What's the average new car payment?
Car payment statistics
According to our research, you shouldn't spend more than 10% to 15% of your net monthly income on car payments. Your total vehicle costs, including loan payments and insurance, should total no more than 20%. You can use a car loan calculator to calculate a monthly payment within your budget.
A $30,000 auto loan balance with an average interest rate of 5.0% paid over a 6 year term will have a monthly payment of $483. In total, the loan will cost $34,787 with $4,787 in interest.
Visit your My NerdWallet Settings page to see all the writers you're following. The average monthly car loan payment in the U.S. is $738 for new vehicles and $532 for used ones originated in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to credit reporting agency Experian.
For instance, using our loan calculator, if you buy a $20,000 vehicle at 5% APR for 60 months the monthly payment would be $377.42 and you would pay $2,645.48 in interest.
you comfortably afford under an 80 000 salary. a volkswagen golf gti audi a3 a toyota. avalon the kia stinger and the cadillac ct4.
If you make a $50,000 gross salary, after taxes (depending on where you live) your monthly take-home pay is roughly $3,230. Based on the 10% rule, you could afford, at most, a $323 monthly car payment. If you take out a 60 month (5 year) auto loan at 8% interest, you can afford a $17,000 car.
How much should I spend on a car if I make $60,000? If your gross salary is $60,000, your take-home monthly pay is probably around $3,750, assuming about 25% of your pay goes toward taxes and other expenses. Based on the 10-15% calculation, you should spend no more than $562.50 on a monthly car payment.
Example: A six year fixed-rate loan for a $25,000 new car, with 20% down, requires a $20,000 loan. Based on a simple interest rate of 3.4% and a loan fee of $200, this loan would have 72 monthly payments of $310.54 each and an annual percentage rate (APR) of 3.74%.
Starting with the 1/10th guideline, created and pushed by Financial Samurai, this guideline states: buy a car in cash that costs less than 1/10th your gross annual pay. If you make $50,000 you should buy a car in cash worth $5000. If you make $100,000, the car you buy should be worth no more than $10,000.
How much is too much car payment?
A good rule of thumb is to limit your car payment to 10% to 15% of your monthly take-home pay. Overall transportation costs, including your car payment, insurance, maintenance, and gas, shouldn't exceed 20% of your after-tax income.
The average monthly car payment is now a record $733, according to Edmunds. And even if your monthly auto loan payments are around $500 per month, that still may be uncomfortably high. And that's before adding up the cost of maintenance, fuel, and auto insurance.
Interest rates are high right now probably the highest in your lifetime. High interest rates coupled with the explosion in car pricing makes payments high. Factor in licensing and sales tax near 12% in most states it can be suffocating.
In general, you'll need a FICO credit score of at least 600 to qualify for a traditional auto loan, but the minimum credit score required with vary from lender to lender. As interest rates increase due to inflation, securing a subprime auto loan may be more difficult — but not impossible.
There isn't one specific score that's required to buy a car because lenders have different standards. However, the vast majority of borrowers have scores of 661 or higher.
Still, you typically need a good credit score of 661 or higher to qualify for an auto loan. About 69% of retail vehicle financing is for borrowers with credit scores of 661 or higher, according to Experian. Meanwhile, low-credit borrowers with scores of 600 or lower accounted for only 14% of auto loans.
For net monthly income, you're gonna need to make four thousand. six hundred and sixty seven dollars per month. So before taxes and other deductions, at a minimum. you'll need to make 70 thousand dollars per year. to afford a 40 thousand dollar car.
| Annual salary (pre-tax) | Estimated monthly car payment should not exceed |
|---|---|
| $25,000 | $208 per month |
| $50,000 | $416 per month |
| $75,000 | $625 per month |
| $100,000 | $833 per month |
It's more like general guidelines and a way to plan for vehicle expenses. Basically, the rule goes that you provide a down payment of 20% of the balance, sign a loan for a four-year period, and pay no more than 10% of your monthly income on car expenses.
It depends on how much income you have after your bills and expenses. But as a rule of thumb, your car payment should not exceed 15% of your post-tax monthly pay. For example, if after taxes, you make the U.S. median income of $37,773, you could shop for a car that costs up to $472 per month.
What car can I afford with 120k salary?
I personally would not spend more then a third to half of what your yearly salary is. So a $40,000 vehicle would be the low and recommended while $60k is the highest. That still puts you in the territory of an Audi S4 or similar vehicle. But don't go out buying GTRs or Ferrari Californias.
Disadvantages of a Larger Down Payment
The two biggest cons of making a down payment that's around 50 percent are: More money down doesn't lower your interest rate – Bad credit car buyers get higher than average interest rates, and it's extremely rare that a larger down payment can lower it.
Your credit score is a major factor in whether you'll be approved for a car loan. Some lenders use specialized credit scores, such as a FICO Auto Score. In general, you'll need at least prime credit, meaning a credit score of 661 or up, to get a loan at a good interest rate.
If you are offered a 2% interest rate for three years (or 36 months), 3% for four years (48 months), 4% for five years (60 months), and 5% for six years (72 months), your monthly payments for a $40,000 loan will be as follows: Three years – $1,146. Four years – $885. Five years – $737.
| Company | Used APR Range | Used Loan Terms |
|---|---|---|
| PenFed Best Overall | 6.49%–17.99% | 3–7 years |
| AUTOPAY Best for Bad Credit/Low Rates | As low as 5.69% | 2–8 years |
| Consumers Credit Union Best Credit Union | As low as 6.84% | 36–84 months |
| LendingTree Best for Refinance | As low as 5.99% (Refinance) | 36–72 months (Refinance) |
