What the four-square doesn't show.
“It’s only $851 a month.”
It’s $61,213 over five years.
The worksheet at the dealership circles one number and hopes you stop reading. TrueAfford prints the lines it leaves off (loan interest, insurance, charging, maintenance, and what that $7,500 credit really covers), then scores the whole receipt against your paycheck, 0 to 100. A straight answer before you sign, not a surprise after.
free while in beta · pro $4.99/mo at launch42% OVER PEER SPEND FOR $55K INCOME
What ends up on your receipt
Meet Alex. $55,000 a year, $18,000 saved, a Model 3 in the browser tab, and one question at the kitchen table. "Can I really afford this?" Every line below is Alex's answer, and every claim links to the demo so you can check the math yourself.
The whole receipt
Purchase, loan interest, insurance, fuel or charging, maintenance, and depreciation over five years. The sticker is one line of six, and it is the only one the lot shows you.
A straight yes or no
One score, 0 to 100, built from the payment-to-income and debt-to-income ratios credit counselors use. Green fits your paycheck. Red stretches it. No salesperson math.
What the credit really covers
"But there's a $7,500 credit" is how a stretch gets talked into. We print what the credit covers, what you still spend, and when each program expires.
The car that fits instead
When your pick lands in the red, we re-run the same receipt for cars in the same class that fit, with the savings totalled. Same daily drive, smaller receipt.
The receipt keeps watching PRO
Debt-to-income tracking that warns you before you drift into the red zone, plus new subsidy announcements for your region as they land.
Works wherever you shop
Local currencies, local incentive programs, local insurance rates. A stretch is a stretch in any currency; the receipt reads the same everywhere.
The app, screen by screen
Concept screens from the working prototype. Built for one hand and nine seconds of privacy, because the moment of truth happens standing on the lot, not at your desk.
Affordability dashboard
Type in any vehicle and get the answer in one glance: your score, the payment as a share of your take-home pay, and the full five-year receipt underneath it.
score 38/100 · payment $851/mo · DTI 45.4%
Side-by-side comparison
Your pick, the alternative that fits, and a lease option on equal terms, plus what people with your paycheck really spend on their cars.
equinox ev scores 62 · saves $12,737 over 5 years
Incentive reality check
The screen for "but it comes with a $7,500 credit." What the credit covers, what you spend per dollar of it, and every program active in your area with expiry dates.
$1 of credit → $4.73 of your money
Financial health monitor
The Pro screen. Your debt-to-income trend, savings rate, and emergency buffer in one health score, with an alert before a slow drift becomes a bad month.
health 54/100 · dti rising · buffer $320/mo
Pricing
The receipt itself is free forever, because the answer to "can I afford this?" should not cost anything. Pro keeps watch afterward for $4.99 a month.
- Search any vehicle
- Affordability Score (0-100)
- True 5-year cost receipts
- Incentive reality checks
- Unlimited comparisons
- Financial health monitoring
- Smart timing alerts
- Peer spending benchmarks
Questions people ask
Is TrueAfford free?
Yes. The core experience is free forever: search vehicles, get your Affordability Score, see true cost receipts, and check incentives at no charge. Pro ($4.99/mo) adds unlimited comparisons, financial health monitoring, smart timing alerts, and peer benchmarks.
How accurate is the Affordability Score?
The score factors in your income, savings, existing debts, the full five-year cost rather than just sticker price, local insurance rates, fuel or charging costs, depreciation, and the incentives you qualify for. It uses established financial health guidelines from credit counseling, adapted for vehicle purchases.
Can't I just ask a chatbot for the 5-year cost?
A chatbot gives you a plausible one-time estimate from general knowledge. TrueAfford prices the receipt from current data: the incentives you qualify for right now, insurance and fuel or charging costs for your region, and model-specific depreciation. Then it scores the result against your income and debts on the same 0-100 scale for every vehicle, so comparisons hold up.
What markets do you support?
We support localized vehicle databases, incentive programs, insurance rates, and multiple currencies. The app auto-detects your region and adapts. More markets arrive regularly.
Is my financial data safe?
Your financial details are encrypted in transit and at rest. We never share individual data with dealers, lenders, or advertisers. Anonymized aggregate trends may inform market research, but your personal information stays yours.
Does TrueAfford tell me not to buy a car?
Never. We print the receipt, you make the call. If the car you want lands in the red zone, we also show what fits, and sometimes the alternative surprises people. The choice stays yours.
Do I need to connect my bank account?
No. You enter your income, savings, and debts yourself. We never ask for bank credentials, which keeps you in control of exactly what data the app uses.
Read your receipt before you sign theirs
Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment TrueAfford opens in your market. Tell us the car you're eyeing and yours will be the first receipt we print.
FIRST 1,000 SIGNUPS: PRO FREE FOR 3 MONTHS AT LAUNCH