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Car finance with defaults on your file

A default is a lender recording that an account went badly wrong, usually three to six missed payments. It sits on your file for six years from the date it was registered, and it worries people far more than it needs to. Defaults are the single most common thing we see, and they are rarely the sole reason an application fails.

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Most of our customers have at least one default on file. It is close to the standard case here rather than the exception.

How lenders weigh a default

  • Age. A default from four years ago carries far less weight than one from six months ago, and it drops off entirely at six years.
  • Satisfied or not. A default marked satisfied shows the debt was cleared. It stays on the file, but it reads very differently.
  • What defaulted. A mobile phone contract and a mortgage are not treated the same way. Communications and utilities defaults are the mildest; secured and motor-finance defaults matter most.
  • How many, and when. One default three years ago is a bad patch. Five in the last year is a pattern, and lenders read it that way.

What actually helps

Time is the biggest factor and you cannot hurry it. What you can do is show what has happened since: a few months of clean payments, a realistic monthly figure, and a deposit or part-exchange if one is available. A smaller loan on a cheaper car is very often the difference between a decline and an approval.

Check your own file first

It is worth seeing what a lender sees. Experian, Equifax and TransUnion must each give you free access to your statutory report. Old addresses, duplicated entries and defaults that were actually settled are all common, all fixable, and all costing people approvals.

Finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. Over 18s, UK residents only. We only run a soft-search eligibility check after we have spoken to you and you have agreed to it. A soft search does not affect your credit score and is not visible to other lenders. We are a credit broker, not a lender.

Find out where I stand

How it works

Three straightforward steps

No pressure at any point, and you are free to stop whenever you like. A hard credit search only ever happens at full application, and we will tell you before it does.

  1. Tell us where you stand

    A short form, about two minutes. Sending it does not run any credit check by itself and puts you under no obligation.

    No credit check at this stage

  2. We call you before anything is searched

    A person reads your enquiry and phones you. Only once you have agreed do we run a soft-search eligibility check with lenders on our panel who consider adverse credit. A soft search leaves no footprint and other lenders cannot see it.

    Invisible to other lenders

  3. We come back with honest options

    Real figures on real cars from our Kirkham forecourt, or a straight explanation if we cannot help right now. You choose whether to go ahead.

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What could this cost?

Work out a monthly figure you are comfortable with

£9,000
£500
48 months

£250.96 / month (illustrative)

Amount of credit £8,500
Estimated interest £—
Total payable £—
Representative APR (fixed) 19.9%
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These figures are illustrative only and not an offer of finance. They use the representative APR; your rate and payment depend on your circumstances and the lender's decision. Finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. Over 18s, UK residents only.

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*Estimated monthly figures are illustrative, based on the representative example in the footer.

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FAQs

Car finance with defaults: your questions

More answers on the full FAQ page.

How long does a default stay on my credit file?

Six years from the date it was registered, whether or not you pay it off. Paying it marks it satisfied, which lenders view more favourably, but it does not remove it early.

Will paying off a default get me approved?

It usually helps rather than transforms. Lenders care about affordability now as well as conduct then, but a satisfied default is meaningfully better than an unsatisfied one. Approval is subject to status.

I have several defaults. Is it worth applying?

Often, yes, particularly if they are more than a year old and nothing new has been added since. A soft-search check costs you nothing and gives you a straight answer.

Our promise: we will tell you if we cannot help, and why. No one can guarantee car finance, and anybody who says otherwise is selling you something.

Soft search · no pressure

Two minutes. Soft search. Straight answer.

Tell us where you stand. It takes about two minutes, sending the form does not run a credit check by itself, and there is no obligation.

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Finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. Over 18s, UK residents only. Credit broker, not a lender.