Car Loan Calculator

South Carolina Auto Loan Calculator

Your monthly payment and total cost for a car bought in South Carolina, with the 5% state tax and South 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

$626.12

for 60 months at 6.5% APR

Vehicle price
$35,000
Amount financed
$32,000
Sales tax
$500
Due at signing
$5,000
Total of payments
$37,567
Total interest
$5,567
Total cost of the car
$42,567
  • South Carolina caps vehicle sales tax at $500.
Car (after rebates): $35,000Interest: $5,567Tax & fees: $2,000
  • Car (after rebates)$35,00082%
  • Interest$5,56713%
  • Tax & fees$2,0005%

Compare loan terms

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

TermMonthlyInterestTotal cost
36 mo (3 yr) $980.77 $3,308 $40,308
48 mo (4 yr) $758.88 $4,426 $41,426
60 mo (5 yr) $626.12 $5,567 $42,567
72 mo (6 yr) $537.92 $6,730 $43,730
84 mo (7 yr) $475.18 $7,915 $44,915

Payment schedule

YearPaymentPrincipalInterestBalance
1$7,513.40$5,598.23$1,915.17$26,401.77
2$7,513.40$5,973.15$1,540.25$20,428.62
3$7,513.40$6,373.19$1,140.21$14,055.43
4$7,513.40$6,800.01$713.39$7,255.42
5$7,513.40$7,255.42$257.98$0.00
Show all 60 monthly payments
MonthPaymentPrincipalInterestBalance
1$626.12$452.78$173.33$31,547.22
2$626.12$455.24$170.88$31,091.98
3$626.12$457.70$168.41$30,634.28
4$626.12$460.18$165.94$30,174.10
5$626.12$462.67$163.44$29,711.42
6$626.12$465.18$160.94$29,246.24
7$626.12$467.70$158.42$28,778.54
8$626.12$470.23$155.88$28,308.31
9$626.12$472.78$153.34$27,835.53
10$626.12$475.34$150.78$27,360.19
11$626.12$477.92$148.20$26,882.27
12$626.12$480.50$145.61$26,401.77
13$626.12$483.11$143.01$25,918.66
14$626.12$485.72$140.39$25,432.94
15$626.12$488.35$137.76$24,944.58
16$626.12$491.00$135.12$24,453.58
17$626.12$493.66$132.46$23,959.92
18$626.12$496.33$129.78$23,463.59
19$626.12$499.02$127.09$22,964.57
20$626.12$501.73$124.39$22,462.84
21$626.12$504.44$121.67$21,958.40
22$626.12$507.18$118.94$21,451.22
23$626.12$509.92$116.19$20,941.30
24$626.12$512.68$113.43$20,428.62
25$626.12$515.46$110.66$19,913.16
26$626.12$518.25$107.86$19,394.90
27$626.12$521.06$105.06$18,873.84
28$626.12$523.88$102.23$18,349.96
29$626.12$526.72$99.40$17,823.24
30$626.12$529.57$96.54$17,293.66
31$626.12$532.44$93.67$16,761.22
32$626.12$535.33$90.79$16,225.89
33$626.12$538.23$87.89$15,687.67
34$626.12$541.14$84.97$15,146.52
35$626.12$544.07$82.04$14,602.45
36$626.12$547.02$79.10$14,055.43
37$626.12$549.98$76.13$13,505.45
38$626.12$552.96$73.15$12,952.49
39$626.12$555.96$70.16$12,396.53
40$626.12$558.97$67.15$11,837.56
41$626.12$562.00$64.12$11,275.56
42$626.12$565.04$61.08$10,710.52
43$626.12$568.10$58.02$10,142.42
44$626.12$571.18$54.94$9,571.24
45$626.12$574.27$51.84$8,996.97
46$626.12$577.38$48.73$8,419.59
47$626.12$580.51$45.61$7,839.08
48$626.12$583.66$42.46$7,255.42
49$626.12$586.82$39.30$6,668.60
50$626.12$590.00$36.12$6,078.61
51$626.12$593.19$32.93$5,485.42
52$626.12$596.40$29.71$4,889.01
53$626.12$599.63$26.48$4,289.38
54$626.12$602.88$23.23$3,686.50
55$626.12$606.15$19.97$3,080.35
56$626.12$609.43$16.69$2,470.92
57$626.12$612.73$13.38$1,858.18
58$626.12$616.05$10.07$1,242.13
59$626.12$619.39$6.73$622.74
60$626.12$622.74$3.37$0.00

How South Carolina taxes car purchases

State vehicle tax rate
5%
Trade-in lowers the tax
Yes
Tax cap
$500
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.

South Carolina charges 5% at the state level. Infrastructure maintenance fee instead of sales tax, capped at $500. That rate is higher than 16 states and lower than 29 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 South Carolina

South Carolina charges an infrastructure maintenance fee instead of sales tax on vehicles: 5% of the price after your trade-in, capped at $500. The cap is reached once the taxable amount hits $10,000, so for almost any new car the fee is a flat $500.

That changes the math on trade-ins. Unless your trade-in brings the taxable price under $10,000, it saves nothing in tax, so compare the dealer's offer with a private sale on value alone. Budget separately for the property tax South Carolina counties charge on vehicles each year.

Does South Carolina tax your trade-in?

South Carolina caps the tax at $500. On a $35,000 car you'd pay $500 instead of $1,750, and most mid-priced and expensive cars hit the cap.

Example: a car loan in South Carolina

A $35,000 car with $5,000 down, $1,500 in fees, and a 60-month loan at 6.5% APR ($500.00 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 South 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