Car loans by amount.

Loan amount is the single biggest driver of the weekly repayment number, and it shifts almost everything else in the finance conversation. Under $15,000 is classic first-car or second-car territory. The loan is small enough that a 3-year term produces a manageable weekly figure, rate differences matter less in absolute dollars, and zero-deposit applications are routine for borrowers with clean credit. Between $15,000 and $25,000 the market moves into newer mainstream used cars and the first crossover SUVs with modern safety tech. A 4-year term becomes the typical landing point, and a small deposit starts producing visible rate savings.

From $25,000 to $45,000 is mainstream new-car and near-new used territory. A deposit now does real work. In our experience, 10 to 20% off a $35,000 loan is typically associated with a measurable drop in the indicative rate and a meaningful cut in total interest, with the actual differential depending on the lender and applicant. Five-year terms are common, seven-year terms exist but carry real negative-equity risk in year one. Above $50,000 the conversation shifts. Most borrowers at this tier have either stepped into premium or bought a new ute for work, chattel-mortgage structures become relevant for self-employed buyers, and a 20 to 30% deposit stops being a nice-to-have and starts being a sensible defence against the first-year depreciation bill.

Each amount page below is calibrated for that tier. The cars we list, the term trade-offs we model, and the FAQ coverage differ because the decisions differ. A $5,000 loan and a $50,000 loan are the same arithmetic, but almost nothing else about them is the same.