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Bad Credit Car Finance

We’re a specialist broker for bad credit car finance, working with a selected panel of lenders. Get an instant quote without impacting your credit score. Low and no deposit car finance options available, even with a poor or not credit score.

Check your eligibility for bad credit car finance without impacting your credit score

If you’re looking for car finance with poor credit, even if you’ve missed payments in the past or think you’ll be rejected by other lenders because you’ve had (or have) or CCJ or IVA on your file, you can still get a bad credit finance quote.

At Concept Car Credit, we look at your current affordability, your income, and what monthly payment you can realistically manage. A low credit score in the past doesn’t automatically disqualify you and we’ve helped more than 30,000 people just like you get matched to a lender and secure finance for a new car.

bad credit car finance options

Representative example of bad credit car finance

Borrowing £7,000 over 48 months with a representative APR of 29.9%, the amount payable would be £238 a month, with a total cost of credit of £4,414 and a total amount payable of £11,413.

Our rates start from 12% APR. The rate you are offered will depend on your individual circumstances.

Factors that affect the rate you are offered include your credit profile, income, the deposit you put down, and the car you choose. We explain your rate clearly before you commit to any agreement.

Use our car finance calculator to get an indication of your monthly payments before you apply.

Take a look at our online car showroom to see the cars waiting for you to test drive today.

Why choose Concept Car Credit for your bad credit car finance?

Trying to get car finance with bad credit doesn’t have to be as difficult as it may seem, even if you’ve been turned down in the past.

We’re a specialist broker for bad credit car finance and have helped tens of thousands of people in a similar situation to you who’ve been rejected in the past because of their credit score.

More competitive rates

Many bad credit lenders make most of their margin on interest rather than on the vehicle itself. We work with lenders who offer more competitive rates so more of your money goes towards paying off your car.

Every payment rebuilds your credit

Every payment you make on-time improves your credit score. Once your initial agreement ends you might be in a better position to access better rates and have more options than when you first applied for car credit with bad finance. We structure your monthly payments to keep them manageable.

Flexible payments if your situation changes

If your financial position changes during your agreement and your monthly payments become hard to manage, we can adjust your plan to help you stay on top of things.

A well stocked showroom

Our Manchester showroom has a wide range of cars from hatchbacks to family SUVs. You can come and browse in person and talk to us about your credit and even take a test drive. We have more than 200 fully checked and prepared cars ready for you to drive away.

FCA regulated

We’re authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), reference number 659076.

Bad Credit Car Finance - Concept Car Credit

What is bad credit car finance?

Bad credit car finance helps people with a very bad, poor, or even no credit score, get finance for a new used car. While you may have been rejected by other lenders – or think you might be if you apply – working with a specialist broker like us and our panel of selected bad credit car finance lenders means you’re more likely to get accepted and borrow the money you need.

We also make sure your payments stay affordable for the duration of your agreement so you don’t risk falling further into a bad credit situation. We’ve got more than 20 years experience working with people just like you with a poor credit history, helping them get access to car finance when they’ve been refused elsewhere.

So if you’ve got a bad credit history, or even if you’ve got no credit history at all, get in touch and we’ll go through your options for car finance.

Bad Credit Car Deals

Are you eligible for bad credit car finance?

We help thousands of individuals every year get car finance with poor credit and can find options for a number of situations that could mean you’re rejected elsewhere. Our select panel could still approve you even you:

Have Been Subject to County Court Judgements (CCJs)
Satisfied or unsatisfied, we work with specialist lenders who consider applicants with active CCJs rather than dismissing your application outright. See more about car finance with a CCJ.

Have an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA)
If you’re in, or have recently completed, an IVA, finance may still be possible. See more about our IVA car finance.

Have Debt Relief Orders (DROs) and Debt Management Plans (DMPs)
We assess each application individually rather than applying a blanket rejection policy.

Have Been Declared Bankrupt
Discharged or historical bankruptcy is considered on a case-by-case basis.

Have Defaults and Missed Payments On Your Credit Report
Including credit card and loan defaults.

