QuickBooks?

Assign expenses to vehicles

  1. Go to Transactions. Vehicle transactions that don't have a vehicle assigned yet are labeled Unassigned.
  2. Select a transaction that is a vehicle expense. The transaction will have a Vehicle dropdown in the expanded view.
  3. From the Vehicle dropdown, choose a vehicle.
  4. Select Save.

How to record a financed vehicle in QuickBooks?

Create a journal entry for the loan

  1. Select + Create.
  2. Select Journal entry.
  3. For the first line under ACCOUNT, select your new liability account.
  4. Enter the amount of the loan under CREDITS.
  5. For the next line, select the appropriate asset account under ACCOUNT. ...
  6. Select Save or Save and close.

Is a vehicle loan a type of loan?

A Vehicle Loan is similar to an Auto Loan, the only difference is that the Vehicle Loan include all kinds of two-wheeler and four-wheeler vehicle purchases. It includes trucks, buses, scooters, etc. The exact specifics of the loan vary depending on your lender, credit score, and desired car.

What type of expense is a loan?

Depending on the purpose of the loan, the interest expense might be categorized differently: If the loan is for daily operations, it's an operating expense. If it's for long-term assets like real estate or equipment, it's a capital expenditure. If it's managing existing debts, it falls under debt service.

How to categorize a loan in QuickBooks?

Select + New.

  1. Select + New.
  2. Choose Journal Entry from the Other option.
  3. Enter the loan amount and log the appropriate amounts to the relevant expense accounts. For example, credit the Liability/Loan account and debit the appropriate expense accounts.
  4. Click on Save and close.

What is the journal entry for a loan?

Loan received: Record the journal entry when the loan is credited to your bank account. Debit the Bank A/c and Credit the Loan A/c for the amount received. This entry updates both the asset and liability sides of your books. Loan ledger creation: Create a separate loan account under the liabilities head in the ledger.

How to treat a loan in accounting?

Non-performing loans (i.e. that have not been serviced for some time) are included as a memorandum item to the balance sheet of the creditor but no impairment loss is recorded. - Nominal value and market equivalent value should be disclosed. Debt securities are recorded at market value.

What type of loan is a car loan considered?

Auto loans have far lower interest rates than credit cards because auto loans are considered a "secured" loan, meaning that the vehicle being financed can be used as collateral (i.e., if you fail to pay off your auto loan, your vehicle may be seized to recoupe some of the money owed).

How to record a loan in accounting?

Enter the amount of the loan and log the proper amounts to the appropriate expense accounts. In the following example, the Liability/Loan account is increased, or credited, while the appropriate expense accounts are decreased, or debited. In journal entries, the total of the Debit and Credit columns must be equal.

What type of liability is a vehicle loan?

In the land of liabilities, a current liability is anything expected to last less than a year and a non-current liability is anything thereafter. Current liabilities include credit card debt while non-current liabilities account for over 80% of all debt and include mortgages, car loans, and medical debt.

Is a loan an asset or liability?

In financial terms, the debts that you owe are your liabilities. For example, If you buy a house and take a home loan, the house is your property and asset, while the loan you need to pay is your liability. Some forms of liabilities are loans, mortgages, bonds, deferred payments and accounts payable.

How is a loan shown in a balance sheet?

Follow these steps to create an accurate balance sheet: List all assets: Categorise them into current (cash, inventory) and non-current (property, equipment). List all liabilities: Include both short-term (payables) and long-term (loans). Calculate equity: Subtract liabilities from assets to determine equity.

Is a vehicle a current asset?

What Are Some Examples of Current Assets and Fixed Assets? Current assets include cash, accounts receivable, inventory, and short-term investments. Fixed assets are long-term resources such as land, buildings, machinery, vehicles, and equipment.