🇮🇳 Finance Calculator

Car Affordability Calculator

Find out how much car you can realistically afford based on your income, monthly expenses, and savings. Uses a common Indian EMI-to-income guideline as a baseline, not a regulatory rule.

Your Financial Snapshot

After tax and PF deductions.

Home loan, personal loan, credit card EMIs, etc.

Max Car Price

₹0

based on your budget

Max Monthly EMI

₹0

Suggested Down

₹0

Max Loan Amount

₹0

Total EMI-to-Income

0%

Budget Health

The 15/20/5 Guideline Explained

A common rule of thumb used by Indian financial planners - not an RBI regulation or lender requirement.

15%
Monthly Budget
Total car costs (EMI + insurance) should stay under 15% of take-home income.
20%
Down Payment
Put down at least 15-20% to avoid being upside-down on the loan.
5 yrs
Loan Tenure
Keep your loan to 60 months or less to limit total interest paid.

How affordability is calculated.

Max Car EMI = Take-Home Income × 15% − Insurance

Max Loan = Max EMI using EMI formula
Max Price = Max Loan + Down Payment

Total EMI-to-Income = (Existing EMIs + Car EMI) / Income

Why 15%?

Indian financial advisors commonly suggest keeping all car-related expenses (EMI + insurance + fuel) under 20% of take-home pay. This calculator applies a slightly more conservative 15% to just the EMI and insurance, leaving room for fuel and maintenance.

Why does total EMI-to-income matter?

Lenders typically want your total EMI obligations (all loans ÷ take-home income) to stay under about 40–50%. A higher ratio may result in loan rejection or a higher interest rate.

Frequently asked questions.

How much car can I afford on a ₹50,000/month salary?

Using the 15% guideline: ₹50,000 × 15% = ₹7,500 max monthly car budget. Subtract ~₹1,500/month insurance and you have ~₹6,000 available for EMI. At 9.5% APR over 60 months, that supports a loan of roughly ₹2.8–3 lakh - so with a ₹1 lakh down payment, a car priced around ₹3.8–4 lakh.

Should I use gross or take-home income?

This calculator uses your monthly take-home (net) pay, since that's what's actually available to spend after tax and PF deductions - a more realistic budgeting basis than gross salary for Indian salaried buyers.

Is 0% down payment a good idea?

Financing with no money down means your loan balance immediately exceeds the car's value, since new cars typically lose 15–20% of their value in year one. This puts you "upside-down" - you'd owe more than the car is worth if you needed to sell or the vehicle was written off.

What CIBIL score do I need for a car loan?

Most banks and NBFCs approve loans with a CIBIL score above 700, but you'll get the best rates (under 10% APR) with a score above 750. Below 650 often means loan rejection or a subprime rate with a co-applicant/guarantor requirement.

What is a reasonable EMI-to-income ratio for a car in India?

There's no RBI-mandated ratio for car loans - the 15% figure here is a common rule of thumb used by Indian financial planners for total car costs (EMI + insurance) against take-home pay. It's guidance, not regulation, so treat it as a sanity check rather than a hard limit.

Does my other debt (home loan, personal loan) affect how much car I can afford?

Yes. Indian lenders generally want your total EMI obligations - all loans combined, including the new car - to stay under about 40–50% of take-home pay (this varies by bank). Existing home loans, personal loans, or credit card EMIs all reduce the car EMI you'll realistically qualify for.