Have No Credit History
If you’ve never borrowed before, many lenders treat you as unscoreable. We can help. We also support students – take a look at our student car finance page for options built around limited income and no credit history.

Receive Benefits Income
Claiming benefits doesn’t automatically disqualify you. We can help you get car finance if you receive benefits.

Bad Credit Car Finance

Bad credit car finance with PCP

We provide bad credit car finance through Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) agreements.

You can reduce your monthly payments below what you’d pay with other agreement types, like Hire Purchase (HP). You then have a number of options once the agreement period comes to an end.

apply for a used car loan even with bad credit

How does Personal Contract Purchase car finance work if you’ve got bad credit?

Pick you car and fill out a finance application
Depending on your circumstances you may be asked to pay a deposit towards your car, but we also offer flexible no deposit car finance in many circumstances.

Make monthly payments
With a fixed interest rate for the duration of the agreement your monthly payments stay the same. If you struggle to meet the payments, get in touch with us and we can help you make arrangements.

Options at the end of the agreement
Once your initial agreement ends you can either give the car back (subject to mileage and condition), use any equity towards a new car, pay a final balloon payment and become the legal owner of your car.

Bad Credit Car Finance - Concept Car Credit

Get a quick decision on your bad credit finance application

Excellent
review

Fill out our online form and we’ll be back in touch to go through your circumstances and complete an initial eligibility assessment.

This first step using a soft credit search, so it won’t affect your credit score or appear on your file. There’s also no obligation on your side to go ahead with the application.

This stage is just to see if poor credit car loans are a good option for you and to see how much you could borrow and work out your payments.

If you’ve already picked out a car from our showroom we can match your eligibility to the price of the car, or just give you an estimate at this stage while you shop our range of used vehicles.

Can you get car finance with bad credit?

Yes. You can get car finance with bad credit.

Most mainstream lenders use automated credit scoring that rejects applications the moment a score falls below their threshold. They don’t consider your current income, spending habits today, or whether your financial issues are behind you. Their algorithm just says no.

Concept Car Credit, we look at your current affordability, your income, and what monthly payment you can realistically manage. A low credit score in the past doesn’t automatically disqualify you. This same approach applies to our car finance for low income customers – income level alone is never the deciding factor.

If you’ve been refused car finance elsewhere, that refusal doesn’t tell the whole story. Different lenders use different criteria. What one lender rejects, a specialist lender may approve.

Bad Credit Car Finance - Concept Car Credit

Who can apply for bad credit car finance?

You can apply for bad credit car finance through Concept Car Credit if you meet the following criteria:

  • Aged 18 or over
  • Hold a valid UK driving licence
  • UK resident with at least 3 years of address history
  • In employment, self-employment, or receiving regular income (even if you’re on benefits)

Not sure if you qualify? Check your eligibility now, it only takes a few minutes and won’t affect your credit score.

Bad Credit Car Finance - Concept Car Credit

Not sure why you’ve got bad credit?

People have bad credit scores for all kinds of reasons, including people who’ve never been in financial difficulty. You might have ended up with a poor credit rating if:

  • You’ve never had a loan, credit card or taken out car finance previously, meaning you’ve got little to no credit history
  • You’ve been part of a finance agreement with someone else who’s had bad credit (or still does) and you’re now associated with their history
  • You’ve taken out credit or finance in the past that you couldn’t afford and missed payment, meaning you’ve got a mark on your file
  • You’ve been declined in the past for car finance by other lenders
  • You’ve applied for finance from multiple lenders in quick succession and been refused
  • You’ve defaulted, had CCJs, IVAs or been declared bankrupt in the past because of missed payments
poor credit and very poor credit car loans

How our bad credit car loan application process works

Getting approved for car finance with a bad credit score is simpler than you might think. This is how it works:

Apply online

Fill in your details using our short online form. It takes a few minutes and asks about your income, outgoings and the type of car you’re looking for.

Soft search

We carry out an initial eligibility check using a soft search. This doesn’t appear on your credit file and doesn’t affect your credit score. You will only see a hard search on your file once you choose to proceed with a finance agreement.

