A mistake that motorists often make is to assume that they don’t need car finance because they have the cash in their bank accounts. If you’re in the market for a new motor, you might not know whether it’s better to buy a car outright or with finance since there are pros and cons of each.

While buying outright seems the obvious choice, it’s well worth considering the latter option since finance deals provide many more features that you might not have factored into your decision. After all, it’s easy to focus on one dimension. Read on as we look at three benefits of car finance even if you can buy outright.

Spreading the cost

Paying a lump sum amount upfront isn’t always a savvy choice, especially if you don’t have the liquidity to react to emergencies. Picture the scene. You’ve just purchased a car with your savings and own it outright. But the week after, your boiler breaks down and you need to splash the cash again to fix it.

The average person can’t afford to keep on throwing substantial amounts of money around, particularly if it’s the end of the month. Thankfully, using car finance means you can spread the cost of the car over an extended period, letting you pay off the full amount monthly. As a result, you can keep the extra cash in your emergency fund for an inevitable rainy day. Our car loan calculator even helps you to crunch the numbers beforehand so that you know exactly how much you’re paying per month.

Flexibility

Of course, not every car deal goes to plan. When you own a vehicle, there’s nothing you can do about it if you fall out of love or the motor isn’t what you wanted. In short, you’re stuck with an expensive asset. Car financing is different as there are several options at your disposal.

For example, Personal Contract Purchase deals (PCP) are designed to give you the option to sell your vehicle back to the dealer at the end of the contract. With a balloon payment, you can either decide to pay it off in full or hand it back. If you do the latter, you can upgrade to a newer model, making PCP an excellent way to drive a different vehicle every couple of years. Alternatively, Hire Purchase (HP) lets you decide how long you want to pay back the loan. It could be three years or five, depending on the premiums and your disposable income.

More freedom

There’s a wide array of cars to choose from, and you don’t want your budget to get in the way. When you rely on your savings, this is bound to happen because you will find makes and models that are out of your price range. It doesn’t matter whether it’s £100 or £1,000 as you can’t magically generate the funds out of thin air.

With car financing options, your budget is greater because you can spread the payments out more, which means you can generally afford more. Therefore, you’ll be less likely to be bound to your budget if you come across a dream vehicle that is more expensive than you anticipated.

Car finance vs buying outright

If you’re stuck between buying a car outright or financing, the experts are My Car Credit can help you get a clearer idea of the finance options at your disposal. Working with a large network of leading lenders, we can find you a great finance deal that’s tailored to your circumstances and requirements. Don’t hesitate to call our team to find out more.

Rates from 9.9% APR. Representative APR 12.4%

Evolution Funding Ltd T/A My Car Credit

My Credit Rating

Excellent

  • You are a home owner
  • You have been on the electoral role for a long period of time
  • You have current credit arrangements and mortgage with no defaults
  • You have no CCJs, credit arrears or missed payments
  • You rarely apply for credit
  • You are employed or self-employed

Good

  • You are on the electoral role
  • You are a home owner or long standing tenant
  • You have a stable employment history
  • You have current credit arrangements with occasional missed payments
  • You have no CCJs

Fair

  • You are or have recently been on the electoral role
  • You may have recently changed address
  • You may have occasional missed payments
  • You may have an old CCJ
  • You may have regularly applied for credit

Poor

  • You may have had frequent changes in address
  • You may not be traceable on the voters roll
  • You may have exceeded credit card limits
  • You may have missed payments on current agreements
  • You may have had a CCJ in the past

Bad

  • You may not be traceable on the voters roll
  • Your credit cards are over their limits
  • You have recent CCJs
  • You may have been refused credit elsewhere
  • You may be in a debt management plan
£

X monthly repayments of
£X

Typical rate

Loan amount

Total payable

X% APR*

£X

£X

*for illustration purposes only

No impact on your credit score*

Representative Example

Borrowing £7,500 at a representative APR of 12.4%, annual interest rate (fixed) 12.36%, 47 monthly payments of £196.44 followed by 1 payment of £206.44 (incl. estimated £10 option to purchase fee), a deposit of £0.00, total cost of credit is £1,939.12, total amount payable is £9,439.12.

Evolution Funding Limited, trading as My Car Credit, is a credit broker and not a lender.

Please ensure you can afford the repayments for the duration of the loan before entering into a credit agreement.

*Initial application is a soft search. Should you progress, some lenders may perform a hard search on your credit file.

Require more help?

Got a question you can’t find the answer to, or need some advice and guidance around taking out car finance? Our Car Credit Specialists are friendly, experienced, and here to help so get in touch today!