Car Loans Interest Rates and Comparison Rates

Car loan interest rates can be complex animals, but they are something that you should k now about when financing a car. Buying a new car can often be considered an exciting time, and indeed for most people happens only every few years. Such a major purchase requires a good deal of research and planning, since once purchased, you are often committed to a long-term purchase arrangement.

While initial decisions will likely focus on preferred makes, models, and perhaps most importantly of all, the actual budget available to spend, a time will come when the loan becomes the only thing on your mind. Many people choose to obtain a car loan in order to finance the purchase of their vehicle, and this will inevitably involve an even wider range of factors which will need to be considered carefully.

Many people are reasonably happy with considering aspects of a car loan such as total price paid, monthly payment, length of term and whether to opt for a lease arrangement or a straightforward loan. Unfortunately, one of the critical aspects of any car loan or lease agreement that is ignored, or at least only glanced at with little regard for its consequences, is the interest rates which will be charged and the frequency with which these charges will be calculated and accumulated.

Perhaps the main reason for interest rates to be so widely ignored it is because of the widespread confusion in understanding the implications caused by even a fraction of percent difference between or one rate and another.

On the first of July 2004, new legislation was introduced in Australia that forced credit providers, loan providers and car finance brokers to provide a comparison rate whenever an annual percentage rate was advertised. Since annual percentage rates can be calculated in at least a dozen different ways, each of which will result in a significantly different end cost being incurred, this was almost certainly the main cause of the widespread ignorance and confusion relating to the calculation of interest rates and the impact of interest rates on the eventual repayment of the loan.

The interest comparison rates which must be advertised by all credit providers and finance brokers must, by law, take into account every possible fee and charge which could be included in the loan. This legislation does not simply cover the purchasing of cars and vehicles, but is extended to any credit arrangement, from the relatively small all the way through to mortgages. This enables those who are borrowing money to finance a purchase to be very clear as to which company is actually offering the best rate.

For typical car loans, the interest charged will be calculated on a daily rate, which means that customers need only take the standard car loans interest rates and divide it by 365 to be able to identify the amount charged per day. This interest will accrue daily and each month will be charged and thereby handing to the total balance due. It is important to be aware of the significant difference that only one or 2% can make when looking for a car loan.

For those people who have a good credit rating a typical finance rate over a five-year period should be around 8.99%, although clearly this is likely to be variable depending upon the general economic situation. However, loans are available for car purchase at anything up to 12.6%, generally for those with a poorer credit record. As usual, those that find it harder to pay are charged the most. Whilst this may only appear to be two or 3% difference, over the course of the five years this represents nearly $8,000 more.

It is also worth bearing in mind that when you are looking to purchase a new car the interest charged may be either initially or entirely set at 0%. Imagine purchasing a car that is brand new and which costs $15,000. Whilst this may seem too expensive, opting to purchase a used car at around $13,500, even at the very low rate of interest of 7% you would actually still be paying more than the purchase of a brand new car would have cost you.

The terms of a car loans are usually very explicit and as long as payments are maintained in full and on time there no penalty charges can be added, meaning that the interest will be the only charge that can be added to the eventual cost of the loan. However, it is important to be aware that with any car loan, should you make late payments or fall behind with your payments, you are almost certain to incur late payment charges.

These may well vary from one company to another, and although you should not be entering into a loan agreement if your financial circles stances are uncertain, it is also wise to be aware of the charges that would be incurred should you fall behind with your payments, and ensure that these are not extortionate.

An aspect of car loans which is generally standard across all brokers and finance providers breaks, the fees for which vary very little. As long as you enter into a car loan agreement fully aware of the comparison car loan interest rates, the eventual cost to you assuming all payments are made on time and no extra charges are incurred, then you should be in a position to be able to make a sound decision regarding not only which company you choose to obtain your finance from, but also the maximum value of car which you can realistically afford.

How to Use a Car Loan Calculator

How to Use a Car Loan Calculator

A car loan calculator is an essential tool for any borrower, and many lenders offer one on their website. When you want to apply for a loan from a lending institution, it is imperative that you should be aware of the amount of interest you will be required to pay in order to make a more informed decision on the amount of loan for which you wish to apply.

A car loan calculator is an automatic tool that you can use to know the amount of interest you will be charged for a certain amount of money and the period of time you will be paying. Using this calculator , you can manipulate it to know the total interest you will pay, the monthly payments, the interest as a percentage of principal, interest paid in regard to whether it is simple or compounding interest, and other functions.

Just like many online calculators, the car loan calculator is automatic and will give you your answers instantly depending on what you want. It has a simple user interface where you simply fill in whatever variable you are using and the calculator will give an answer to what you want, whether it is the interest rate, principal or the amount payable over a certain period of time. The calculator works out an estimate of the amount of your monthly loans payments and the total annual income that is required in order to be able to repay the loan in monthly instalments without a lot of financial strains.

Car loan calculators can be used to compute government and private student car loans, lease payments and car loan payments. In computing your loan variables (interest rate, principal and amount of time over which the loan has to be paid); the car loan calculator assumes that the interest rate will remain constant during the repayment period. The calculator may have a fixed interest rate, usually between 5% to 8.5%.

The next assumption made by the calculator is that the loan will be repaid in monthly instalments that are equal through standard loan amortization (that is, standard and extended loan repayment). Due to its assumption of fixed interest rate standard loan amortization, the calculator may not display accurate results if you are calculating alternate repayments plans such as income contingent repayment and graduated repayments.

You can find a car loan calculator readily available for free on the internet. There are basic and advanced types from which you can choose, though not all sites offer each. The basic calculators allow you to enter the number of payments you want to make, or the number of months over which you want the loan to extend, and the calculator works out the monthly amount you will be required to pay. With these, you are able to try various combinations of affordable payments over the payment period. Advanced loan calculators enable you to figure out your debt-income ratios in additional to offering you results for different payment scenarios.

One of the advantages of using a car loan calculator is that you can figure out the amount that you can borrow, you can find out how much of a deposit, or down payment, you have to make to maintain affordable payments, you can calculate your savings on tax and you can make informed decisions on whether to go for fixed or adjustable mortgage rates.

You can use the car loan calculator to decide if you should consolidate your debt with a second mortgage or a home equity loan. You can also know the amount of time you will take to break even on the closing costs. Other calculations you can do include determining the impacts of early payments on your loan and capital gains (if you wish to calculate investment and tax plans).