Decision

We come back to you quickly. We look at what you can afford now, not just what your credit history says about your past.

Choose your car

Once approved in principle, you can browse our showroom. We have over 200 cars available across a wide range of makes, models and price points. Every car has been fully checked and prepared before it reaches the forecourt.

Your monthly payment is agreed before you commit. If your circumstances change during your agreement and payments become difficult, let us know. We can adjust your plan to keep things manageable.

Car finance for bad credit from Concept Car Credit

Work with a family run, FCA authorised broker

Concept Car Credit is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) – number 659076.

As a family run broker we treat you fairly and consider every application for car finance on merit, no matter your previous credit story. You can be assured of a fair assessment and honest answers about your eligibility for financing.

Get car finance with bad credit

Even if you’ve been turned down in the past, you have options for getting access to car finance, regardless of your credit history:

Use a specialist lender

A specialist bad credit finance lender - like those on our panel - look at your credit score, but also consider your financial position now and what you’re able to afford when considering your application. These are more flexible and properly consider your application instead of using an algorithm that can automatically reject you if your credit score is below a certain threshold.

Use a guarantor

This isn’t something we offer (you can use joint car finance instead) but with this option you’d usually ask a friend or family member with a good credit rating to agree to repay your car finance if you can’t. For lenders this reduces the risk and makes them more likely to accept your application.

Joint car finance

You can apply with another person who has a strong credit score and both your circumstances will be considered during the application.

get finance for a used car when you've got bad credit

Car Finance Calculator

For illustration purposes only. The rate and payment you may be offered will be based on your individual circumstances.

Concept Car Finance Limited is a credit broker, not a lender. Credit is subject to status.

36 monthly payments of

£0.00
at 14% APR

Breakdown

Vehicle Price: £0.00

Deposit: £0.00

Amount to Finance: £0.00

APR: 0.00%

Option-to-purchase fee: £10

Total Cost of Credit: £0.00

Total Repayable: £0.00

Apply for Bad Credit Car Finance

Fill out your details below to submit your application

    By submitting your application, you agree to our terms & conditions and privacy policy.

    Here at Concept Car Credit Limited we take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you have requested from us.

    From time to time we would like to contact you with details of other financial products we provide or think you may be interested in. We never release your information to 3rd parties for marketing. If you consent to us contacting you for this purpose please tick the boxes below to say how you'd like us to contact you:

    Concept Car Credit is a credit broker, not a lender. Our rates start from 12% APR. The rate you are offered will depend on your individual circumstances. Representative Example: Borrowing £7,000 over 48 months with a representative APR of 29.9%, the amount payable would be £238 a month, with a total cost of credit of £4,414 and a total amount payable of £11,413. We typically receive a commission for placing your finance with one of our lenders.

    Apply for bad credit car finance

    When looking at your suitability for car finance, even if you’ve got bad credit, we look at what you can afford now, not a score based on a single difficult period. Check your eligibility for poor credit car finance in a few minutes. Concept Car Credit is a credit broker, not a lender.

    205 cars

    currently available

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What is a bad credit score in the UK?

    Your credit score is a number calculated by credit reference agencies (CRAs) to give lenders a snapshot of how reliably you’ve managed credit in the past.
    There are three main CRAs in the UK: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Each uses a slightly different scoring system, so your score can vary depending which agency you check.

    As a rough guide:

    • Experian scores range from 0 to 999. A score below 560 is considered poor.
    • Equifax scores range from 0 to 1,000. A score below 439 is considered poor.
    • TransUnion scores range from 0 to 710. A score below 566 is considered poor.

    These thresholds are guidelines, not hard rules. Different lenders apply their own criteria. A score that one lender rejects may still be acceptable to a specialist lender who focuses on affordability rather than a single number.

    How can I improve my credit score?

