FAQ's

Answers to common questions about car finance:

Can I get car finance if I have bad credit?

With over 10 years+ experience in car finance and car buying, we are able to help people who have had county court judgements, individual voluntary arrangements or people who have been made bankrupt and recently discharged.

To find out more about applying for car finance with bad credit,

Can I still get car finance if I’ve been made bankrupt?

If your bankruptcy has ended and you’ve been discharged, you can apply for finance again with us. Bankruptcies usually last one year, once its finished you’ll receive a letter which states that you are now discharged bankrupt.

If you’ve been made bankrupt, your credit score will have been severely damaged. This usually means you’ll be excluded from the best rates available, so your finance will cost more in the long run. However we may still be able to help finance your next car and having a new HP loan on your credit file will help improve your credit score quite quickly.

If you are currently bankrupt, unfortunately we won’t be able to help you. Taking further credit at the level you’d need to buy a car, when you’re bankrupt, is legally not allowed.

I am in an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) or Debt Management Plan (DMP), can I still get car finance?

Being in an IVA will have reduced your credit score and will affect the rate of interest you are offered on any finance options available to you and you are not likely to be offered the best rates available in the market.

When you’re in a DMP, you are still eligible to apply for finance. However, you will find that the rates you are offered will be less attractive than those for people with good to excellent credit histories. You should also contact your Debt Management Firm or Debt Advisor to discuss this. Any additional expenses for a car have to be managed within the plan, You will to speak to your IVA or DMP to obtain consent for monthly repayment amount before paying out the finance.

Can I get car finance with a CCJ?

You may still be able to secure finance through us if you have incurred a CCJ. If you paid the full amount of a CCJ within a month you can get the judgment removed from the register. Meanwhile, if you paid after a month, you can get the record marked as ‘satisfied’ in the register. You need to contact the court to and prove payment to get the record changed and an administration fee will apply, typically £15.

The longer ago you had the CCJ was, the less likely lenders are to take account of it. We’d recommend you look at any judgments against you on the register of judgments. This will cost £4. If the information on the register is wrong, you can contact Trust Online, who will check the details with the court.

What if I've been refused elsewhere?

We’re often able to help customers that have been refused elsewhere.

If you’ve applied somewhere else (such as a bank, car dealership or even another car finance broker) and have not been successful, you might start to think that nobody can help. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. Some of the lenders we work with actually specialise in helping people with bad credit to get car finance, so we’ll try our best to find the right finance option for you.

Am I Eligible

What criteria do I have to meet to apply for car finance?

You must be at least 18 and have lived in the UK for three years or more. Despite being able to drive from the age of 17, the law states that you’re not able to sign a credit agreement until the age of 18. Meanwhile, the three year address history is required by lenders to gauge the risk of lending to you and is standard practice no matter what kind of finance you apply for.

What is a credit check?

A credit check happens when your credit file is assessed by a lender or other creditor with the purpose of finding out information about your credit history and current situation. This information is used by them to assist in making a decision about whether to offer you their finance. Your credit file contains your key personal details, the credit you currently have left to pay, the credit you have had in the past, how often you make payments and details of whether you have missed, paid late, or paid the right amount.

Carrying out a credit check allows lenders to find out your reliability. If you pay on time and in full each month, lenders are more likely to feel positive about offering credit, as they can see that you’ve kept to finance agreements in the past. In contrast, if you’ve defaulted on payments previously, you may find it difficult to get further credit, as lenders may consider that you’re less likely to keep up with repayments in an agreement with them

Will applying for car finance affect my credit score?

When we search for car finance options for you, we’ll perform a credit check on your profile. This is so we can match you with the most appropriate lender and the best option available from the finance products we have access to. This type of check is often referred to as a ‘soft search’. We’re essentially completing a background check on your financial history and current situation, this search can only be seen by you if you access your report and it will not affect your credit score or ability to gain credit in any way.

We’ll then contact the lender we think can offer the best finance option for your circumstances. They may choose to perform a full credit search, which will be noted on your credit history and can affect your credit profile. You will be informed before a hard search is carried out.

To find out if your credit score is in good health or for helpful advice on how to improve it, you can obtain a copy of your credit report easily, online.

Can I get car finance if I’m self-employed?

Yes, we’ve secured a number of lenders on our panel who will offer finance to people in self-employment. We also help gain access to finance for a selection of vehicles we may be able to help.

Can I apply with an International Licence?

Yes, you can apply for finance with an international licence, as long as you’ve lived in the UK for three years or more and meet all the other criteria of the lender.

The decision to give finance is based more on your likelihood to stay in the UK and your ability to make the monthly repayments, so your address and credit history is more important to the lender than the kind of licence you have.

However, it is worth pointing out that if you’re driving on a licence from , the European Union or the European Economic Area, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, you will only allowed to drive small vehicles and you will need to change your licence 12 months after entering the UK.

I don’t have a job at the moment, can I still get car finance?

Approval for car finance always depends on your personal circumstances and your ability to repay the loan. So, if you can show that you’re able to make the monthly payments, we’ll match you with a lender who’s happy to offer you the car finance you need.

If you do not have a regular income, it may be worth discussing and considering a joint application with a partner who has.

Vehicles

I have a part exchange can I trade this in?

Yes, we can accept part-exchanges.

A part-exchange acts as a down payment towards your new car, in the same way that a deposit does. This would reduce your total loan amount, which means the amount you pay back each month is reduced too.

Having a part-exchange can sometimes help when it comes to likelihood of approval as it means a smaller loan amount is requested, which might open more options up to you. If you wanted to put a cash deposit down, we can accept these too!

Do I have to pay anything upfront?

No, we have lenders than offer NO deposit schemes, however if your credit limit is lower than the vehicle you want purchase then a deposit might be required to make up the difference.

What do you mean by Trusted dealerships

Rightdrive will only work with our trusted Dealership network, dealers that deliver great customer service that we have verified ourselves. To ensure customer protection, we therefore conduct a number of checks before working with a dealership. These include:

  • Checking each dealer is VAT registered
  • Checking the dealer’s premises
  • Checking to ensure the dealer is FCA authorised