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We've helped thousands of Australians find a car loan by keeping things simple and free of complicated jargon.
Our side-by-side car loan comparison makes it easy to find a car loan that is a good fit.
Lenders set their interest rates based partly on your credit score. Having an excellent credit score (800 or above) means you can get a lower rate on your car loan. A lower score can result in a higher interest rate.
You can check your credit score quicky for free before you look at car loans. If your score is on the lower side, there are steps you can take to improve your credit score.
We've run some simple calculations based on example car loans. This illustrates how your loan amount, loan term and the interest rate affect your loan repayments.
These 3 loans are identical except for the interest rate.
| Details | Loan 1 | Loan 2 | Loan 3 |
| Loan amount | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| Interest rate | 7% | 9% | 12% |
| Loan term | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years |
| Monthly repayments | $595 | $623 | $668 |
| Total cost | $35,643 | $37,366 | $40,041 |
These 3 loans are identical except for the loan term.
| Details | Loan 1 | Loan 2 | Loan 3 |
| Loan amount | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| Interest rate | 9% | 9% | 9% |
| Loan term | 3 years | 5 years | 7 years |
| Monthly repayments | $954 | $623 | $483 |
| Total cost | $34,344 | $37,366 | $40,545 |
Some lenders let you make extra repayments. But some actually charge you a fee for paying off the loan early. This is more common on fixed rate car loans.
You can check a loan's exit or early repayment fees before you apply.
Some lenders offer car loans with a balloon payment structure. This just means that your monthly repayments throughout the loan will be lower. But at the end of the loan term you'll have to pay off a large lump sum to fully pay off the loan.
This can be a nasty surprise if you don't understand how the balloon payment works.
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