Bad credit car payment calculator
Enter the price, your down payment, and your APR to see the payment across every common term — plus total interest and total repaid. At subprime rates the term is the expensive decision: stretching from 60 to 84 months lowers the payment and adds thousands to what the car costs.
Financing $16,000 at 18.86%
| Term | Payment | Total interest | Total repaid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 months | $585 | $5,073 | $21,073 |
| 48 months | $477 | $6,907 | $22,907 |
| 60 months | $414 | $8,829 | $24,829 |
| 72 months | $373 | $10,838 | $26,838 |
| 84 months | $344 | $12,929 | $28,929 |
Principal and interest only. Tax, title, registration, and insurance are not included. Compare the total-repaid column rather than the payment column — a longer term always lowers the payment and always raises what the car costs you.
Not sure what APR to use?
Start with your credit tier’s average. In Q4 2025, average used-vehicle APR ran 21.58% for deep subprime, 18.86% for subprime, 14.11% for near prime, 9.06% for prime, and 6.82% for super prime, per Experian. Buy-here-pay-here financing sits above all of them at a weighted average 25.39%, per the Federal Reserve.
Full detail on rates by credit score.
Read the total-repaid column
The payment column is what a dealership will discuss with you. The total-repaid column is what the car actually costs. Those two numbers move in opposite directions as the term lengthens, which is precisely why the conversation tends to be about the payment.