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THE INTERACTIVE LEARNING COLLECTION

Car cost explorer

Look beyond the monthly payment.

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Interactive learningAll amounts in CAD · No financial accounts connected

Explore the assumptions

Province or territory

General sales-tax reference; verify vehicle-specific and private-sale rules.

COMPLETE MONTHLY TRANSPORTATION

$1,027

This scenario uses approximately 22.8% of the take-home income entered.

Amount financed$28,900
Monthly loan payment$572
Total interest$5,435
Total loan payments$34,335
Estimated purchase tax$3,900

Same price. Different terms.

MonthsMonthly loanTotal interest
48$692$4,318
60$572$5,435
72$493$6,576
84$436$7,739

Illustrative new versus used

Entered vehicle monthly total$1,027
Used-price comparison total$804

Same rate, down payment and operating assumptions. Actual maintenance, depreciation, warranty and insurance may differ.

Loan versus lease · 48 months

Loan cash outflow, including operations$54,308
Estimated loan balance at comparison end$6,614
Assumed equity at comparison end$8,386
Lease cash outflow, including operations$43,040

Lease returns the vehicle with no ownership assumed. Mileage, damage, disposal fees and lease buyout are excluded. Resale is an input, not a forecast. Trade-in equity is an existing asset applied to the transaction, not included as new cash paid.

Monthly cost difference illustration

Entered vehicle minus used-price comparison$224

The entered vehicle has the higher monthly cost under these assumptions.

If the absolute monthly difference of $224 were contributed for 5 years at the hypothetical 3% return entered, the illustration ends at $14,450. This arithmetic does not recommend either vehicle, account for different vehicle costs or predict a return.

How this illustration is calculated

Amount financed = price + estimated purchase tax + financed fees + old loan balance − trade-in − down payment. A trade-in reduces the taxable base only when that option is selected. Payment = P × r ÷ (1 − (1+r)^−n), where r is annual loan rate ÷ 12 and n is months. At 0%, payment = P ÷ n. Monthly operating costs are added to the loan payment. Depreciation is reflected only in the entered end value, not added again to cash outflows. Province defaults are general reference rates: private sales, valuation rules, luxury taxes, rebates and vehicle-specific provincial taxes are excluded. Verify the transaction’s actual tax.

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For educational purposes only. Not financial, investment, tax or legal advice. Hypothetical results depend on the assumptions entered and are not recommendations, approvals, guarantees or predictions. Results exclude circumstances and costs not entered.

Sources, effective dates & calculation rules

Information may change. Reviewed values are educational references, not personal contribution room or eligibility decisions.

RuleValueEffective / as ofReviewedStatusSource
AB general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)52026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗
BC general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)122026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗
MB general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)122026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗
NB general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)152026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗
NL general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)152026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗
NS general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)142025-04-012026-09-18Reviewed — verify vehicle exceptionsOfficial source ↗
NT general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)52026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗
NU general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)52026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗
ON general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)132026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗
PE general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)152026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗
QC general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)14.9752026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗
SK general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)112026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗
YT general sales-tax reference (vehicle exceptions apply)52026-09-182026-09-18As-of review date; historic effective date not assertedOfficial source ↗

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