Buy Now Or Wait For The Rates To Drop
The experts forecast a few more rate hikes this year, so if you’re in need of a new vehicle, it might be best to shop sooner rather than later. If you were hoping for rates to drop, it could take another year or two. Use our tips to minimize the impact on your wallet. And if interest rates have improved in a few years, you can always refinance a loan to bring down your payment and total loan amount.
Why An Auto Loan Calculator Is Important
If youre planning on financing your new vehicle purchase, the overall price of the vehicle isnt really the number you need to pay attention to. The most important number, for you, is the payment. Because, as our auto loan calculator will show you, the price you ultimately end up paying depends on how you structure your deal.
The factor that will change your monthly payment the most is the loan term. The longer your loan, the less youll pay each month, because youre spreading out the loan amount over a greater number of months. However, due to the interest youll be paying on your loan, youll actually end up spending more for your vehicle by the time your payments are over. Why? Because the more time you spend paying off your loan, the more times you will be charged interest.
Speaking of interest, the interest rate is the second most important number to consider when structuring a car loan. The interest rate is the percentage of your purchase that is added to the cost of your vehicle annually. So, if you buy a vehicle with 4.99% financing, then youre paying roughly 5% of your vehicles overall price in added interest every year.
Next, consider how much your vehicle is worth if youre trading it in. If youre trading in a vehicle thats worth $7000 and youre buying a vehicle thats worth $22,000, then you will only have to take an auto loan out for $15,000 .
Ford Partners With Jiosaavn And Google Search To Promote The Freestyle Flair
Ford India has launched a new campaign of the Ford Freestyle Flair Edition with JioSaavn and Google search. Ford has come out with a fun, quirky, and unique way to promote the Freestyle Flair. The company has used the search behaviour on Google and JioSaavn to bring out the exciting character of the car. Google search continues to be a key feature in car research and purchase. Around 68% of individuals use search without an idea of buying a car and around 98% of the buyers use the feature to purchase a car. Ford wishes to launch the new features of the car during the festive season in the country.
1 September 2020
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Refinance Your Car Loan For A Better Interest Rate
Not everyone can refinance a car loan, but for those who can, its a much easier process than refinancing other loans such as a mortgage.
If youre upside down on your auto loan, that is to say, that the car is worth less than the current balance of the loan, then you can likely not refinance. However, if that is not the case and you meet other criteria, you may want to consider refinancing.
If your credit score has improved since you made the purchase, its worth looking into a refinance. In addition, if interest rates have dropped since you took out your original loan, it may also be an excellent time to refinance.
Additionally, if your rate is above 6%, it cant hurt to seek out a better rate. It could lead to significant savings in your interest rate.
Best For Tech Junkies: Carvana

Courtesy of Carvana
Carvana offers a completely online shopping experience, from financing to delivery with no minimum loan amounts, and is our choice as the best for tech junkies.
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Prequalify with a soft credit check
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No minimum credit score requirement
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End-to-end online shopping experience
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Financing for Carvanas vehicles only
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$4,000 minimum annual income required
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Only used vehicles
It seems like every industry is cutting out go-betweens these days, and the car industry is no exception. If you’d rather skip the dealership and the bank altogether, Carvana is the site for you. You can apply for a car loan without ever leaving your home, choose your car, and get it delivered. If you want to trade your old car in, you can do so while you’re at it. Carvana will give you an offer and pick it up from your home.
Best of all, these loans aren’t just easy to get they are great deals for all kinds of borrowers. There is no minimum credit score, so anyone 18 years old, has no active bankruptcies, and makes at least $4,000 per year is eligible.
Each car you might want to buy could have different loan terms from Carvana. Carvana offers custom loan terms based on your situation and the vehicle you’re buying. You can see your loan terms by prequalifying with a soft pull that won’t hurt your credit. Plus, without pushy salespeople, you can be sure that you can relax and choose the car you want.
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How Can I Get The Best Car Loan Interest Rate
Borrowers with a lower credit score may see higher auto interest rates. If your credit score is on the lower end 580 or lower some lenders may offer higher interest rates or longer loan terms, which can be a risk. Taking steps to improve your credit score can go a long way toward getting a better interest rate and saving you hundreds or thousands of dollars if you are not in a rush to purchase a vehicle.
