Enter your car price, trade-in value and any cash deposit to get the exact loan amount you need to borrow. The calculator then works out your weekly, fortnightly or monthly repayments using a standard reducing-balance amortisation formula, and shows you the full repayment schedule, total interest paid and the true cost of the car over the life of the loan.
When you trade in your current car, the dealer's offer reduces the amount you need to finance — it acts as a deposit on top of any cash you're putting in. This calculator lets you enter both separately so you can see the exact loan amount and how much each component saves you in interest over the term.
Many Australian car loans — especially dealer finance, novated leases and some bank products — include a balloon (residual) payment of 10–40% of the car's value, due at the end of the term. A balloon lowers your regular repayments but means you'll need to pay a lump sum, refinance, or sell the car when the loan matures. Use the balloon selector above to model this scenario and compare it to a standard fully-amortising loan.
The advertised interest rate on a car loan is often lower than the comparison rate, which includes establishment fees, monthly service fees and other charges. Dealer finance in particular uses attractive headline rates (sometimes "0% finance") while recovering costs through fees, higher vehicle prices or mandatory insurance add-ons. Always ask for the comparison rate before signing — our calculator flags the gap and estimates how much more you'll actually pay.
Making even small additional repayments above the minimum each period can dramatically reduce the total interest you pay and cut years off your loan. The calculator shows exactly how much interest you save and how many months earlier you'd be debt-free if you pay an extra $50, $100 or $200 per payment.
Your repayment is only part of what a car costs each month. Expand the True Monthly Cost of Ownership panel to add registration, insurance, fuel (or EV charging) and servicing — giving you a realistic total monthly figure to budget against your income. If you're comparing an EV to a petrol car, toggle EV mode to reduce the fuel cost estimate.
One angle most car loan calculators skip: the opportunity cost of the interest you pay. At FUP Analytics we think about every dollar in terms of what it could grow to if invested. The interest on your car loan, if put into a diversified portfolio earning an average 8% annual return, could be worth significantly more by the time the loan ends — a useful reality check before committing to a loan term or vehicle price.
Rates vary based on your credit history, loan amount, loan term and the age of the vehicle. Secured loans (where the car is used as collateral) are typically cheaper than unsecured personal loans.
FUP Analytics builds free tools like this alongside our stock screener, portfolio tracker and dividend tools. Explore the dashboard →