    Improving your credit score over time means you can get better rates and more lending options in the future, even if it won’t impact your decision today. These are the most effective ways to improve your credit score before applying for car credit:

    • Register on the electoral roll: Lenders use this to confirm your ID and address. It’s one of the quickest ways to improve your score.
    • Use direct debits for regular bills: By paying phone or utility bills automatically with a direct debit you don’t risk late or missed payments, which can harm your credit score.
    • Use less than 30% of your credit function: For example if you have a £1,000 limit, keep your usage below £300. Experience and other CRAs weigh this heavily.
    • Check your credit file for errors: Mistakes do happen. It could be a wrongly recorded default or an account that’s still showing as open after being closed. These all drag your score down.
    • Avoid multiple applications in a short time: Every hard search leaves a mark on your credit file. So space out your applications to limit the impact.
    • Keep old accounts open: The length of your credit history matters to lenders. Closing old accounts, even if you don’t use, can shorten your visible credit history and make you seem riskier.

    Does applying for bad credit finance affect my credit score?

    Your initial eligibility check uses a soft search, which does not appear on your credit file and does not affect your score.

    A hard search is only carried out if you choose to proceed with a finance agreement, and only once.

    What is the minimum credit score needed for car finance?

    There is no fixed minimum.

    Concept Car Credit does not use a single score threshold to accept or reject applications. We assess your current affordability and financial circumstances, not just a number from your credit file.

    Can I get car finance with no credit history?

    Yes.

    If you have never borrowed before, many mainstream lenders will reject you automatically because they have no data to assess your risk. Specialist lenders assess your current income and outgoings instead. Having no credit history is different from having bad credit, it simply means you are starting from zero, and that is something we can work with.

    Can I get car finance with no deposit?

    Yes, a deposit is not always required.
    We assess this on a case-by-case basis. Putting down a deposit, where you can, does reduce your monthly payment and the total cost of the agreement. Find out more about no deposit car finance options.

    How much can I borrow?

    The amount you can borrow depends on your income, your outgoings, the deposit you put down, and the car you are looking to finance. We work out a monthly payment you can genuinely afford and structure the agreement around that. Use our calculator to get an indicative figure before you apply.

    What if I have been refused elsewhere?

    A refusal from one lender does not mean all lenders will refuse you. Different lenders use different criteria. We work with specialist lenders whose criteria are designed for borrowers with non-standard credit histories. A previous refusal does not affect your eligibility to apply with us.

    Will car finance improve my credit score?

    Yes, over time. Every on-time payment is reported to credit reference agencies. Maintaining a consistent payment record builds a positive payment history, which improves your score and widens your options for future borrowing.

    What happens if I miss a payment?

    If you are struggling with a payment, contact us before you miss it. Missed payments are recorded on your credit file and can make things harder. An early conversation means we can usually find a way to adjust your plan without a negative impact on your record.

    What is yo-yo financing and should I be concerned?

    Yo-yo financing is a practice where a lender initially approves a deal and allows a borrower to take the car, then later contacts them to say the financing fell through and demands they return the vehicle or accept worse terms.

    This is not a practice Concept Car Credit uses. We carry out our assessment before you take the car. If we approve you, that approval stands.

    Is Concept Car Credit FCA regulated?

    Yes.
    Concept Car Credit is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), reference number 659076. This means we operate under rules that require us to treat customers fairly, be transparent about costs, and lend responsibly.

    Pros and Cons of PCP for car finance with bad credit

    Not sure whether personal contract purchase is a good option for your bad credit car loan? Our team can help you consider the benefits and cons

    Pros

    • Lower monthly payments
    • Rebuild your credit score by meeting payments
    • End of term flexibility to own your car outright
    • Lending assessed on affordability

    Cons

    • A bad history can mean a higher APR
    • Total cost of lending can be more expensive (but more affordable month-to-month)

    Is it harder to get personal contract purchase finance if you’ve got bad credit?

    Not when you’re working with Concept Car Credit.

    We’re specialists in car finance for people with poor credit history, very bad credit history, or people with no credit history at all. Because this is our specialist area we’re able to provide bespoke solutions to people based on their situation, so it’s easier for you to get finance for your car, even if you’ve had credit problems in the past.

    You might be seen as a higher risk by mainstream lenders or have had difficulty with other brokers, but we take a different approach, considering your full financial situation now and basing criteria on what you can realistically afford, not just what your credit file says.