Auto loans and leases, by state
What a financed or leased car actually costs out the door — the sales tax your state really charges, the fees it does and doesn't cap, and what the payment does to what you can borrow for a house. Every figure sourced and dated. No lead forms, no dealer referrals.
The rules that move the number aren't the ones you're quoted
In most states, trading a car in cuts the amount you pay sales tax on — but not in all of them, and where it doesn't, a $40,000 car with a $15,000 trade-in carries over a thousand dollars of extra tax. Because tax is normally financed, you pay interest on it for the life of the loan. 4 of the 50 states covered so far charge sales tax and decline to credit the trade-in against it. Leasing diverges further still: 8 of the covered states tax a lease's full value upfront rather than taxing each monthly payment, which is a different method, not a different rate. 5 charge no sales tax on a car at all, which is a different thing again from declining the trade-in credit. No mainstream auto calculator models any of it.
A car payment changes what house you can buy
An auto loan payment is a monthly debt, and monthly debts are what move your debt-to-income ratio. Price a car here and the figure carries across to the mortgage affordability calculator, which will show a lower maximum home price with the car payment named on screen as the reason. Most calculators refine a cost inside a payment; this one changes what you can buy at all.
Calculators for your state
Auto loan calculator
The real out-the-door number — including whether your state credits your trade-in against the sales tax.
Pick a state below to open it.
Auto lease calculator
Money factor, residual, and the payment — taxed by your state's actual method, since some states tax a lease's full value upfront instead of each payment.
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Lease vs. buy a car
The same car both ways over the same months, with the resale value credited to the buyer — the part most comparisons leave out.
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Calculators that don't depend on where you live
Loan payoff calculator
What paying extra actually saves you — in interest and in months — on a car loan, a personal loan, or anything else that amortizes.
0% APR vs. cash rebate
Which dealer offer actually costs less over the life of the loan, and the rate at which they tie.
Personal loan calculator
Payment, total interest, and the effective APR once an origination fee is deducted from what actually reaches your account.
Debt consolidation calculator
Whether one loan actually beats paying your existing debts off as they are — measured against the best you could do without consolidating.
Auto refinance calculator
Whether refinancing your car loan is worth it — including whether a lower payment is being bought with a longer term on a depreciating asset.
Pick your state
Estimates only — not offers of credit, and not financial or legal advice. How we source every figure