Source: Experian State of the Automotive Finance Market, Q3 2023 and Q3 2024. Those with credit scores of 601 to 660 (in the nonprime or fair ranges) and 501 to 600 (in the subprime or poor and fair ranges) saw the highest average monthly payments for new vehicles, at $767 and $750, respectively.
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.
A good rule of thumb is to spend no more than 10% of your take-home pay on a car loan payment when possible.
So essentially yes $500 a month car payments is perfectly normal.
Set your car payment budget
50% for needs such as housing, food and transportation — which, in this case, is your monthly car payment and related auto expenses. 30% for wants such as entertainment, travel and other nonessential items. 20% for savings, paying off credit cards and meeting long-range financial goals.
To calculate an affordable car payment, use the recommended 20% down and 60-month maximum loan term. Based on those terms, a person making $100,000 a year can afford a $61,000 car, assuming their other expenses allow for a monthly payment of approximately $931.05.
Your monthly auto loan payments should not exceed 10 to 15 percent of your pre-tax take-home salary. Due to increased vehicle incentives, drivers may find relief when shopping for a vehicle this year. To secure the best deal, work to improve your credit score and consider making a sizeable down payment.
The rule recommends making a 20% down payment on the car, taking four years to return the money to the lender, and keeping transportation costs at no more than 10% of your monthly income. As to how exactly it works requires some explanation.
There's no doubt that not having any debt can give you a certain sense of freedom. When you don't owe anything to anybody, the money you have is yours to do with as you wish—a great retirement dream scenario.
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.
What Are the Disadvantages of a Large Down Payment? Providing more money down doesn't guarantee a lower interest rate, and it can cut into your savings. Depending on the vehicle you choose to buy, 50% can be a lot of money to put down on an auto loan.
If you have a $700 student loan repayment every month, you can reasonably spend about $450 each month on a car payment. Keeping all of your debt repayments to less than a third of your monthly income is what most personal finance experts recommend.
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.
Because of the high interest rates and risk of going upside down, most experts agree that a 72-month loan isn't an ideal choice. Experts recommend that borrowers take out a shorter loan. And for an optimal interest rate, a loan term fewer than 60 months is a better way to go. You can learn more about car loans here.
If your gross salary is $60,000, your take-home monthly pay is probably around $3750, assuming about 25 percent of your pay goes toward taxes and other expenses. Based on a calculation of spending 10–15 percent of your monthly pay on a car loan, you should spend no more than $562.50 on your monthly car payment.
For large luxury models, $1,000-plus payments are the norm. Even a handful of buyers with subcompact cars have four-figure payments, likely due to having shorter loan terms, poor credit, and still owing money on previous car loans, according to Edmunds analysts.
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.
Financial experts recommend that your monthly car payment be around 10% to 15% of your monthly take-home pay. Your total monthly car expenses, including your car payment, insurance, maintenance, and gas, should not exceed 20% of your monthly income.
Yes, you can live comfortably on $100,000 per year, though how comfortable you are will depend on a variety of things, including where you reside, your lifestyle, and your financial commitments.
Other experts say that a vehicle that costs roughly half of your annual take-home pay will be affordable. Then some frugal personal-finance gurus say you should spend no more than 10%-15% of your annual income on a vehicle purchase.
How much should you put down on a car? One rule of thumb for a down payment on a car is at least 20% of the car's price for new cars and 10% for used — and more if you can afford it. These common recommendations have to do with the car's depreciation and how car loans work.