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Carfinance.org.nz

A calculator, first.
A lead form, never.

Carfinance.org.nz exists because researching a car loan in New Zealand usually means handing over a phone number before getting a straight number back.

We've flipped that. The calculator runs in the browser, the inputs stay on-device, and a lender only gets contacted if the user chooses to. If the number works for the household budget, one click hands off to our vetted partner for a formal quote. If it doesn't, closing the tab is fine and nobody gets chased.

Why we built it

Most car-loan sites exist to capture user details, not to answer the user's question.

An hour spent typing "car loan calculator NZ" into Google reveals a pattern. The first few sites want a full name, a date of birth, and two contact methods before they show any numbers. The numbers that appear afterwards are often rounded, never explained, and flanked by CTAs designed to route users straight into a lender's sales funnel.

We built Carfinance.org.nz because we think the arithmetic is the useful part. How much does a $25,000 loan cost per week at 9% over 5 years? That is a simple question with an exact answer, and handing over personal information to learn it is not a reasonable price to pay.

The calculator here is the whole product. The inputs are sliders, the weekly cost updates live, a different term or bigger deposit can be modelled in seconds, and the URL can be shared with a partner or co-buyer. If the numbers look right, the next step is applying with our partner. If not, walking away is the right call.

Where we sit

What we are, and what we aren't.

We are

  • ✓A calculator that can be used anonymously.
  • ✓A referral to one vetted NZ finance partner who compares multiple lenders on the applicant's behalf.
  • ✓An information site with guides on rates, deposits, loan types, and vehicle-specific considerations.
  • ✓A commission-based business. We are upfront about it: our partner pays us a commission on approved applications.

We are not

  • ✗A lender. We don't hold loans or make credit decisions.
  • ✗A licensed financial adviser or financial advice provider. We cannot give personalised advice about what's right for a specific situation.
  • ✗A lead-capture broker. We don't sell user details to third-party sales teams.
  • ✗A comparison site showing rate tables across every lender. We refer every visitor to one partner who does the comparing on their behalf.

How we make money

Where our commission comes from.

We earn a commission from our finance partner when a visitor applies through Carfinance.org.nz and the application is approved. It is paid per approved application rather than as a share of the loan, so a bigger loan or a longer term does not pay us more. That matters because it means we have no financial incentive to push a particular loan shape.

The calculator's defaults (7% interest, 5 years, no deposit) are set to be a reasonable middle-of-the-market point for a secured used-car loan, not to flatter the partner's own rate. The guidance in our guides (deposit size, term trade-off, total-interest impact) is the same guidance we'd give a family member.

The calculator can be used without ever clicking through to the partner. Nothing on this site requires an application.

Our partner

Who your referral goes to.

Every "Get a rate" or "Apply" link on Carfinance.org.nz routes to a single vetted referral partner, Simplify. They check your application against multiple NZ lenders and present the best-placed option, rather than charging you to shop the market yourself.

The criteria were deliberate. A partner that compares a reasonable spread of NZ lenders (not just one bank's book), keeps the application short, and is a registered financial service provider.

The full arrangement, including what we earn from it, is set out on the partner page.

Ready to see the numbers?

The calculator covers amount, deposit, rate, and term. The result stays on-device until the next step is a formal rate.

Open the calculator How it works

Disclaimer

A car loan runs for years, and the repayment comes out of the same pay that covers everything else. This site exists to show you that weekly number before you sign anything. The payment that catches people out is the one that's fine on a good week and tight on a bad one.

Carfinance.org.nz receives a commission from Simplify when a visitor applies through this site and their application is approved. We refer every visitor to the same partner because they compare multiple New Zealand lenders on the applicant's behalf, so the referral is not driven by a sponsored deal. Simplify sets its own terms and fees and discloses them directly; anything you agree to happens on their side, not ours. Every figure shown on this site is a modelled estimate based on the inputs entered; the actual rate, fees, and repayments are set by the lender after assessing the applicant's circumstances and its own credit decision. Carfinance.org.nz is a calculator and information tool. We are not a lender, not a broker, and not a registered financial adviser. Any decision about whether a specific loan suits a specific situation is best made after talking with the lender, and for amounts that materially affect the household, with a registered financial adviser.