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Loan Calculator (with Balloon)

This calculator works out the repayments on typical HP or PCP agreements using a flat rate of interest per annum (so 10% on a £100 loan is £10 a year). The APR is shown too, which is the fairer way to compare agreements.

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Overview

This calculator works out the monthly repayments on a hire purchase (HP) or personal contract purchase (PCP) agreement priced with a flat rate of interest. A flat rate charges interest on the whole amount of credit for the whole term. So 10% flat on £100 of credit means £10 of interest every year, no matter how much you've already repaid. Enter the cash price, any deposit or part exchange, the term in months and the flat rate, and you'll get the instalments, the total charge for credit and the APR.

A flat rate ignores the fact that your balance falls as you repay, which makes borrowing look cheaper than it really is. That's why the calculator also works out the APR, the annualised rate that does account for the reducing balance and the timing of payments and fees. If you're weighing up two deals quoted at different flat rates, compare their APRs instead. Arrangement fees can be spread across the instalments or taken upfront, and there's a balloon field for PCP-style deals with a larger final payment.

How it works

01
Enter the agreement

Cash price, deposit and any part-exchange, the term in months, and the flat rate of interest. Add arrangement or option-to-purchase fees and a balloon if the deal has them.

02
We work the charges

The amount of credit is the cash price less your deposit and part-exchange. Interest is the credit multiplied by the flat rate and the number of years in the term. Fees go on top.

03
Get repayments and APR

The total is spread over the term to give the monthly instalment, and the APR is worked out from the resulting schedule.

Worked example

£10,000 of credit over 48 months at 6% flat

Take a £12,000 cash price with a £2,000 deposit, leaving £10,000 of credit over 48 months at a 6% flat rate, with no fees. Interest is £10,000 × 6% × 4 years = £2,400. That gives a monthly instalment of about £258.33 and a total amount payable of roughly £14,400 including the deposit.

The APR works out at about 11.5%, nearly double the 6% flat rate, because interest keeps being charged on credit you've already paid back.

Frequently asked questions

What is a flat rate of interest?
A flat rate charges interest on the full amount of credit for the whole term, ignoring the fact that the balance falls as you repay. A 10% flat rate on £5,000 of credit is £500 a year for every year of the agreement. That's why the flat rate always looks lower than the APR on the same deal.
Why is the APR higher than the flat rate?
The APR accounts for the reducing balance and the timing of payments and fees, so it shows the true annual cost of the credit. As a rough guide, the APR on a typical HP agreement comes out close to double the flat rate, though it depends on the term and any fees.
What is a balloon payment?
A balloon is a larger optional final payment, common on PCP deals, that pushes part of the cost to the end of the agreement. It lowers the monthly instalments, but at the end it has to be paid, refinanced, or the vehicle handed back. Enter it in the Balloon field and the calculator prices the instalments around it.
What is the difference between a spread and an upfront arrangement fee?
A spread fee is added to the amount financed and recovered across the instalments. An upfront fee is charged with the first instalment instead. Either way it counts towards the total charge for credit and the APR.
Will these figures match my lender exactly?
They should be very close, but lenders round and apply fees in slightly different ways, so treat them as an estimate rather than a quote. Always confirm the final figures with your lender before signing.

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