Car Loan Calculator by AppNextDoor exists for the exact moment a car listing turns into a real decision: what does this actually cost per month? That number shouldn’t require an app install just to get a rough answer. So we built AutoTally, a free car loan payment planner that runs right here in your browser. No app, no ads, no signup. Move a slider and the monthly payment, total interest, and payoff chart update instantly.
Estimate your car loan payment
It opens with a working example already loaded: a $28,000 vehicle, $3,000 down, no trade-in, at 6.5% APR over 60 months. Drag the sliders to match your own numbers.
How to use it
Set five things: vehicle price, down payment, trade-in value, APR, and loan term (36, 48, 60, 72, or 84 months). The headline number is your monthly payment, computed with the standard amortization formula lenders use: M = L x r x (1+r)^n / ((1+r)^n - 1), where L is the amount financed, r the monthly rate, and n the number of payments. The amount financed is the vehicle price minus your down payment and trade-in value, so pushing either of those up shrinks the loan directly.
The donut next to the payment shows how your total cost splits between principal and interest over the loan. The chart below plots that same split year by year as stacked bars, with a line tracking your remaining balance as it falls to zero. Drop the APR or add a trade-in and watch the interest bars and the balance line shrink together. Your inputs stay saved on your device. Nothing leaves your browser.
How it compares to Car Loan Calculator
AutoTally answers one question well: what will this loan cost me each month, and how does that split between principal and interest over time. The full Car Loan Calculator app goes further. It handles multiple saved loan scenarios, factors in sales tax and fees by state, supports extra-payment payoff planning, and lets you export or share a complete payment schedule.
We kept the core loop: adjust the numbers, watch the payment and the payoff curve move. We dropped tax and fee estimation, saved scenarios, and exports, on purpose, because a browser page you land on while comparing listings should give you a usable number in ten seconds, not a form to fill out.
Our honest advice: use AutoTally while you’re browsing listings, comparing dealer quotes, or figuring out how a bigger down payment or trade-in changes the math. Install the app once you’re seriously financing a specific vehicle and want tax, fees, and a real payoff schedule folded into the exact figure.
Get the full app
Car Loan Calculator by AppNextDoor is free on Android, adds tax and fee estimates, and supports saved scenarios and payoff planning.
Download: Also available on Google Play.
Frequently asked questions
How is a car loan payment calculated?
Lenders use the standard amortization formula: M = L x r x (1+r)^n / ((1+r)^n - 1). L is the amount financed, r is the annual rate divided by 12, and n is the number of monthly payments. For a $25,000 loan (a $28,000 car with $3,000 down) at 6.5% over 60 months, that works out to roughly $489 a month. The calculator above runs this exact formula live as you move the sliders.
Does this include sales tax and dealer fees?
No. AutoTally calculates principal and interest on the amount you finance only. Real out-the-door costs also include sales tax, title and registration fees, and sometimes dealer add-ons, all of which vary by state and dealer. The full Car Loan Calculator app factors those in.
Can I calculate a car loan payment online without installing an app?
Yes. The calculator on this page works in any phone or laptop browser, needs no account, and keeps working offline once the page has loaded. Your inputs are saved in your browser’s local storage on your device only.
How much does a trade-in or bigger down payment save?
Both lower the amount you finance directly, which lowers your monthly payment and the total interest you pay, since interest is charged on the outstanding balance. Move the down payment or trade-in slider above and watch the loan amount, monthly payment, and interest bars shrink together.
Is this the official Car Loan Calculator app?
No. AutoTally is an original tool we built, inspired by the payment-estimation problem Car Loan Calculator solves. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to AppNextDoor. If you want tax and fee estimates, saved scenarios, and payoff planning, get the app from the store above.
