The monthly payment is not the price.
Car cost calculators
Loan payments, lease payments, depreciation and what a car really costs to keep. Everything runs in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere, and no result asks you for an email.
Every calculator below starts on round numbers. Pick a vehicle and we fill in its manufacturer MSRP and the EPA's annual fuel-cost estimate — then change anything you like.
Loan payment
Source: standard amortisationTax is applied to the price less any trade-in, which is how most — not all — states do it. Nothing here is a quote or an offer of credit.
The rate above starts at 7.47% — the 48-month new-car loan, commercial banks, published by the Federal Reserve as TERMCBAUTO48NS and last observed Aug 1, 2026. It is a national average reported quarterly, not a quote, and not what any particular lender will offer you. Change it.
Lease payment
Source: money-factor methodA money factor times 2,400 is roughly the equivalent APR — the calculator shows it, because a dealer quoting “2.5” is quoting about 6% and it is worth seeing that written down.
Depreciation
Source: your assumptions, not a valuationThis projects your assumptions forward; it is not a valuation of a specific car and it does not know what the market thinks of that model.
Cost to own, per year
Source: EPA fuel cost + your figuresUse prices where you drive
Pick a state and we will work the fuel line out from today's pump and utility prices instead of a national average.
Every vehicle page on this site carries the EPA's own annual fuel-cost estimate per configuration — look up a vehicle and paste the figure in. Depreciation is taken from the depreciation calculator. Prices by state are on the fuel prices page.
About these calculators
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsHow accurate is a car loan calculator?
The monthly payment arithmetic is exact — it is a standard amortisation formula and every lender uses the same one. What varies is the inputs: the rate you are actually offered, the fees a lender folds into the amount financed, and the taxes and registration your state adds. Treat the figure as the payment on the numbers you typed, not a quote.
Should I take the longer loan for a lower payment?
That is the trade the length of the loan makes for you, and this calculator shows both sides of it: a longer term lowers the monthly figure and raises the total interest, and it keeps you owing more than the car is worth for longer. Which matters more depends on your circumstances, which is why the page shows the numbers rather than telling you what to do.
What does a car actually cost to own per year?
Depreciation is usually the largest single line and the one buyers leave out, because it is not a bill that arrives. Fuel is the one this site can tell you precisely — every vehicle page carries the EPA's own annual fuel-cost estimate for each configuration. Insurance, tyres, maintenance and repairs vary too much by driver and vehicle for anyone to quote honestly without knowing both.
How fast do cars depreciate?
Steeply at first and then more slowly, which is why the calculator lets you set a first-year rate separately from the years after it. The default figures are a common industry rule of thumb, not a measurement of your car — a model with unusual demand, or an unusually bad recall record, will not follow them.
Car loan vs. lease: the math behind the monthly payment
A loan payment and a lease payment are built from different pieces. The formula behind each, a worked example of both, what the federal disclosures must show you, and the arithmetic of which costs less.