Credit scores are essential to a lot of financial choices throughout life, including getting an auto loan. If you look at bad credit car loan rates versus good credit car loan rates, you will surely see the impact a credit score can have on a loan. With this being said, you likely want to avoid getting an auto loan for bad credit.
At this point, you’re likely wondering what a good credit score would be for a car loan. Fortunately, we at Toyota Direct’s used car lot near Columbus, Ohio, have a good understanding of the car financing process, and we are here to help inform you on credit scores for car loans. Therefore, we have compiled a list of all of the credit tiers for an auto loan and how each tier affects the loan according to Experian Information Solutions.
- Superprime
The top credit tier you can be in when qualifying for used car loan rates is superprime. To be in this tier, you have to have a credit score between 781 and 850. As the best credit bracket to be in, there are several benefits to being a superprime buyer. These benefits include not having to have a co-signer and extremely low rates on an auto loan, averaging around 3.61%.
- Prime
The next car financing credit tier is prime. Prime buyers have a credit score between 661 and 780. Prime and superprime buyers also represent 56% of auto loans, as reported by Experian. Therefore, a good credit score that allows you to easily qualify for an auto loan is anywhere between 661 and 850. Prime buyers get similar benefits to superprime, not requiring co-signers but with slightly higher interest rates. According to Experian, prime interest rates average at 5.38%.
- Nonprime
After prime comes the nonprime credit tier. This tier is where auto loans for bad credit come into play. A nonprime credit score is between 601-660. Hence, as a prime buyer, it may be a bit more difficult to qualify for an auto loan compared to prime and superprime buyers. You may have to get a co-signer, and you will experience higher interest rates, averaging at 9.8%. There are also bad credit dealers who cater specifically to nonprime buyers and below.
- Subprime
Below nonprime is the subprime credit bracket. Subprime buyers have credit scores ranging between 501 and 600. They typically need co-signers, and rates on nonprime auto loans for bad credit average at 15.96%, which is fairly high.
- Deeper Subprime
The final and lowest credit tier for car loans is deeper subprime. Buyers in this tier have credit scores varying from 300 to 500. As a deeper subprime buyer, it can be challenging to qualify for an auto loan, and the above-mentioned bad credit car loans are typically the only way to qualify. Offering these loans are bad credit car dealers, which determine loan eligibility using factors other than credit, such as income-to-debt ratio. Interest rates for these deeper subprime bad credit car loans average around 19.87%, and a co-signer is usually required.
- Improving Your Credit
If you find yourself in any of the tiers below prime, improving your credit score could make it a lot easier to qualify for an auto loan. To help you improve your score and reach the prime tier, we have provided a short list below of several ways to improve your credit score:
- Timely paying off present debt
- Review credit reports to see why your score is low
- Strive for 30% credit utilization or less
- Keep old accounts open
- Deal with any financial delinquencies
- Limit new credit card requests
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