Bank or credit union · United States

Navy Federal Credit Union vs PenFed Credit Union: total repayable, not the headline APR

Best case on $10,000 over 36 months, PenFed Credit Union costs $10,967 to repay and Navy Federal Credit Union $11,404 — a difference of $438 over the term.

Only Navy Federal Credit Union publishes the top of its range, so the worst case can be compared on one side only.

Side by side

Both columns use the published APR range and fee range of each lender, computed on the same loan.

$10,000 over 36 months, United States. Sources: Navy Federal Credit Union checked 2026-08-25 and PenFed Credit Union checked 2026-08-25.
	Navy Federal Credit Union	PenFed Credit Union
Lowest published APR	8.74%	6.09% with autopay; +0.25 without
Highest published APR	18.00%	not published
Origination fee	none, as published	none, as published
Loan amounts	$250 to $150,000	$600 to $50,000
Terms	up to 180 months	up to 60 months
You sign for, worst fee	$10,000	$10,000
Monthly, best case	$316.79	$304.63
Total repayable, best case	$11,404	$10,967
Monthly, worst case	$361.52	top not published
Total repayable, worst case	$13,015	—
Total repayable, best case, 60 months	$12,379	$11,625
Owner	not confirmed	not confirmed

How that is worked out

amount received = the amount you want in your account (10,000 on most pages) amount signed for = amount received / (1 - origination fee %) monthly rate = APR / 12 (United States) or (1 + APR)^(1/12) - 1 (United Kingdom) monthly payment = amount received x monthly rate / (1 - (1 + monthly rate)^(-months)) total repayable = monthly payment x months cost of credit = total repayable - amount received cost per 1,000 = cost of credit / (amount received / 1,000)

Nothing else is added. The APR already includes the origination fee by law in both markets, so the payment is worked out on the amount you actually receive, at the APR, over the term — which is exactly how the lender's own representative example is built. The fee shows up as the larger amount you sign for, and the interest on it is inside the APR. Late fees, optional insurance and early-settlement charges are not in any figure on this site, because they depend on what happens after you sign. Best case uses the lowest published APR and the lowest published fee; worst case the highest of each. The full method is at Method.

Where does the answer change?

The ranking above holds only under the conditions listed here.

Do not decide yet until you hold both offers: PenFed Credit Union stays ahead only if the APR it actually offers you is below 8.74% — Navy Federal Credit Union's published floor, which is the point where its $11,404 best-case total is matched on this loan. An offer above that number reverses this page.

Who this is not for

This compares published ranges and nothing else. It is not a judgment about service, approval odds or speed, and we have not borrowed from either. If the two totals are close, this page will not decide it for you and should not.

Sources

Navy Federal Credit Union rates page. checked 2026-08-25
PenFed Credit Union rates page. checked 2026-08-25

Written by Kaz (pen name). Figures are copied from providers' published pricing pages on the dates shown. We have not used these products. Corrections: contact form.