Car finance eligibility checker

You provide a few personal and financial details. Those are run against the lending criteria of the lenders on the panel using a soft search, a quotation search that only you can see on your credit report. Within about a minute you get back which lenders would consider you and an indicative APR band.

Nothing is committed at this point. No application has been made, no hard search has been recorded, and you are free to walk away.

• Your full name and date of birth.
• Three years of address history.
• Employment status and gross annual income.
• Rough monthly outgoings: rent or mortgage and existing credit commitments.
• An idea of the deposit and monthly budget you have in mind.

You do not need to have chosen a car. In fact checking first is the better order: the result gives you a realistic budget, which is what actually narrows the search.

It is an indication, not an offer. The final APR is confirmed once the lender has verified income, address history and the vehicle itself. For most applicants the final figure lands within the band shown, but it can move if the details submitted at full application differ from those given at the check.

The rate also depends on the car. Older and higher-mileage vehicles attract higher rates because the asset securing the agreement is worth less.

If the result is good, you pick a car within the budget it gives you and submit a full application against that specific vehicle. That is the point at which a hard search is recorded. If the result is weaker than you hoped, nothing has been lost: no lender can see the check, and you can spend a few months improving the file before applying.