Insight: With a principal of 10,000 at an 8.5% annual rate, the borrower will pay a monthly EMI of 205.17, leading to a total payment of 12,309.92 over the loan term. Of that total, 2,309.92 is interest, so the interest portion makes up roughly 18.7% of the total repayment. Accordingly, the borrower is paying an additional 23% of the principal in interest over the life of the loan.