You need to buy a car but don’t have the money. Thankfully, your bank balance doesn’t mean you have to forfeit one of life’s main necessities. Car finance is on hand to provide the resources you require to own a vehicle.

Most people understand what the process entails, whether it’s opting for a hire purchase or a lease purchase with balloon payment. However, APR is something you’ll come across when searching for car finance and you might not know what it means. What is car finance APR? Keep reading to find out.

What is car finance APR?

The simplest way to understand APR is to view it as interest. The acronym stands for Annual Percentage Rate, and it’s the amount added on in interest yearly. It also includes any compulsory charges. APR continues to be included within your repayments deal until the deal is over and you either give the car back or own it outright.

How does it work?

APR works in the same way that most interest rates work. In terms of car finance, the dealership you choose will use a standard measure to calculate the amount of interest you need to pay. The higher the rate, the more you’ll pay back in the long-term.

What Can APR Affect?

Car finance APR mainly impacts how much you will pay over the course of a contract. The figure isn’t taken into account within the deal as it’s added on afterwards. Therefore, it’s essential to figure how much it is and whether you can afford it before signing on the dotted line.

Finance APR is a good indicator of offers as you can use the rate to compare quotes with other dealers on the market. For example, if everything is the same except for the APR, you could save a significant sum.

My Car Credit’s finance calculator

At My Car Credit, we recognise the need to be transparent, which is why we have a loan calculator tool you can use free of charge. If you ever wonder, ‘can I get car finance?’ you don’t need to wait too long to find out!

Of course, you can always contact a team member and discuss your options with them directly.

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!