Car Loan Calculator

North Carolina Auto Loan Calculator

Your monthly payment and total cost for a car bought in North Carolina, with the 3% state tax and North Carolina's trade-in rules already filled in.

What do you know?
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The negotiated price of the vehicle before rebates, taxes and fees.

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Get pre-approved by a bank or credit union to know your real rate before visiting the dealer.

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Manufacturer or dealer cash back. Some states tax the price before the rebate; pick your state to apply its rule.

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What the dealer will give you for your current car.

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Your current loan balance. If it is more than the trade-in value, the difference gets added to the new loan.

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Picking a state fills in the state rate. Add your county or city rate on top for a closer estimate.

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Doc fee, title, registration, plates and destination charge. Ask the dealer for an out-the-door price to see them all.

Monthly payment

$636.88

for 60 months at 6.5% APR

Vehicle price
$35,000
Amount financed
$32,550
Sales tax
$1,050
Due at signing
$5,000
Total of payments
$38,213
Total interest
$5,663
Total cost of the car
$43,213
Car (after rebates): $35,000Interest: $5,663Tax & fees: $2,550
  • Car (after rebates)$35,00081%
  • Interest$5,66313%
  • Tax & fees$2,5506%

Compare loan terms

Same car, same rate. Longer loans lower the payment but raise the total you pay.

TermMonthlyInterestTotal cost
36 mo (3 yr) $997.63 $3,365 $40,915
48 mo (4 yr) $771.92 $4,502 $42,052
60 mo (5 yr) $636.88 $5,663 $43,213
72 mo (6 yr) $547.16 $6,846 $44,396
84 mo (7 yr) $483.35 $8,051 $45,601

Payment schedule

YearPaymentPrincipalInterestBalance
1$7,642.54$5,694.45$1,948.09$26,855.55
2$7,642.54$6,075.82$1,566.72$20,779.73
3$7,642.54$6,482.73$1,159.81$14,297.01
4$7,642.54$6,916.89$725.65$7,380.12
5$7,642.54$7,380.12$262.42$0.00
Show all 60 monthly payments
MonthPaymentPrincipalInterestBalance
1$636.88$460.57$176.31$32,089.43
2$636.88$463.06$173.82$31,626.37
3$636.88$465.57$171.31$31,160.81
4$636.88$468.09$168.79$30,692.71
5$636.88$470.63$166.25$30,222.09
6$636.88$473.18$163.70$29,748.91
7$636.88$475.74$161.14$29,273.18
8$636.88$478.32$158.56$28,794.86
9$636.88$480.91$155.97$28,313.95
10$636.88$483.51$153.37$27,830.44
11$636.88$486.13$150.75$27,344.31
12$636.88$488.76$148.12$26,855.55
13$636.88$491.41$145.47$26,364.14
14$636.88$494.07$142.81$25,870.07
15$636.88$496.75$140.13$25,373.32
16$636.88$499.44$137.44$24,873.88
17$636.88$502.14$134.73$24,371.74
18$636.88$504.86$132.01$23,866.87
19$636.88$507.60$129.28$23,359.27
20$636.88$510.35$126.53$22,848.92
21$636.88$513.11$123.76$22,335.81
22$636.88$515.89$120.99$21,819.92
23$636.88$518.69$118.19$21,301.23
24$636.88$521.50$115.38$20,779.73
25$636.88$524.32$112.56$20,255.41
26$636.88$527.16$109.72$19,728.25
27$636.88$530.02$106.86$19,198.23
28$636.88$532.89$103.99$18,665.35
29$636.88$535.77$101.10$18,129.57
30$636.88$538.68$98.20$17,590.90
31$636.88$541.59$95.28$17,049.30
32$636.88$544.53$92.35$16,504.77
33$636.88$547.48$89.40$15,957.30
34$636.88$550.44$86.44$15,406.85
35$636.88$553.42$83.45$14,853.43
36$636.88$556.42$80.46$14,297.01
37$636.88$559.44$77.44$13,737.57
38$636.88$562.47$74.41$13,175.11
39$636.88$565.51$71.37$12,609.59
40$636.88$568.58$68.30$12,041.02
41$636.88$571.66$65.22$11,469.36
42$636.88$574.75$62.13$10,894.61
43$636.88$577.87$59.01$10,316.74
44$636.88$581.00$55.88$9,735.75
45$636.88$584.14$52.74$9,151.60
46$636.88$587.31$49.57$8,564.30
47$636.88$590.49$46.39$7,973.81
48$636.88$593.69$43.19$7,380.12
49$636.88$596.90$39.98$6,783.22
50$636.88$600.14$36.74$6,183.08
51$636.88$603.39$33.49$5,579.70
52$636.88$606.65$30.22$4,973.04
53$636.88$609.94$26.94$4,363.10
54$636.88$613.24$23.63$3,749.86
55$636.88$616.57$20.31$3,133.29
56$636.88$619.91$16.97$2,513.39
57$636.88$623.26$13.61$1,890.12
58$636.88$626.64$10.24$1,263.48
59$636.88$630.03$6.84$633.45
60$636.88$633.45$3.43$0.00

How North Carolina taxes car purchases

State vehicle tax rate
3%
Trade-in lowers the tax
Yes
Tax cap
None
Source
Official source, checked 2026-10-05

These are the rules for a new car bought from a dealer. Used-car and private-sale rules can differ. How we check this data.

North Carolina charges 3% at the state level. Highway use tax. That rate is higher than 6 states and lower than 44 states. County and city taxes may add to it, so check your local rate and enter the total in the calculator.

What to know in North Carolina

North Carolina doesn't charge sales tax on vehicles. It charges a 3% highway use tax when the vehicle is titled, and there are no county or city rates on top, so 3% is the whole tax.

The tax is figured on the price minus your dealer trade-in. With a low, flat rate and no local add-ons, North Carolina is one of the simplest states to estimate. Leave the calculator at 3% and put title and registration costs in the fees field.

Does North Carolina tax your trade-in?

No. North Carolina only taxes the difference between the new car's price and your trade-in. On a $35,000 car with a $10,000 trade-in, you'd pay $750.00 in state tax instead of $1,050.00, a saving of $300.00. That saving is worth counting when you compare a dealer's trade-in offer with selling the car yourself.

Example: a car loan in North Carolina

A $35,000 car with $5,000 down, $1,500 in fees, and a 60-month loan at 6.5% APR ($1,050.00 state tax, rolled into the loan):

Change any number in the calculator above to see your own figures.

Rebates and fees

The calculator charges tax on the price before any manufacturer rebate. Ask the dealer how North Carolina treats your specific rebate. Title, registration and dealer documentation fees vary, so ask for an itemized out-the-door price and put the fee total in the calculator.

Other states

States with similar vehicle tax rates:

Compare car sales tax in all 50 states and DC