Best Auto Loan Rates: Compare Top Lenders
As mentioned, one of the simplest ways to find the best auto loan rates is to shop around. Do this before you get in the room with a loan officer at a car dealership. You can get as many offers as you want, as long as you make sure they only require a soft credit check.
When youre ready to move forward with an offer, you can go through the full loan application process with the financial institution that gives you the best auto loan rates overall. Below you can start comparing the best auto loan rates available.
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How To Calculate Auto Loan Interest
Paying for a car using a loan means receiving a lump sum of money from the lender, and then paying it back, with interest added, over a set period of time. The monthly amount you pay back depends on several factors: the amount borrowed, the number of installments and the interest rate.
Typically, car loans are calculated using simple interest, meaning the interest is charged only on the amount owed on a loan. This way it saves money to the borrower, as opposed to compound interest. Amortization is used when paying car loans, that is more interest is paid at the beginning of the term than toward the end.
Here is an example of a monthly payment calculation for a loan of $20,000, paid over a period of 48 months with an interest rate of 8%. If you calculate it using our car finance calculator you can see the monthly payment would be $488.
Alternatively, you can calculate it yourself using the below formula. The result for this calculation or any other combination of loan, interest rate, principal and number of the month will be identical if you calculate it manually or if you use our car loan calculator below.
How To Apply For A Loan With Bank Of America
- Joint applicant information, if applicable.
Finance A Cheap Used Car At Val
The average interest rate for a used car may be higher than a used car but understanding the information above and working with a team of experienced experts can help you get the best used car interest rates for your budget.
To learn more about how we can help you secure the right interest rates and used car financing options, contact the finance experts at Val-U-Line® today!
Calculating Your Car Loan Cost
Lets take a look at how your car loan payments are affected by different interest rates. In the second column below, a low-interest rate of 4.5% is applied to a car loan of 4 years. The last column shows a high-interest rate of 19.5% applied to that same loan.
Low-Interest Rate | |
$900 | $3,909.35 |
As you can see, interest rates have a strong effect on the total amount of money you pay for your car loan. The 19.5% interest rate translates to roughly an additional $3,100 on your total price when compared to the 4.5% interest rate. If you have low credit, a small down payment or no down payment, or problematic employment history, you are more likely to have a car loan resembling the last column, with a high-interest rate. Your goal is to have something closer to the first column, which shows a lower interest rate.
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How Do Lenders Determine Your Auto Loan Rate

Much like insurance companies, lenders determine auto loan rates based on information about you and your vehicle. Here are some of the factors that can affect your car loan rate:
- :By far the biggest influence on your rate is your credit score. People with the highest credit scores get the best auto loan rates.
- Loan term:Generally, the longer your loan term, the higher your interest rate will be.
- Vehicle age:Banks and other lenders often charge higher interest rates on older cars.
- New or used vehicle: Most lenders save their lowest interest rates for new car loans. If you want a used car loan, you might pay a higher interest rate.
- Down payment:Some lenders will adjust interest rates based on what percentage of a vehicles cost you put down when you buy it.
Be sure to compare auto loan quotes from lenders before making a decision. Some lenders may weigh factors such as your credit score differently than others. Do the math and look at the total cost of your loan over its lifetime, and not just the APR.
Average Car Loan Interest Rates In Canada
The average car loan rate for Canadians is around 5% to 6% . However, its important to remember that this average number does not necessarily mean you will have this rate. Depending on someones financial situation, car loan interest rates can be significantly higher.
Here are the average interest rates as shown on Statistics Canadas website:
Learn more |
What Is Required To Refinance A Car Loan
Every lender determines eligibility differently, but there are some documents and information they typically require to refinance your auto loan.
- Personal information: Youll need to prove you are who you say you are, so be prepared with a copy of your drivers license or proof of residence, phone number and Social Security or another identity number. Lenders want to know that youll be able to repay your loan, so theyll ask about your income, current debt and your employers information. They might also ask for a paycheck stub, a tax return or your employment history.
