What Credit Score Do Car Dealerships Use? (2024)

FAQs

What Credit Score Do Car Dealerships Use? ›

What credit score do auto lenders look at? The three major credit bureaus are Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. The two big credit scoring models used by auto lenders are FICO® Auto Score and Vantage.

FICO offers specific products and solutions for car dealers and auto loans. Their product is called Auto Score 8. As you can see here from FICO's promotional materials, Auto Score 8 is meant to help dealers, “Improve accuracy and speed of decision making.

Auto lenders may rely more on Equifax and Experian for credit report insights, but TransUnion also sells consumer data to a number of automotive lenders. Credit scoring models such as FICO® Auto Score 9 generate a credit score based on the debt and payment information in a consumer's credit report.

What Is the Minimum Score Needed to Buy a Car? In general, lenders look for borrowers in the prime range or better, so you will need a score of 661 or higher to qualify for most conventional car loans.

When purchasing a car, most car dealerships run your credit score to determine if you are eligible for a loan. These scores come from a variety of different credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian) that collect data from creditors.

FICO score 8 and 9 are commonly used for student loans, personal loans, medical loans, credit card lines and auto loans. However, there are industry-specific FICO versions for certain types of debt as well, including auto loans, credit cards and mortgage lending.

As you can see, a 700 credit score puts you in the “good” or “prime” category for financing, making 700 a good credit score to buy a car. While it's always a good idea to get your credit score in its best possible shape before buying a car, if you're already around the 700 range you will be good to go.

In general, you'll need a FICO credit score of at least 600 to qualify for a traditional auto loan, but the minimum credit score required with vary from lender to lender. As interest rates increase due to inflation, securing a subprime auto loan may be more difficult — but not impossible.

There isn't one specific score that's required to buy a car because lenders have different standards. However, the vast majority of borrowers have scores of 661 or higher.

Most used auto loans go to borrowers with minimum credit scores of at least 675. For new auto loans, most borrowers have scores of around 730. The minimum credit score needed for a new car may be around 600, but those with excellent credit often get lower rates and lower monthly payments.

What is a Tier 1 credit score to buy a car? ›

In FICO's scoring model, scores in the 800 to 850 range are considered exceptional, or best. A given lender, however, may consider scores in the 750 to 850 range as best and categorize those borrowers as tier 1. Another lender might have a completely different range it considers tier 1.

Tier 1 credit is generally defined as a credit score of 750 or higher. The term is most commonly used among auto lenders, but other lenders use it as well. People with tier 1 credit have the highest level of creditworthiness and will usually receive the most favorable terms on loans and lines of credit.

If you don't know your credit score, all dealerships have to do to rip you off is say you don't qualify for a better rate. Perhaps a bank would offer a 5% loan; the dealer might say 7% is the lowest for your credit score.

It's one of FICO's base credit scores, which means it isn't designed for a certain type of credit. Like other base credit scores, the scores range from 300 to 850. And like FICO's other base credit scores, Score 8 is intended to determine the likelihood that a borrower will pay back a loan.

The basic FICO and auto loan FICO scores use different credit scoring models. The base FICO score ranges from 300 to 850, but FICO auto scores range from 250 to 900. The FICO auto score that lenders look at is measured using the 9 XT version of auto score measurement.

Lenders can use whichever score they choose, which could be your basic FICO score, your FICO auto score, or your VantageScore. Knowing your credit scores can help manage your expectations when applying for a car loan—and having a plan to boost your score before buying a car can help you qualify for better rates.

And even FICO Scores come in different shapes and sizes. 1 Two of the most common are the FICO Score 5 and the FICO Score 8. Both are used by lenders to determine a prospective borrower's creditworthiness. But FICO 5 is commonly used in the mortgage lending industry, while FICO 8 is mainly used by credit card issuers.