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What is the Equity in My Car?

Houses and cars are the two most common assets used to secure loans. To buy either one of these assets, many people take out a loan to pay them off in installments.

If you have a financed car, it either has positive or negative equity (hopefully the first one). If the asset is worth more than the balance you still owe on the loan, then it has positive equity. If you owe more than your car is worth, it has negative equity. When someone has equity in their car, it means that the financial ownership of that asset is high.

You can calculate your car’s equity with some simple math: just subtract the total amount you still owe to the bank or dealership from the actual value of the car. That’s the easy part. The harder part is finding out what these values are in order to do the math.

what is car equity

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How to Find the Equity in Your Car

There are two main ways to find out the current equity in your car. But if you’re looking for a fast convenient option, then you should know title loans serviced by LoanMart offer free estimates online!1

1. Find Out How Much You Still Have to Pay on the Loan

If you get monthly statements in the mail or if you have online account access to your loan information, finding out how much you still owe on your car should be relatively easy.

If these options are not available to you, you will need to contact the bank or dealership directly to ask for a current payout amount on your loan.

2. Find Out How Much Your Car is Worth on the Market

Trying to price your vehicle’s value on your own can be a little difficult, because the auto market fluctuates depending on the season, the year, and even the day. You might remember how much you bought your car for, but you’ve probably put some wear and tear on it since then, depreciating the value. Even if the car is still in a similar condition to when you bought it, the price you paid isn’t necessarily accurate to the car’s current value.

Instead of guessing, there are two common ways of determining the equity in a car:

Get an Appraisal at a Car Dealership

You can go to a reputable used car dealership to get an accurate appraisal of your car. If there’s a used car auction house close to you, they should be able to give you an appraisal as well. This is an easy way to get an accurate value for your car because dealerships are everywhere.

A manager at the dealership will inspect the structural and cosmetic condition of your car and compare it to similar vehicles on the market to determine the value. The whole process may take about half an hour and is typically be free. A car dealer should be able to tell you what they think the trade-in value of your car is and the market value as well.

Use an Online Appraisal Tool

Title loans serviced by LoanMart offer free cash value estimates for cars online.1 If you have a few minutes to spare and know the basic details about your car, you could hop online and fill out the short title loan questionnaire.

To receive an accurate estimate, you will need to provide the following information about your car1:

  • Vehicle Year
  • Make and Model
  • Body Style
  • Mileage

If your car is worth enough money on the market, you could not only receive a free estimate online, but you could also be preapproved for a title loan!1 With title loans serviced by LoanMart, there are no obligations, so go ahead and see how much your car is worth.

3. Calculate Your Vehicle’s Equity

Now that you know the market value of your car, you can subtract what you still owe on your car from that total–be sure to include all loan payout fees. The difference is the equity in your car!

If you don’t have a loan on your car, your equity is just the value that you found for your car.

For example:

Let’s take a 2013 Dodge Charger SXT with 90,000 miles on it. Through the online cash value calculator, the car is estimated to be worth about $9,990.1 If the car owner still owes $1,500 on it, then the equity of the Dodge Charger is $8,490.

equity on car

4. Use the Equity in Your Car to Get a Car Title Loan

The equity in your car could help you secure the fast emergency cash you need to pay off that upcoming bill! And when you work with title loans serviced by LoanMart, you could look forward to exclusive benefits such as competitive rates, flexible terms, and more1. And with title loans serviced by LoanMart, you don’t lose possession of your car while you pay off your loan!

The approval process only consists of 3 simple steps, take a look:

  1. Click or Call: You could receive a free title loan quote by calling 855-422-7412 to speak with an agent or by answering questions about your car online.
  2. Submit Your Documents: With online title loans, you can easily turn in your documents online by simply taking photos of your paperwork.
  3. Get Your Title Loan Money1: Once your information is verified, you will be fully approved and able to receive your title loan money! If you inquired early in the day, it’s possible to receive your emergency cash by the end of the day!3

Inquire with title loans serviced by LoanMart today to take advantage of the equity in your car!1