- Vehicle information: The lender will need to make an accurate valuation on the vehicle under consideration for financing, so theyll want to know the VIN, make, model, mileage, year and registration number. You might also be asked to provide evidence of active auto insurance.
- Current loan information: Be prepared to provide the name of your current auto lender, loan number, current balance, monthly payment and payoff amount. Typically, lenders like to see an on-time payment history of at least two years before theyre willing to approve you for refinancing. But check with your lender since it can vary.
A Closer Look At Interest Rates
Before we dive into the details of new and used car interest, you’ll want to dig a little deeper and get a better understanding of what interest rates are and what they can mean for your financing plan.
Interest, or annual percentage rate , is an additional charge the lender applies to your loan for using their assets. It is usually based on the principal of your daily balance, or how much you owe, and is included in each monthly statement.
When you make a loan payment, a portion of it will pay off the interest that was accrued that month. Typically, the higher your APR, the more interest you’ll need to pay. However, since the interest owed for each month is mainly based on the daily principal balance, it may continue to decrease as you pay off more of your principal.
How Much Does It Cost To Refinance My Car Loan
Just like with any loan, an auto refinancing loan has added costs, including potential fees and charges to close the refinancing.
- Transaction fee: This might also be labeled processing or application fee and can be charged by both your current lender and the new refinancing lender. Always ask the lender if theyll waive this fee its not uncommon for them to do so.
- Title transfer fee: Some states charge you to move the title from your old lender to the new one.
- Registration fee: You might be required to re-register your car when you refinance. Check with your state DMV.
- Late payment fee: Your lender can penalize you when youre late with a payment. Note your due date and how long the grace period is. Anything past that is considered late and will likely cost you.
- Early termination fee: Not as common, but some lenders charge an early termination fee, or prepayment penalty, if the loan is paid off early.
Loans Under 60 Months Have Lower Interest Rates For New Cars
Loan terms can impact on your interest rate. In general, the longer your term, the higher your interest rate is.
After 60 months, your loan is considered higher risk, and there are even bigger spikes in the amount you’ll pay to borrow. The average 72-month auto loan rate is almost 0.3% higher than the typical 36-month loan’s interest rate for new cars. That’s because there is a correlation between longer loan terms and nonpayment lenders worry that borrowers with a long loan term ultimately won’t pay them back in full. Over the 60-month mark, interest rates jump with each year added to the loan.
Data from S& P Global for new car purchases with a $25,000 loan shows how much the average interest rate changes:
Loan term |
72-month used car loan | 4.07% APR |
While there’s a direct correlation between a longer repayment term period and a higher interest rate with new cars, it’s not the case with used cars. It is unclear exactly why these rates dip with longer repayment terms.
It’s best to keep your auto loan at 60 months or fewer, not only to save on interest, but also to keep your loan from becoming worth more than your car, also called being underwater. As cars get older, they lose value. It’s not only a risk to you, but also to your lender, and that risk is reflected in your interest rate.
What Will Interest Rates Be In 2022
The Federal Reserve has implemented 4 major interest rate hikes so far in 2022. The changes involve increases in the federal funds rate, a benchmark used to determine the cost at which banks can borrow money. Changes to the federal funds rate can have wide-ranging effects on costs for both consumers and dealers.
The Federal Reserve is reportedly expecting as many as 7 rate increases in total by the end of 2022, setting up the likelihood of much higher financing rates for both new and used vehicles. The pace at which these increases come may vary, with some coming sooner than others.
Here’s a list of 2022 Fed rate hikes we’ve seen so far:
- 0.25% rate hike, the first increase since 2018.
- May 4th, 2022: 0.5% rate increase, the biggest change in two decades.
- 0.75% rate increase, the largest single interest rate hike since 1994.
- 0.75% rate hike, the second such increase in a row this year.
As for how these Fed rate hikes affect auto loan rates, the answer may be more complex than it looks as each manufacturer responds in different ways. As we’ve seen already, expect promotional financing incentives to remain relatively flat but for so-called standard rates to go up.