AumnI
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    Auto Loan Calculator

    🇦🇺 Australia version

    Car prices in Australia include GST, so the loan is the drive-away price plus fees, less your deposit and trade-in. This calculator works out the monthly repayment, interest and total cost from those figures and a comparison rate, then lays out the same loan over 36, 48, 60, 72 and 84 months.

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    Vehicle & Loan Details

    Credit providers advertising fixed-term consumer credit must show a comparison rate, no less prominent than the interest rate, with a warning that it is only accurate for the example given.

    Car prices in Australia include GST. Leave this empty unless your quote adds a rate on top.

    Documentation, registration, etc.

    Figures used
    • Rate to compare: Comparison rate. Credit providers advertising fixed-term consumer credit must show a comparison rate, no less prominent than the interest rate, with a warning that it is only accurate for the example given.
    • GST: GST is 10% of the price of most goods and services; basic food and many health and education supplies are GST-free.
    • ASIC: National Credit Code (checked 2026-11-08)
    • ASIC: RG 234 Advertising financial products and services (checked 2026-11-08)

    Australia rules and figures

    • An advert for fixed-term consumer credit has to display a comparison rate as clearly as the interest rate, and warn that it holds only for the example used.
    • Most fees and charges are folded into the comparison rate along with the interest.
    • Government charges, and fees that arise only sometimes (paying out early, for instance), are not counted in it.
    • In 2025 ASIC sought views on removing the rule for ads, and no confirmation that it went ahead was found.
    • Since a comparison rate rests on a standard example, one loan product can show a different rate for a different amount or term.

    Sources: ASIC: National Credit Code (checked 2026-11-08); ASIC: RG 234 Advertising financial products and services (checked 2026-11-08)

    How the auto loan calculator works

    The amount borrowed is the price plus fees minus the deposit and trade-in. It is repaid in equal monthly amounts, with interest added each month, using one twelfth of the annual rate on what is still owed. The GST box starts empty, because the price already contains the tax.

    borrowed = price + fees − deposit − trade-in; repayment = borrowed × w × (1 + w)^months ÷ ((1 + w)^months − 1), with w = annual rate ÷ 12

    • The rate box is labelled Comparison rate (%), and it is used as the interest rate for the loan.
    • Total Cost adds every repayment to the deposit and the trade-in, so it includes fees and interest.
    • The term starts at 60 months, and every other box is blank until you fill it.
    • A zero rate is accepted. Leave the box empty and the tool asks for a rate instead of showing a payment.
    • Balloon payments, which some novated leases and car loans use, are not modelled.

    How to use the auto loan calculator

    1. Enter price, deposit and trade-in. Type the drive-away price, the cash you will put down and the value of the car you trade in.
    2. Add the rate and term. Enter the comparison rate or interest rate and pick a term in months.
    3. Add fees. Put establishment and registration charges you plan to borrow into the fee box as one amount.
    4. Read the numbers. The results show the monthly repayment, the loan amount and the interest over the term.
    5. Compare terms. The Comparison tab shows all five terms at once, and Schedule gives each repayment.

    Example: A $38,000 car financed at 8.2% for 60 months after $4,000 down and a $6,000 trade-in

    Adding $600 of fees and subtracting the deposit and trade-in leaves $28,600 to borrow. Each repayment is $582.65 and the interest comes to $6,358.77, putting Total Cost at $44,958.77. Repayment 1 includes $195.43 of interest and $387.21 of principal. Over 36 months the repayment is $898.86 with $3,759.00 of interest, and over 84 months it is $448.62 with $9,084.15 of interest.

    When to use the auto loan calculator

    • Checking a dealer finance quote. Rebuild the repayment from the drive-away price, fees and rate to see whether the quote adds up.
    • Weighing 36 against 84 months. Use the Comparison tab to see how much extra interest a smaller repayment costs.
    • Testing a trade-in. Enter the trade-in value to see how it lowers the amount borrowed and the interest.
    • Planning a deposit. Raise the deposit step by step to see the amount borrowed and the interest fall.

    What the auto loan calculator does not do

    • Repayments are level to zero. Balloon payments and residual values on novated leases or chattel mortgages are not modelled.
    • The rate you type is used as the loan's interest rate. A lender's comparison rate includes fees, so it will not match exactly.
    • Running costs such as insurance, renewals, fuel and servicing sit outside the figures.
    • Once the deposit and trade-in meet the full cost, nothing is left to borrow and the results card is hidden.
    • It is unclear whether ASIC's 2025 proposal on advert disclosure went ahead, so read the lender's current wording.

    When something else is a better fit

    • When you are weighing up lenders for the car loan, use the Loan Comparison Tool.
    • When you want to pay a loan off early, use the Early Payoff Calculator.
    • When you need the exact contract figures, use the credit contract and credit guide from your lender.

    Questions about the auto loan calculator

    Should I add GST to a car loan?

    Normally not. Car prices in Australia include GST, so the GST box starts empty. Type a rate in that box only when the quote shows tax added on top.

    What does a $28,600 loan cost at 8.2% over five years?

    Repayments are $582.65 a month and interest totals $6,358.77. Three years gives $898.86 and seven years gives $448.62.

    How much more does 84 months cost than 36?

    On the example loan, interest is $9,084.15 over 84 months against $3,759.00 over 36 months, a difference of $5,325.15, while the repayment falls from $898.86 to $448.62.

    What is a comparison rate?

    A single yearly figure that blends the interest rate with most fees, calculated on a standard example loan. Government charges and one-off conditional fees are left out.

    What if my loan has a balloon payment?

    This calculator does not model one. It repays the whole amount in equal repayments, so a loan with a balloon will have lower repayments than shown.