car finance with bad credit
If you have bad credit, there are still options available to you.
On this page, you'll find more information on car finance for customers with bad credit.
How to get car finance with bad credit
If you have a credit rating that’s anything less than perfect, you might be worried about being eligible for car finance, or you might think your monthly repayments will be too expensive to afford.But having bad or non-existent credit doesn't mean you can't get finance. If your credit rating is average or worse, you could still be eligible for car finance with CarShop.
Often the best way to start is to use our credit check tool to see if you’re likely to get finance. Our finance team will then find out the best rates we can get for you and talk you through your options.
Alternatively you can set your budget using our calculator below and start searching our stock based on our standard finance terms.Do you want to know if you can get finance without affecting your credit score? Our quick and easy credit check tool can give you an answer in just 60 seconds.
start your free checkBy starting an application you agree that CarShop may/will pass your details on to a third party lender or broker, and they may wish to contact you by phone, post, SMS, or other electronic means.
Calculate your budget
By starting a finance check, a 'soft search' against your credit file will be performed, however, this won't be visible to lenders and won't affect their decision.
By starting a finance check you agree that CarShop may/will pass your details on to a third party lender or broker, and they may wish to contact you by phone, post, SMS, or other electronic means.
Car Shops Limited is directly authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with a Limited Permission for credit broking. Our Firm Reference Number (FRN) is 447727. Details of our FCA permissions (and our trading names) can be checked via the FCA register (via this link https://register.fca.org.uk/s/). We are a credit broker and not a lender. To assist you with your vehicle purchase, we can introduce you to two lenders (and their finance products), both of whom we have a pre-existing relationship with (we do not source the whole market). In the event both lenders choose not to provide credit, we will refer you to a broker to attempt to source credit for you. Note however, the available terms from this broker may well be inferior to the two lenders we initially introduced you to. We act as an agent on the lenders behalf when making this introduction. We are not an independent financial advisor and therefore, no advice or recommendation will be made. You must decide whether the finance product you choose is right for you. We do not charge you a fee for this introduction but we will receive a commission from the lenders we work with (either a fixed fee or a fixed percentage of the amount you borrow). The lenders we work with could pay commission at different rates. Some lenders may also provide preferential rates to us for the funding of our vehicle stock and also provide financial support for our training and marketing. For regulated agreements under the Consumer Credit Act 1974, if you would like more information on the commission payable prior to you entering into the agreement, please email your request to fcacomplianceteam@sytner.co.uk. For your reassurance, the amount of commission we receive from a lender does not have an effect on the amount that you pay to that lender under your credit agreement.The lender will always set this. Finance is subject to credit acceptance to UK residents (excluding the Channel Islands) aged 18 or over. All finance is subject to status. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. Terms and conditions apply.
How we can help our customers with bad credit
We understand that not everyone has the perfect credit record. Perhaps you haven’t had much credit before or have experienced problems in the past
To help you, we work with a partner who have built an IT platform to help us understand the ideal lender for you, one that can give you the best rate of car finance for your circumstances. Even if you have a very poor credit history, they have finance partners who are happy to lend based on what you can afford now, rather than what may have happened in the past.
Rather than encourage you to perform a full credit check, we’d rather help by starting with what’s called an application search, or 'soft search'. This will give us a good idea whether we can source credit for you and what sort of rate we can get you. From there, if the package is right for you, then we can progress to a full credit application and have all this in place before you even step in to one of our dealerships, as long as that’s what you’d like.
After all your new finance agreement needs to be on your terms.
How we work
'Bad credit' or a weak finance history doesn't have to stop you getting car finance on a used car.
There are many reasons why you may have struggled to get finance before, however our partner will assess your situation and find the best rate we can get for you. You may have missed payments in a prior finance agreement, recently gone through a bankruptcy order/IVA or have county court judgements (CCJs) against you. Our partner has a large panel of lenders, who can help customers finance their car if they have bad credit.
We want to help you repair your credit file, so we’ll search out the lender who’ll give you the best rate of interest in your circumstances.
What if I'm not ready to re-finance yet; is there anything I can do to help?
If you’re just trying to understand the best options for someone who’s looking for car finance with bad credit, then you can start to help improve your credit file today. Consider these top tips:
Top Tip
Top Tip
What to do next
1. Apply online
To start your car finance journey with us simply fill in our short form here to perform an application search.
2. Instant decision
You'll get an instant decision and our finance specialists will be in touch within 24 hours to understand your needs.
3. Find your vehicle
Our specialists will help you find a vehicle that suits your needs and your budget, so all you need to do is pop in to a site to test drive it.
4. Agree repayments
We can email your quote to you so you can agree your repayments before you even step in a store.
5. Sign paperwork
Our on-site finance team will take you through your finance agreement before signing it on site.
6. Drive away happy!
We take the hassle away, so that you can drive away happy and enjoy your new car.
Bad credit FAQs
Can I get an instant decision on whether I can get car finance?
Yes, you can find out right away if you’ll be able to get credit to purchase your car. Simply fill in our form here and we’ll conduct a 'soft search', which tells us whether you’re likely to qualify for finance and at what rate, without having to perform a full credit search.Do you perform a credit check as part of the car finance process?
Yes, but only after you’ve decided you want to apply for finance and have filled out a full credit application. If you submit your complete proposal, the lender will perform a credit check.What do I need to know if I'm thinking about refinancing my car?
When you refinance your car, you’ll typically negotiate an agreement with a new lender and sign a contract that has different terms from your old loan. Your refinancing agreement might allow you to get a lower interest rate or extend your repayment schedule, potentially to ensure that you’ll end up paying less in the long run.Can I part-exchange my current car when I buy?
Part-exchange is available for many of the cars on offer at our showrooms. We can’t guarantee that any car can be part-exchanged, and a range of information is needed to provide a subject-to-view valuation.