Auto Loans
- 5.68% (60-month, new car)
- 6.65% (36-month, used car)
Here's a look at the state of auto loan rates from Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large banks and thrifts conducted March 16, 2011.
Auto loan rates were up across the board this week. The average rates for 48-month, new-car loans and 60-month, new-car loans rose 7 basis points apiece, at 5.63 percent and 5.68 percent, respectively. Part of that change in rates can be attributed to how some rates are quoted to Bankrate when conducting the survey, not changes in the rates borrowers are receiving.
Used-car loans were also up. The average rate for a 36-month, used-car loan, a popular option for auto loan refinancing, rose 8 basis points, to 6.65 percent.
Japanese automakers, including Nissan, Toyota, Honda and Mazda, are extending production stoppages in the areas affected by the deadly earthquake and tsunami that hit the country last week. The companies cited damage to their own facilities, coupled with extensive problems with suppliers and continuing distress and power outages as reasons for the stoppage, according to a report by The Detroit News. As a result, the automakers may have trouble meeting U.S. demand, fueled by higher gas prices, for fuel-efficient vehicles such as the Toyota Prius.
To find updated auto rates in your area, visit Bankrate's auto rate table.
-- Claes Bell