Bad credit doesn’t have to mean no car. Whether you have a CCJ, missed payments, defaults or simply no credit history at all, Concept Car Credit can help you get on the road with affordable, transparent finance - structured around what you can afford.
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 works differently. We look at your full picture: 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.
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.
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.
£0.00
at 14% APR
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
Fill out your details below to submit your application
You can apply for bad credit car finance through Concept Car Credit if you meet the following criteria:
Not sure if you qualify? Check your eligibility now, it only takes a few minutes and won’t affect your credit score.
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.
Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs)
If you’re in, or have recently completed, an IVA, finance may still be possible. See more about our IVA car finance.
Debt Relief Orders (DROs) and Debt Management Plans (DMPs)
We assess each application individually rather than applying a blanket rejection policy.
Bankruptcy
Discharged or historical bankruptcy is considered on a case-by-case basis.
Defaults and missed payments
Including credit card and loan defaults.
No Credit History
If you’ve never borrowed before, many lenders treat you as unscoreable. We can help.
Benefits Income
Claiming benefits doesn’t automatically disqualify you. We can help you get car finance if you receive benefits.
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.
If you have a poor credit history, your APR (Annual Percentage Rate) will be higher than it would be for someone with a strong credit record.
This is because lenders take on more risk when approving applicants with previous credit issues, and they price that risk into your rate.
That doesn’t mean you have to accept any rate you’re offered. Many bad credit lenders charge extremely high APRs, meaning most of your monthly payment goes toward interest rather than reducing what you owe on the car. Over time, this can leave you owing more than the vehicle is worth.
We work with specialist lenders who offer more competitive rates than the sub-prime market average. More of your monthly payment goes toward owning the car. Less goes to interest.
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. 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
We’re authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), reference number 659076.
To apply for bad credit car finance, you’ll typically need:
If you’re self-employed or recently returned to the UK or have an irregular income, our team can take you through what else you’ll need for your application.
You could also apply for joint car finance. A co-applicant with a stronger profile can improve your chances of approval and the rate you’ll be offered.
All finance at Concept Car Credit is arranged as a Personal Contract Purchase (PCP).
This is the most common form of car finance in the UK and suits borrowers who want manageable monthly payments without committing to owning the car outright from day one.
With a PCP agreement, your monthly payment covers the use of the car and the reduction in its value over the term. At the end of the agreement, you have three options:
• Pay a final lump sum (called the optional purchase fee) to own the car outright.
• Return the car with nothing further to pay, provided it is in good condition and within the agreed mileage.
• Part-exchange the car and use any equity toward your next vehicle.
PCP is accessible for borrowers with poor credit because the monthly payments are structured around what you can afford. The car acts as security against the agreement, which means specialist lenders are often willing to consider applications that mainstream banks would decline.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
