What is the difference between a loan interest rate and the APR? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2024)

A loan’s interest rate and APR are two of the most important measures of the price you pay for borrowing money.

Interest rate

An interest rate is the cost you pay to the lender for borrowing money to finance your loan, on top of the loan amount or your principal. The higher the interest rate, the more you’ll pay over the life of your loan.

Annual Percentage Rate (APR)

The APR is the interest rate plus any additional fees charged by the lender. This includes origination charges and other fees charged when the loan is made.

How to get the best rates

In general, the higher your credit score, the lower your rates will be. However, dealers and lenders are not required to offer you the best available rates. The best way to reduce your costs is to shop around and compare rates between different lenders.

What lenders are required to provide

The federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA) requires lenders to give you specific disclosures about the important terms in your loan, including the APR. They must provide this info before you finalize your car loan. Since all lenders must provide the APR, you can use the APR to compare auto loans. Just make sure you’re comparing APRs to APRs and not APRs to interest rates because the two are not the same.

Know before you shop for a car or auto loan

By asking questions before you shop, you’re more likely to get the best interest rates and loan terms for your budget. You can also save yourself valuable time and money and reduce stress.

Ask more essential questions before you shop for auto loans

What is the difference between a loan interest rate and the APR? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between a loan interest rate and the APR? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? ›

An annual percentage rate (APR) is a broader measure of the cost of borrowing money than the interest rate. The APR reflects the interest rate, any points, mortgage broker fees, and other charges that you pay to get the loan. For that reason, your APR is usually higher than your interest rate.

What is the difference between the interest rate of loan and APR? ›

A loan's interest rate is the cost you pay to the lender for borrowing money. The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is a measure of the interest rate plus the additional fees charged with the loan. Both are expressed as a percentage.

What is the difference between the interest rate and the APR quizlet? ›

APR is expressed as a percentage that represents the actual yearly cost of funds over the term of a loan. Simple interest is when the interest on a loan or investment is calculated only on the amount initially invested or loaned.

What is the difference between APR and fixed rate of interest? ›

A flat rate is based on the original amount borrowed, but APR will only take into consideration what remains. As a flat rate stays the same throughout the life of a loan you will not see your repayments go down.

What is the difference between APR and interest rate chase? ›

The APR is given as an annual rate–but card issuers typically calculate the interest that you owe on a daily basis. To find this daily interest amount, they will divide the APR by 365 to generate the DPR. So, if a card has an APR of 11.24%: divide 11.24% by 365. The resulting DPR is 0.0308%.

Why is APR rate lower than interest rate? ›

In general, the more fees and expenses are heaped onto a loan, the higher the APR. If a loan has no additional fees, the interest rate and APR will be the same (unless you are choosing to defer payments, in which case the APR may be lower than the interest rate — more on that below).

What is APR for dummies? ›

The annual percentage rate (APR) is the cost of borrowing on a credit card. It refers to the yearly interest rate you'll pay if you carry a balance, plus any fees associated with the card. APR often varies by card. For example, you may have one card with an APR of 9.99% and another with an APR of 14.99%.

How is interest and interest rate different? ›

When you put your money in a savings account, interest is the return you receive on your savings from the bank. Interest rates indicate this cost or return as a percentage of the amount you are borrowing or lending (since you are “lending” your savings to the bank).

What is the APR quizlet? ›

An annual percentage rate (APR) is the annual rate charged for borrowing or earned through an investment, and is expressed as a percentage that represents the actual yearly cost of funds over the term of a loan.

What is a loans APR quizlet? ›

An annual percentage rate (APR) is the annual rate that is charged for borrowing (or made by investing), expressed as a single percentage number that represents the actual yearly cost of funds over the term of a loan. This includes any fees or additional costs associated with the transaction.

What is a good APR rate for a loan? ›

What is a good APR for a personal loan?
Borrower credit ratingScore rangeEstimated APR
Excellent720-850.12.64%
Good690-719.14.84%
Fair630-689.18.69%.
Bad300-629.21.74%.
Feb 9, 2024

What is a good APR rate? ›

An APR is considered to be a good rate when it is at or below the national average, which currently sits at 20.40%, according to the Fed. This means that a credit card offering a fixed rate lower than 20.40% or a variable rate with a maximum of 20.40% would be considered a good APR for the average borrower.

Can APR be lower than interest rate? ›

The APR cannot be less than the interest rate because it's composed of several components besides the interest rate.

How many credit cards are too many? ›

Owning more than two or three credit cards can become unmanageable for many people. However, your credit needs and financial situation are unique, so there's no hard and fast rule about how many credit cards are too many. The important thing is to make sure that you use your credit cards responsibly.

Is it good to finance a car through Chase? ›

A Chase auto loan may be a good choice if you're a Chase Private Client and can take advantage of the lender's interest rate discount. Chase's car-buying service can be useful because it provides access to a concierge service and special discounts.

Is Chase a good bank for credit card? ›

Chase credit cards are known for great rewards — including both sign-up bonuses and generous rates on spending — and a. Chase issues some of the best co-branded airline, hotel and store credit cards on the market.

Should I look at APR or interest rate? ›

The APR, however, is the more effective rate to consider when comparing loans. The APR includes not only the interest expense on the loan but also all fees and other costs involved in procuring the loan. These fees can include broker fees, closing costs, rebates, and discount points.

Why is APR higher than interest rate car loan? ›

interest rate car loan. If the interest rate and the APR on a loan are different, the APR is usually higher. That's because the APR includes the interest rate as well as any additional fees charged by the lender — fees expressed as a percentage via the APR, rather than as a flat total amount.

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