Research

Car cost data studies

Each quarter we publish the numbers behind our calculators as a standalone study: model output computed from sourced public inputs (Federal Reserve, EIA), with the full dataset as a downloadable CSV. Every input carries its source link and retrieval date. Cite freely with a link (CC BY 4.0) — journalists and bloggers, that's what these are for.

Q3 2026

Auto Loan Payments by Term at the Average APR — Q3 2026

Monthly payments and total interest for financed amounts of $20,000, $30,000 and $40,000 across 36–84 month terms, computed with standard loan amortization at the US average new-car APR of 7.2% (FRED, as of 2026-06-01). On a $30,000 loan, stretching from 36 to 84 months cuts the payment from $929 to $456 but raises total interest from $3446 to $8280.

Published 2026-07-05 · Read the study · Download CSV