How to Improve Your Credit Score for Car Financing

Credit cards

Although there are ways of securing car finance with a poor credit rating, when considering your car finance eligibility, a good indication of your viability as a candidate is the health of your credit score. Don’t panic if yours is less than ideal, though, as there are steps you can take to improve it.

Don’t forget that you can get a free credit score with Experian. Use this to gauge where your credit rating is and improve it if it’s on the lower side – bear in mind that different credit rating agencies (CRAs) use different numerical scales to adjudicate your credit score.

Improving your credit score for car financing

These are a few of the best ways to improve your credit score if you’re trying to secure car finance. A better credit score will mean you are a more favourable candidate for a finance agreement, and may result in lower interest rates overall, so it’s worth improving your overall rating if you can.

Double check your report

Some of the best ways to improve your credit report are the easiest. Double checking your credit report for any small mistakes – like a mistyped name or wrong address – is one of the best ways of improving your overall score.

If you do notice a mistake, contact your provider and ask them to amend it.

Register to vote

Exercising your right to vote is essential in many ways, not least because registering on the electoral roll at your place of residence is an easy way of improving your credit score.

Even if you live with your parents or are in shared accommodation, this is a critical step you can take towards improving your rating.

Pay your bills in a timely fashion

Hitting your regular payments on time and in full is a sure-fire way of improving your credit score. In fact, your payment history is arguably the most important factor that impacts your overall rating. Late payments or those not made in full will impact this history, and in turn effect your score.

Even making the smallest payments on time – for example, repaying your monthly phone bill – adds up, so stay on top of these as far as possible.

Lower your credit utilisation ratio

Your credit utilisation – typically expressed as a ratio – indicates the percentage of total available credit that a borrower is currently making use of. After your payment history, it’s the second most important factor in determining your credit score.

A low credit utilisation indicates that you’re only using a small percentage of any credit available to you. As such, you’re a less risky candidate for a loan. The higher your credit utilisation ratio, the riskier you are, and you might face higher interest rates as a result.

As such, if you’re looking to improve your credit score for car financing, you should aim to avoid taking on any new debt right before applying, as existing credit card debt will increase your credit utilisation ratio. It’s good practice to avoid maxing out your credit cards every month generally, but particularly important if you’re applying for a finance agreement.

Avoid frequent hard credit checks

When you apply for a loan or credit, you’ll face a hard credit check at some point. This will lower your credit score. Although this bump is only temporary, lasting a few months or so, if you have a number of these hard credit inquiries registering on your report in a short period of time, you’ll be a riskier borrower.

By submitting multiple applications for the same kind of loan or finance agreement within a certain period of time, you can avoid having multiple hard enquiries register on your report, as these will all be considered one hard inquiry. For example, FICO will group applications for a similar kind of loan if they are made within a 45-day period.

Practice good security habits

Unfortunately, identity theft is a threat of modern life, and if someone is pretending to be you and taking out credit in your name, this could negatively impact your credit rating.

Being savvy with your security helps to avoid this – don’t repeat passwords, and check your bank account frequently for fraudulent activity.

Find car finance today

My Car Credit can help individuals from all walks of life to secure affordable, accessible finance – and our initial credit check is only ever soft. Find out how we can work with you no matter your credit score by emailing enquiries@mycarcredit.co.uk.

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!

How to Boost Your Credit Score in Your Late-Twenties

man in his late twenties wondering about how to boost his credit score

By your late twenties, you’ve probably got into the swing of managing your financial responsibilities and might be looking to take on a mortgage, apply for a credit card loan or perhaps exploring your car finance options. Here’s our advice on boosting your credit score and moving to the next financial stage of your life.

Stop making hard inquiries

Hard inquiries with financial lenders are bad for your credit score, especially if your application is rejected. It’s always best to opt for a soft search approach as this does not leave a mark on your credit history. Before you get to the point of applying, it’s also a good idea to look into your credit history and credit score so you know what to expect from a financial deal from a lender.

Consider multiple accounts

When it comes to your finances, it’s always best to have two or more accounts open. This proves to a lender that you are financially responsible. There are a number of ways to do this depending on your financial circumstances (e.g. you can pay one set of bills from one account and run any day-to-day expenses through the other). It’s important to remember that this doesn’t mean spending more money but spending more evenly across multiple accounts.

Managing your utilisation

It’s simple, spread your payments across your accounts. There are a few financial sites that will recommend a strict utilisation percentage (usually between 15 and 30%). However, a good rule of thumb is simply to use each account evenly. Spreading your payments and costs onto a number of cards proves to your lenders that you know how to manage your money.

Keep old accounts open

A good amount of your credit score is determined by your credit history. So, whilst it might be satisfying to close an account as soon as it’s paid off, it’s actually better to keep it open in many cases.

