U.S. · short-term loans
Title loan APR calculator.
Convert a title loan fee into an APR, and see the total cost if you pay the fee and renew instead of repaying.
A title loan that charges $25 per $100 for a 30-day term has an APR of about 304.2%. On $700 that is a $175 fee for one month, and $700 in fees if you pay the fee and renew three times without paying down the $700.
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How this is calculated
The fee is the amount borrowed times the fee per $100 divided by 100. For a loan taken in one advance and repaid in one payment, the APR is the fee as a share of the amount borrowed, scaled to a year by multiplying by 365 divided by the number of days in the term. Regulation Z Appendix J sets the unit period for a single-advance, single-payment loan at the term of the loan, with 365 divided by the days in the term as the number of periods per year, and the APR is the periodic rate multiplied by those periods.
The CFPB's study of single-payment title loans (May 2016) used data from lenders in ten states for 2010 to 2013. Those storefront loans typically had 30-day terms with the full amount due at the end, a median loan of $694 and an APR around 300%. About a third of loan sequences ended in a default and one in five in repossession of the borrower's vehicle. Those are 2010-2013 figures, not current rates: your lender and state set your fee.
Worked example
$700 borrowed, $25 per $100, 30 days. Fee: $700 × 25% = $175. APR: 25% × 365 ÷ 30 = 304.2%. Repaying in full at day 30 costs $875.
Renewing three times by paying only the fee. Four terms of 30 days is 120 days. You pay $175 four times, $700 in fees, and still owe the original $700 at the end, so the total paid is $1,400 for a $700 loan.
Limits of this estimate
It covers a single-payment loan with a flat fee. It does not model installment title loans, state fee caps, late fees, towing or repossession costs, or the value of the vehicle you could lose.
Sources
Primary sources opened and checked on October 26, 2026. Figures are as published on that date and are not a prediction of your own terms.
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedA 25% title loan fee is cheaper than a credit card because 25% is a modest number.
What the source saysThe CFPB found typical single-payment title loans in its 2010-2013 data had 30-day terms and APRs around 300%. A 25% fee for a month is not 25% a year, so the two numbers cannot be compared directly. [1]
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Often assumedMost title loan borrowers repay once and the loan is over.
What the source saysIn the CFPB data, about a third of loan sequences experienced a default and one in five ended with the lender repossessing the borrower's vehicle. Many borrowers took repeat loans in a sequence. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the APR on a title loan?
Divide the fee by the amount borrowed, multiply by 365, and divide by the number of days in the term. A $25 fee per $100 over 30 days is 25% × 365 ÷ 30 = about 304%.
Why is the APR so high when the fee sounds small?
The APR scales a one-month cost to a full year. A 25% fee for 30 days repeated twelve times is far more than 25% a year, and the CFPB found APRs around 300% in its title loan data.
What happens if I cannot repay on the due date?
Many title loans can be renewed by paying the fee, which leaves the principal owed. If the loan is not repaid, the lender can repossess the vehicle. The CFPB found one in five loan sequences in its data ended that way.
Are title loan rates the same everywhere?
No. State law decides what is allowed, and the CFPB figures here are from ten states for 2010 to 2013. Use your own loan agreement for the real fee and term.
Is a title loan APR the same as a credit card APR?
They are computed the same way, as a yearly rate, so they can be compared directly. Use the credit card calculators with your card APR to see the difference in cost.
Not financial advice
This page is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Your loan, card or plan terms control and may differ from the examples. Confirm anything that matters with your lender, bank, insurer or a qualified adviser before you act. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.