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Car math is full of numbers dealerships don't explain clearly — money factors, residual values, depreciation curves. These three calculators use official rate and depreciation data to cut through it, and the terms below decode the jargon on the sales floor.
Key terms
The vocabulary that comes up across auto decisions — this site is built to help you see the fuller picture, not just crunch numbers.
- Money factor
- How lease "interest" is expressed — multiply by 2,400 to get an equivalent APR.
- Residual value
- What a leased car is predicted to be worth at the end of the lease term.
- Cap cost reduction
- Leasing's version of a down payment — money paid upfront to lower the monthly payment.
- Depreciation
- How much a car's value drops over time, usually fastest in the first year.
- APR
- Annual Percentage Rate — the yearly cost of your car loan, including interest.
- Resale value
- What you could expect to sell or trade in the vehicle for later.
- Trade-in value
- What a dealer offers to deduct from your new purchase in exchange for your old vehicle.
- Gap insurance
- Covers the difference between what you owe on a loan or lease and your car's value if it's totaled.
- Total cost of ownership (TCO)
- The full cost of owning a vehicle — purchase price, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and depreciation combined.
- kWh (kilowatt-hour)
- The unit electricity is measured and billed in — like "gallons" for electric fuel.
- MPG
- Miles per gallon — how far a gas car travels on one gallon of fuel.
- Clean Vehicle Credit
- The federal EV tax credit — ended for vehicles acquired after September 30, 2025.