Car Affordability Calculator
Using the 10/20 rule and debt-to-income guardrails, this tool estimates a safe monthly payment and the max vehicle price you can afford.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 10/20 rule?+
A common personal-finance guideline: total vehicle expenses (payment + insurance + fuel + maintenance) should be under 10% of gross monthly income, and your loan term should be under 20% of your remaining working years.
What DTI do lenders look for?+
Most auto lenders cap total debt-to-income at 40–50%. Some prime lenders want under 36%. We use 10% of gross income as a safer default target for car payment alone.
Why is this lower than what I'm 'approved' for?+
Lenders will often approve more than you should actually spend. This calculator shows what you can comfortably afford without squeezing the rest of your budget.
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