
Doing a lien search on a used car before you sign
A lien follows the used car, not the seller. How to search the Personal Property Registry by VIN in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and what to do if one shows up.
Car loan calculator
Enter a price, a rate and a term to see your payment and what the loan costs in total, with sales tax and any trade-in included. Estimates only: nothing here is an offer of credit.
bi-weekly
About $485 a month
Estimate only, not an offer of credit. APRs in the Canadian market currently range from 4.99% to 31.99%. Example: $25,000 over 72 months at 8.99% APR is 156 bi-weekly payments of $207.61, a total of $32,387.90 and a cost of borrowing of $7,387.90. Read the full disclosure
The arithmetic
Stated rather than hidden, because it is the first thing anyone who knows the subject checks.
Canadian auto loans are simple interest compounded per payment period — not the semi-annual compounding a Canadian mortgage uses. The periodic rate is the nominal annual rate divided by the number of payments in a year, and each payment is P · i ÷ (1 − (1 + i)⁻ⁿ), where P is the amount financed, i the periodic rate and n the number of payments.
The amount financed is the price, plus sales tax on the price less the trade-in, plus any fees rolled in, less the down payment and the trade-in, plus anything still owing on the trade. Interest is charged on the balance remaining, which is why a shorter term costs less overall even though each payment is larger — the schedule shows that happening row by row.
Sales tax is the one part that cannot be exact. The rate used is the common combined rate a buyer pays at a dealer in each province; British Columbia charges PST in tiers above $55,000, Saskatchewan applies PST to private sales, and Quebec has its own order of operations. Change the rate under Fees and sales tax if you know your figure, and treat the result as an estimate either way.
Ready to see what you qualify for? What happens when you apply online.
Canadian auto loans are simple interest compounded per payment period — not the semi-annual compounding a Canadian mortgage uses. The periodic rate is the annual rate divided by the number of payments in a year, and the payment is P · i ÷ (1 − (1 + i)^−n).
Almost always, and by more than people expect. The payment goes up and the total cost of borrowing goes down, because interest is charged on the balance remaining and a shorter term leaves less balance for less time. Change the term and watch the total cost of borrowing, not the payment.
The difference rolls into the new loan. The calculator has a field for it under Trade-in, because pretending it does not happen is how a payment estimate ends up thousands of dollars out.
No, and the page says so. It is the common combined rate a buyer pays at a dealer in each province. British Columbia charges PST in tiers above $55,000, Saskatchewan applies PST to private sales, and Quebec has its own order of operations. You can change the rate under Fees and sales tax, and the dealer’s paperwork governs.
Neither. It is arithmetic on numbers you chose. Nothing on this page is an offer of credit, and your rate is set by a lender after a person has read your application.
Rates available in the Canadian market currently run from about 4.99% to 31.99%, and where you land depends on credit, income, the vehicle and the term. If you are unsure, try both ends and see what the difference actually costs.

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The calculator is arithmetic. The application is where a specialist reads your file and tells you what is actually available.
Programs may vary by province. Approval is subject to lender review and application details.