Top 7 Auto Refinancing Tips: Don’t Waste Your Time or Money

Car refinancing, or taking out a new auto loan in place of your existing one, can be a terrific way to save money if you are having problems making your loan payments. However, some typical errors could result in yet another precarious financial situation. These car refinancing tips might help you stay out of those pitfalls.

Top 7 Auto Refinancing Tips

Take a look at these frequently overlooked car refinancing tips.

1. Verify the requirements for refinancing

You must fulfill certain requirements set forth by lenders to be approved for refinancing. Pay attention to requirements about the age, mileage, and even the balance owed on the loan of the vehicle. For example, to qualify for a refinance, lenders typically need your loan balance to be between $3,000 and $7,500, with a minimum of six months’ payment history.

Verifying the refinancing requirements of lenders is crucial to avoid wasting time applying for loans that you are not eligible for. Your credit score won’t suffer if you avoid doing this. The hard credit check that is frequently part of loan applications can somewhat reduce your score.

2. Make sure to first check with your present lender

Even though the rates offered by your current lender may not be the best, it’s still the best place to start. It is advisable to get in touch with your current lender and explain your circumstances to see if they can assist before looking into refinancing options elsewhere. To help borrowers with their finances, some lenders offer loan modifications that alter the terms, the date of the payment, or the interest rate.

3. Avoid taking out too long of a loan

Refinancing is done to reduce costs. However, you run the risk of spending more money overall if you overextend your loan. You will pay more interest even though a longer loan term will result in a lower monthly payment.

4. Think about your credit

Like most financing cases, approval depends in part on your credit score. Thus, before refinancing your loan, try to raise and strengthen your credit. It’s more likely that you’ll get the best terms possible and end up with a better loan in general. For the majority of loan products, borrowers usually need to have a credit score of 670 or above.

You should anticipate better rates the higher your credit score is. Rates for refinancing often resemble those for used cars. Based on data from Experian:

The average used car rate for subprime borrowers with credit scores between 501 and 600 is 18.89%.
The average used car rate for near-prime borrowers (601 to 660) is 14.12%.
The average rate for used cars for prime borrowers (661 to 780) is 9.73%.

5. Compare rates from several lenders

Even though it could be tempting to accept the first loan offer, not all options are the same.

In the end, you will save more on your car payment the lower your interest rate. Make sure you’re receiving the greatest deal available.

Prequalification is a useful tool for previewing rates. In comparison to a hard credit check, prequalification has no negative impact on your credit score.

6. First, see if you’re upside-down

A negative equity loan calculator can be used to determine your equity before refinancing. The difference between the car’s value and what you still owe on the auto loan is known as equity. Refinancing is probably not a good idea if you have negative equity or owe more than your car is worth.

In particular, if you have poor credit, you might carry over the negative equality into the refinanced loan, aggravating the issue.

If you can, try to reduce the negative equity. Refinancing, however, might make it possible for you to pay off the negative equity more quickly if you are eligible for lower interest rates.

7. After your first rejection, keep trying

Lender to lender differs in their requirements for refinancing auto loans. Therefore, just because one person rejects you doesn’t mean that others will follow suit. Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, you can ask the lender “Why can’t I refinance my car?” (ECOA). You need to know why your application was turned down.

Final Words

Even though refinancing your auto loan carries some risk, it’s a great way to keep your car affordable and reduce your monthly payments. To ensure that you receive the best loan possible for your needs, keep in mind these typical blunders.