Few people can afford to stump up the full cost of a new motor without needing to borrow money, but before choosing a loan, it’s important to know exactly what’s involved so that you keep a lid on costs. Here, we explain how car loans work, and take a look at some of the pros and cons…
What is a car loan?
A car loan, as the name suggests, is a loan you take out to pay for a car. You decide how much you need to borrow and over what term you want to pay it back. Most car loans run for around three to five years, but longer or shorter terms might be available.
Interest rates are usually tiered depending on how much you want to borrow. As a general rule, rates are lower the greater the size of the loan, so if you are borrowing an amount that is just below the next tier up, it may actually be more cost-effective to borrow a bit more.
That said, don’t extend yourself too far – you should never borrow more than you can afford to repay.
Advantages and disadvantages of car loans?
The biggest advantage of taking out a car loan to pay for your motor is that once you’ve driven the car off the forecourt, you own it outright.
If, however you choose a hire purchase (HP) plan instead of a loan, you are effectively “hiring” the vehicle for the term of the agreement. You don’t own it until after the final payment has been made. That means if you run into financial difficulties, you cannot sell it to pay back what you owe.
One of the big disadvantages of car loans, however, is that because cars depreciate in value so quickly, by the time you finish paying off what you owe, your car may be worth a fraction of the price you paid for it initially. So this option won’t suit those who like to regularly update their vehicles.
It’s also worth considering gap insurance – this will pay the difference between what you paid for the car and what you receive in an insurance pay-out in the event of an accident or if the car is stolen.
Remember also that a car loan won’t always be the cheapest way to buy a car. September and March, when the new number plate registrations are released, often see particularly attractive forecourt finance deals offered, so it’s worth checking what’s available.
source
