Trading in a car generally helps you reduce how much you’ll need to borrow when buying another vehicle, but if you have a balance on your current auto loan, you may be encouraged to roll your existing balance into a new loan, which will increase your total loan costs and the interest you’ll pay over the life of your loan.
To make the best decision for you, find out the following information first:
- Find out the “payoff amount” on your existing auto loan. This is the amount remaining on your existing loan, and it might be different from the outstanding balance listed on your statement or coupon book because of the way interest is calculated, any outstanding late fees or charges, or for another reason.
- Research the potential trade-in or actual cash value of your current vehicle. You can find estimated trade-in values through Consumer Reports, Edmunds, Kelley Blue Book, and NADA Guides. You can also look at online classified ads for similar vehicles in your area. Like shopping for an auto loan, you can get trade-in estimates from multiple dealerships and negotiate your trade-in value to get the best price.
If you owe less than your estimated trade-in value, make sure you fully repay your existing auto loan before getting a new loan. In some cases, there may be a prepayment penalty for paying off your loan early.
If you owe more than your trade-in value – often referred to as “negative equity” – a dealer or lender may offer to roll the balance of your existing auto loan into a new auto loan, but this will make your new auto loan more expensive.
With this information, you can better decide if you want to pay off your existing loan now, wait until you pay off your loan, or include the amount that you still owe on your current vehicle in your new auto loan.
