What credit score do you need to buy a 30k car?
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.
You will need a credit score of 580 or higher to get a $30,000 personal loan in most cases, along with enough income to afford the monthly bill payments. Other common loan requirements include being at least 18 years old, being a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident, and having a valid bank account.
If your credit score is above 620, you are likely to get a car loan with favorable terms. Most loans you can get with a 650 credit score require a down payment and come with terms of 48 months or longer. You can expect average interest rates because 650 is a middle-of-the-road credit score.
It's essential to be knowledgeable about how your auto loan process will be different than someone with a higher score. You might not have the same options, but you can still get an auto loan with a 600 credit score.
But there are a lot of other factors that go into any loan approval. Your steady job history is a positive factor, but if your income is only $20,000 a year (for example), then a loan of ~$30,000 may not be forthcoming. Also, if you have a lot of credit card debt, that could weigh on your approval chances.
Calculator Results
A $30,000 auto loan balance with an average interest rate of 5.0% paid over a 6 year term will have a monthly payment of $483. In total, the loan will cost $34,787 with $4,787 in interest.
| Payoff period | APR | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| 12 months | 15% | $2,708 |
| 24 months | 15% | $1,455 |
| 36 months | 15% | $1,040 |
| 48 months | 15% | $835 |
You can borrow from $1,000 to $100,000 or more with a 700 credit score. The exact amount of money you will get depends on other factors besides your credit score, such as your income, your employment status, the type of loan you get, and even the lender.
Highlights: While older models of credit scores used to go as high as 900, you can no longer achieve a 900 credit score. The highest score you can receive today is 850. Anything above 800 is considered an excellent credit score.
What FICO score do car dealers use?
The score range for the Auto Score is 250-900 (instead of the traditional 300-850). FICO promotes that Auto Score will help dealerships and lending institutions in five distinct ways: Increase regulatory compliance.
| Credit score | Average APR, new car | Average APR, used car |
|---|---|---|
| Superprime: 781-850. | 5.64%. | 7.66%. |
| Prime: 661-780. | 7.01%. | 9.73%. |
| Nonprime: 601-660. | 9.60%. | 14.12%. |
| Subprime: 501-600. | 12.28%. | 18.89%. |
You can borrow as much as $40,000 - $100,000+ with a 650 credit score. The exact amount of money you will get depends on other factors besides your credit score, such as your income, your employment status, the type of loan you get, and even the lender.
Still, you typically need a good credit score of 661 or higher to qualify for an auto loan. About 69% of retail vehicle financing is for borrowers with credit scores of 661 or higher, according to Experian. Meanwhile, low-credit borrowers with scores of 600 or lower accounted for only 14% of auto loans.
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.
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.
Provided the down payment is $5,000, the interest rate is 10%, and the loan length is five years, the monthly payment will be $531.18/month. With a $1,000 down payment and an interest rate of 20% with a five year loan, your monthly payment will be $768.32/month.
An affordable car payment would be one that doesn't exceed $600 a month, based on the rule of thumb that your car payment shouldn't be more than 15% of your take-home pay. If you take out a 60-month car loan at 8% APR, you should aim to take out a car loan of less than $30,000.
How much should you put down on a car? A down payment between 10 to 20 percent of the vehicle price is the general recommendation. But if you can afford a larger down payment, you can save even more money on interest payments over the life of the loan.
Payment Example: $30,000 at 7.29% APR* for 60 months equals $598.15/month.
What is 6% interest on a $30000 loan?
For this example, the interest calculation is straightforward: a 6% interest rate on $30,000 results in $1,800 in interest over one year. This means, without considering any repayments or additional fees, the cost of borrowing $30,000 for a year at this interest rate would increase the total amount owing to $31,800.
Example: A six year fixed-rate loan for a $25,000 new car, with 20% down, requires a $20,000 loan. Based on a simple interest rate of 3.4% and a loan fee of $200, this loan would have 72 monthly payments of $310.54 each and an annual percentage rate (APR) of 3.74%.
$30,000 loans may be available to people with no credit or bad credit, these options likely will come with higher interest rates, fees, or even the need to provide collateral to get approved. If you don't have a strong credit history, lenders might consider you a risk and structure your loan terms with that in mind.
| Top Auto Loan Lender | Lowest APR | Loan Amount |
|---|---|---|
| AutoPay | 4.67%** | $2,500 to $100,000 |
| PenFed Credit Union | 5.24% | $500 to $150,000 |
| Auto Approve | 5.24%** | $5,000 to $85,000 |
| Consumers Credit Union | 6.54% | No minimum or maximum |
An interest rate under 5% is a great rate for a 72-month auto loan. However, the best loan offers are only available to borrowers who have the best credit scores and payment histories.
