I’ve been saving up to buy a new car for school, but I’m very new to the car loan process. How do you get a car loan? I have a credit score of 807—will my options be good?
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Congratulations on taking that step to get your new car!
Yes, 807 is a good credit score for a car loan. Your odds of qualifying for a great interest rate are very high.
Here’s how the car loan process will look:
You will compare offers from at least three different lenders—This is to make sure you’re getting the best agreement available to you.
You will decide on a lender—Usually, your lender will be the dealership itself, a bank, or a credit union.
You and your lender will negotiate a down payment, loan term, and interest rate.
You will make monthly payments until you have completely paid off both the principal (borrowed amount) and interest.
A good interest rate for a car loan is generally between 3% and 5% while a good loan term, or duration, will generally be less than 72 months. As a rule of thumb, try to pay as much per month as you can financially manage—that way you don’t end up
Having a credit score well above 661 (many lenders’ minimum allowable credit rating) puts you in a great place for loan offers. On average, credit scores between 661 and 780 can usually get an
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