Punctuality is key

This is something that cannot be stressed enough, no matter how old you are. Punctuality is one of the main things that financial lenders look for because it proves your ability to make repayments. Our advice is to get everything on Direct Debit so you’re never late with a payment.

Your late twenties are a time to get yourself financially stable. It’s time to shake off the old bad habits from your early twenties and begin to manage your money properly. Take our advice on board and you’ll be off to a flying start!

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!

How to Boost Your Credit Score in Your Mid-Twenties

Young woman in mid-20s thinks about improving credit score

When you reach your mid-twenties, your financial life really starts to go up a notch. This is usually the time when you receive your first considerable paycheck, apply for a credit card and begin to take full responsibility for your expenditure. An important part of this step is establishing and building your credit score. We take you through the ins and outs of how to boost your credit score.

What’s a credit score?

Your credit score is a three-digit number used by lenders to determine your eligibility for finance such as a car loan. It is made by taking into account your credit history, which is a record of how you’ve managed your lines of credit in the past – the most common for people in their twenties being an overdraft, credit card, mobile phone contract and/or utility bill.

Your credit score affects what type of finance products you can get, and what interest rate you end up paying. Those with a higher credit score, for example, are seen as being a lower risk to lenders and so are more likely to be accepted for finance on a lower interest rate.

What’s a good credit score in your twenties?

Credit scores range from 300 to 850 – the lower your number, the worse your credit rating is. There are different evaluations of what determines a good credit score. One of the main credit reference agencies, Experian, generally considers a score of 700 or above as good. Having a credit score that is this high in your twenties is very difficult to achieve, as often there have been fewer opportunities to prove your creditworthiness. At this time, the average credit score is usually hovering around the 630 mark, so anything higher than this is highly beneficial.

How to boost your credit score

When it comes to improving your credit score, there are three essential rules you have to follow: make all your payments on time, optimise the way you use your credit and don’t open too many lines of credit.

Making all your payments on time is the important part of building a good credit score and is the first thing lenders will look at when evaluating you for a car loan. If you have a bad history of paying your utility bills, paying your rent, or making contract repayments (e.g. paying excess charges on your phone contract), there’s no reason for a lender to trust that you will make your repayments on a car finance agreement.

Optimising the way that you use your credit essentially means being sensible with your money. It’s a vital part of improving your score as it proves that you are financially responsible. You may well make all your payments on time, but if you’re maxing out your card every month or stretching your overdraft to the absolute limits, this is a warning sign for lenders. They could argue that the additional money to pay back on a car finance agreement, would be one step too far.

Opening many lines of credit (especially over a short period of time) can look suspect to lenders and could indicate to them that you need extra revenues of money to support your lifestyle. So, whilst it’s ok to have a few lines of credit, it’s best to only have what you need.

Whilst it’s not good to have too many lines of credit, you can improve your credit score by opening a credit building credit card account. This a card with smaller amounts of money on it, which you can use as an example to lenders of you being financially responsible. However, if you don’t make your payment and use the credit on this card excessively, you will harm your credit score. This is only recommended for those people that are financially secure, disciplined with managing their budgets, and want an additional way to improve their credit score.

Building a good credit score in your twenties is no easy task – you’ve just begun your financial life and you might not have had enough financial responsibilities to establish a good credit score. Don’t panic, there will be plenty of time to prove your creditworthiness, and as long as you follow the rules outlined above, you’ll get there in no time!

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!

Everyday Hacks to Improve Your Credit Score

Lady uses credit card to improve credit score

Whether you like it or not, your credit score is important. Want a credit card? Check your credit score. Want a mortgage? Check your credit score. Whatever way you look at it, your financial life is dictated by these three numbers. A good credit score is generally seen as being 670 or above. So, don’t sit around wasting time if you’re not there yet. Use our everyday hacks to improve your credit score.

Automate your payments

It’s simple – don’t miss your payments. You can make a standing order with your bank to make sure you’re prompt with payments. Alternatively, set a monthly reminder on your phone if you want to manually make payments.

Have a few lines of credit

When you have multiple open lines of credit – and they are being used correctly – credit agencies begin to take notice. It’s a sign of trustworthiness and organisation. Two or three is the sweet spot.

Use all your cards

Some people think the lower their credit card utilisation is, the better – they’re wrong. Using your credit card is a vital part of proving your responsibility to credit agencies. Don’t get yourself into debt making big payments, just make regular smaller payments – the kind of things you might normally make in cash or whack on your contactless debit card.

Balance out your cards

Make sure that your credit cards are levelled-off at all times. If you have one card that is looking a bit low, top it off with another one. Managing your credits by switching balance from one card to another shows financial maturity.

Pay off, don’t close off

Around 15% of your credit score is decided by the length of your credit history. If you close your old accounts you can shorten the time and affect your credit score. So, pay them off, don’t close them off.

