Should you pay off your car loan early? Or is it smarter to wait?

Generally, you should pay off your car loan early if you don’t have other high-interest debt or pressing expenses to worry about. But if that money could be better spent elsewhere, paying off your car loan early may not be the best choice.

In the short term, paying off your car loan early will impact your credit score — usually by dropping it a few points. Over the long term, it may rise because you’ve reduced your debt-to-income ratio. Whether to pay off a car loan early depends on your budget, interest rate and other financial goals.

When does paying off a car loan early make sense?

There are a few scenarios where it might make sense to focus your efforts on eliminating your auto loan debt. Consider whether these apply to you:

• You don’t have higher-interest debt and want to free up the cash for other financial goals.
• The auto loan has a higher interest rate than what you could earn by investing.
• You’re hoping to buy a home soon and want to lower your debt-to-income ratio.
• You recently received a windfall and have enough cash in reserves for emergencies.
• You want to build your savings account faster to have funds available for business ideas or other investments that foster financial freedom.
• You want to avoid having negative equity or being upside-down on your auto loan.
• You’re debt-averse, and it’s an important step for you in obtaining financial security.

Benefits of paying off a car loan early

If you can manage it, paying off a car loan in full ahead of schedule can have some significant benefits.

Save money on interest

The more money you add to your payments and the higher your loan amount, the more you can save.

Interest is typically spread out over the loan term. You’ll pay less interest by paying off your loan early since the lender will have less time to collect interest from you.

But even an extra payment here and there can make a difference. That extra amount should go directly toward the principal, especially if you specify that intention when you make your payment.

Use an auto loan early payoff calculator to find out how much you can save with additional monthly payments or one big lump payment toward your loan.

Take ownership sooner

Owning your vehicle means it’s easier to sell and can potentially lower insurance costs.

Your lender technically owns your vehicle until you pay off your car loan. Taking ownership of the vehicle means you’ll get the title in your name. It also means you will have more options if you plan to sell the car or trade it in.

If your lender required minimum insurance coverage, you could potentially reduce insurance costs by going for basic coverage. Owning the vehicle outright will put you in control of whether to continue insurance coverage or adjust levels. But it’s a good idea to keep the protection if you can’t afford to replace your vehicle in case of an accident.

Less risk of being upside-down

Consider how your vehicle will depreciate and avoid owing more money on your loan than the car is worth.

Sometimes cars depreciate faster than the payoff schedule of an auto loan. This is especially true if you have a long repayment term or a high interest rate.

Being upside-down on a loan, or owing more on the car than it’s worth, is a tricky situation. You may run into problems if you try to sell or trade in the vehicle or if the vehicle is totaled. In all instances, you may need to pay your lender the discrepancy in a lump sum — although most lenders will allow you to roll the amount into your new loan if you trade in the vehicle.

Improve your debt-to-income ratio

A lower DTI ratio can help you qualify for better credit down the road.

Your debt-to-income ratio is the percentage of your gross monthly income that goes toward debt payments. It helps lenders determine how much you can afford to borrow. The higher your DTI, the riskier you look as a borrower.

Paying off your car early eliminates your auto loan from the equation. Your DTI will naturally be lower, which opens you up for other forms of credit. It also helps improve your chances of refinancing other loans or consolidating credit card debt at a lower rate.

Free up money for other expenses

Build extra room into your budget with several hundred dollars each month.

The average monthly payment on a new car was $734 in the second quarter of 2024, according to an Experian report.

Paying off your car loan is a big opportunity to progress on other financial goals. If you keep the car you have and don’t take out another loan, you can put that money toward vacation savings, retirement funds or other debt.

Even if you buy used, dropping that $523 average payment could still significantly affect your budget.

Disadvantages of paying off a car loan early

Prepayment penalties and closing accounts may impact your finances. While there are pros to accelerating your auto loan payments, there are also some potential downsides to keep in mind.

Prepayment penalties

Depending on your lender, paying off your loan early can result in additional fees.

Some lenders charge a penalty for paying off a car loan early or making extra payments. Check your loan contract to see if your lender has one.

If your lender does charge a prepayment penalty, compare the cost to the potential savings you might get from accelerating your payoff schedule. If it’s too expensive, just continue paying down your loan on time — and put your extra money toward something else.

Lower credit score

By ceasing your payments, your credit score could temporarily drop.

If you stop making payments on a loan because you’ve paid it off, your streak of positive payment history will end. Additionally, your credit mix could be affected since credit bureaus like to see both installment loans, like auto loans, and credit lines, like credit cards.

Don’t let the fear of your credit score lowering hold you back from paying off your auto loan early, though. This potential dip is usually small and temporary, and if you continue to manage your credit accounts responsibly, it shouldn’t be an issue.

Money better spent elsewhere

Depending on the amount of debt you have, it may be better to focus on paying those off first.

If you have higher-interest debt, you may be better off focusing your efforts on those loans or credit cards first. That’s especially the case with credit cards, certain personal loans and short-term debt.

Even if you don’t have high-interest debt, your money may be more effective if put toward retirement, a Health Savings Account or some other tax-advantaged financial account. The same may go for general investing if your auto loan interest rate is low.

May not fit in your overall budget

Consider your budget before deciding to allocate money to paying down your loan.

If your budget is tight, it may be impossible to find any extra cash you can put toward your auto loan payment every month. Even if you can cut back in other areas, other areas of your financial life (such as high-interest debt, retirement and emergency fund) may be more important.

Before deciding to pay off your loan ahead of time, take the time to look at your budget and make sure it won’t place you in an even more precarious situation.

How to pay off a car loan early

Depending on how much money you have on hand, there are three ways you can work toward paying off your car loan ahead of schedule.

Pay it off in full

If you received a big bonus at work or a tax refund, or you have money saved up, you may want to make one lump-sum payment to pay off your car loan in full.

To do so, learn the 10-day payoff amount, which includes interest that’s accrued since your last monthly payment. Then send a check to the lender or make the payment online to bring the balance to $0.

Pay it off in a partial lump sum

If you don’t quite have enough to pay off the balance in full, you may make a large payment to pay down a big chunk of it. This won’t reduce your monthly payment, but it can significantly cut down on how long you’ll be in debt. And since it will go toward the principal, you’ll wind up paying less interest overall.

Increase your monthly payment

If you don’t have a large amount of cash you can put toward your auto loan, consider making larger payments each month instead. You can decide how much extra you want to pay. Even a small amount can save you money and time.

The bottom line

Paying off a car loan early can save you money — provided the lender doesn’t assess too large a prepayment penalty and you don’t have other high-interest debt. Even a few extra payments can go a long way to reducing your costs.

Before rushing to repay your auto loan, run the numbers to determine if it makes financial sense or if you should apply extra funds elsewhere. Early payoff is not the only route to lower costs. Refinancing your current loan can help you secure a manageable monthly payment.

The key to success is to keep your financial situation and goals in mind as you weigh the benefits and drawbacks to determine the best strategy for you.