AmortMapWhat a given loan amount actually costs per month, and over its life.

Monthly payment on a $20,000 car loan at 6.5%

$20,000 at 6.5%
$391per month over 60 months
$336 over 72 months, $474 over 48 — the same debt, 1,440 dollars apart in interest
Monthly payment by term$47448 mo$2,766 interest$39160 mo$3,479 interest$33672 mo$4,206 interest$29784 mo$4,947 interestThe bars fall, the interest rises — $1,440 more from 48 to 72 months
48-month payment$2,766 total interest$474
60-month payment$3,479 total interest$391
72-month payment$4,206 total interest$336
84-month payment$4,947 total interest$297
Cost of stretching 48 → 72saves $138 a month and costs that much over the loan$1,440
Underwater until roughlyon a 72-month loan, against a −20% first year and −15% a year aftermonth 31
Per $1,000 borrowedat 6.5% over 60 months$19.57

Notes

  • The term does more to the payment than the rate does. Moving this loan from 48 to 72 months drops the monthly figure by $138, which no realistic rate negotiation would achieve. It also adds $1,440 in interest. A dealer who asks "what payment are you looking for" is asking which term to sell you, not which price.
  • Negative equity is the real cost of a long term. A car loses roughly a fifth of its value in the first year. On 72 months this loan is worth less than it owes until about month 31 — and trading in during that window rolls the shortfall into the next loan, where it earns interest again.
  • The advertised rate belongs to a credit tier, not to the car. Spreads between the best and worst tiers run 10 percentage points or more on used vehicles, which on this amount is the difference between $346 and $440 a month.
  • Sales tax, title and fees are financed too, unless you pay them separately. They add roughly 6–10% to the amount borrowed in most states, so the payment above understates the real bill by about that much whenever the figure quoted is the sticker price rather than the amount financed.

The short answer

A $20,000 car loan at 6.5% is $391 a month over 60 months.

Stretch it to 72 and the payment falls to $336. Shorten it to 48 and it rises to $474. Same car, same rate — $1,440 apart in total interest.

Every term, side by side

Term Payment Total interest
48 months $474 $2,766
60 months $391 $3,479
72 months $336 $4,206
84 months $297 $4,947

The term moves the payment more than the rate does

Going from 48 to 72 months drops the monthly figure by $138. No rate negotiation available to an ordinary buyer does that — a full percentage point off the rate is worth a fraction of it.

That is why the question "what monthly payment are you looking for?" is asked before the price is settled. Answering it tells the desk which term to write, and the term is where the money is.

Being underwater is the real cost of a long term

A new car loses roughly a fifth of its value in the first year and about 15% of the remainder each year after. Debt on a 72-month loan comes down slower than that for a long time.

On this loan the balance stays above the car's value until month 31. Trading in before then means rolling the shortfall into the next loan, where it earns interest a second time.

Gap insurance covers the same shortfall for a total loss, not for a voluntary trade — those are different problems with similar arithmetic.

What the sticker price leaves out

Sales tax, title, registration and dealer fees are usually financed along with the car. In most states they add 6–10% to the amount borrowed.

So a $20,000 car is rarely a $20,000 loan. The figure to put in a calculator is the amount financed on the contract, not the price on the window.

The rate belongs to a credit tier

Advertised rates are for the top tier. The spread to the bottom tier runs ten points or more on used vehicles — which on this amount is the difference between roughly $391 and a payment half again as large.

Checking a rate with a credit union before walking in converts that from an unknown into a number you already hold.

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