Take out a credit builder card

If you haven’t had the opportunity to build up a credit score yet, or you’ve got a less than perfect score, take out a credit builder card. These are real tests: they have low credits and high interest rates, so manage this right and you’re onto a winner.

Piggyback on someone’s credit score

Adding yourself onto a credit account of someone with a good rating (with their permission!) is a great way of improving your credit score. It proves you are trustworthy with money. This is usually best to do with a partner or family member.

Up your credit limits

Don’t panic, we know this sounds crazy. This is actually a very effective way of lowering your credit utilisation and improving your credit score. Here’s how it works: you use £300 each month on your credit card but have a limit of £600, your credit utilisation is 50%. If you increase your credit limit to £900, your credit utilisation drops to 30%. Just don’t be tempted to splash out.

The three numbers that make up your credit score have a massive effect on your life, so it pays to improve it as much as possible. We’re sure that if you follow our credit score hacks, you’ll be on track to more approved financial applications, lower interest rates and a richer financial life.

In the meantime, rest assured that My Car Credit is on hand to help you with poor credit car finance – a successful application and maintained payments can even improve your credit score over time!

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!

How can I improve my credit score?

Dial showing credit score of excellent through to poor credit score

The better your credit rating is, the easier your car finance journey will be – you’ll be offered lower interest rates and have cheaper repayments to make each month. So, it’s worth aiming for an improved credit rating! For those that are having difficulty getting car finance because of a poor credit score, we’ve got eleven excellent tips to help you out.

  1. Make sure you are on the electoral roll – Lenders check this to protect themselves against fraud and to check that you are who you say you are. You can find out how to register by visiting Your Vote Matters.
  2. Cancel any out-of-date credit cards – Many people switch cards regularly but forget to cancel old agreements if they no longer use the card. These lines of credit will still appear on your credit file and can make lenders wary about the size of your debt – some may fear that you will ‘max out’ these cards and then struggle to make repayments.
  3. Apply truthfully – Make sure that the information you provide on applications is accurate and truthful. Inconsistencies can have a negative effect on your credit score and could be considered fraudulent.
  4. Don’t over-apply! – Too many applications, especially in a short space of time, can have a negative effect on your future score. This is a bit of a ‘catch–22’ as if you get rejected, or the rate you are offered is poor, you’ll want to keep applying to see if you can get a better deal, but at the same time your chances of being accepted will start reducing. For initial research, we offer a soft search application that doesn’t appear on your credit file.
  5. Use a credit card to (re)build a history – Lenders want to see that you have a reputation of managing credit sensibly. Those with little credit history, even if none of it is bad, are often rejected because they’re difficult to predict. If you don’t have a (good) credit history, build one. The easy way is with any credit card – just spend a small amount each month on it (e.g. £60), and make sure you repay in full each month (preferably by Direct Debit).
  6. Top up your credit card – As well as making sure that all your repayments are made on time by Direct Debit, pay manually on top of this each month. That way you guarantee that you’ll never be late with basic payments, and you’ll also have the flexibility to pay for any further financial responsibilities.
  7. Update your credit report – If you have defaulted on credit or had a County Court Judgement (CCJ) against you, it will be recorded on your credit file. Even once debts are settled, some lenders may restrict who they lend to, especially if the CCJ has been given within the last 12 months. Therefore, it is important that as soon as your debts are settled, you make sure that your lenders inform the credit reference agencies and that your credit report is updated accordingly.
  8. Apply for a guarantor loan – If you’re getting rejected for a car finance loan based on your individual credit score, see if you can be accepted for a guarantor loan. This kind of finance option allows you to improve your credit score as you go along, as (in theory) you should never miss repayments. You’ll need to have a close friend or family member with a good credit score that trusts you to make repayments but will financially support you where necessary.
  9. Look carefully at the small print – Make sure that you look at all the information on your credit file to ensure it accurately reflects your current circumstances. Keep a watchful eye for any errors or evidence of charges caused by identity theft or fraud.
  10. Check if you are linked to another person – Having a spouse, friend or family member’s credit rating linked to yours through a joint account could affect your personal rating if they have a poor score.
  11. Include additional information – Where necessary, provide further information regarding any previous credit problems. If such problems occurred following identity fraud, redundancy or divorce, and your financial situation has improved since, you can add a note explaining this.

We hope this has given you a good insight into how to improve your credit score, but if you want any other information, you might be interested in visiting our related article:

How to check if you can get finance for a car without affecting your credit score

At My Car Credit, we are open to accepting applications from people with less than perfect credit scores. So, if you require further advice, please do not hesitate to contact one of our friendly My Car Credit Specialists – they will be more than happy to help and guide you the whole way through your car-buying journey!

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!