Did you know this about your credit score?
Your credit score and credit history determines whether you will be approved for a vehicle loan (or any other credit). If you are approved, the better your credit score and history is, the better terms you will be offered. The terms include the amount required for down payment, the amount the lender is willing to loan you, the interest rate and length of time the loan will be carried.
What helps your credit score?
- Having had credit in the past (credit card, credit line with a retail company such as a tire store).
- Handling that credit well. Did you make your payments on-time? Did you pay off the balance?
- Longer credit history = higher credit score.
What hurts your credit score?
- Applying for credit multiple times within a short period of time. Believe it or not, we see people who have applied 5 or more times within a couple of weeks. This is a big red flag to lenders and they shy away from people with multiple credit inquiries.
- Handling your credit poorly. Not making payments on-time and/or letting accounts go to collections is devastating to a credit score.
- Not having any credit history at all, though this is not nearly as bad as the previous two points.
Taking care of your credit score is very important. There are many resources online on how to develop a better credit score. Here is one article with tips you may find helpful in improving your credit score: https://www.easybudgetblog.com/6-ways-to-raise-your-credit-score/