In the UK, car finance can be obtained either from banks, car manufacturers or car dealers. All the leading banks such as Barclays, Tesco Bank, RBS, among others, provide personal loans for cars. Leading manufacturers like Volkswagen, BMW, Audi, and Toyota also offer car finance. In addition, finance is also provided by car dealers like Pendragon, Lookers, Sytner, and so on.
Let's look at some of the car finance providers.
Toyota: Toyota has its financial arm to provide finance to car buyers. This division is called Toyota Financial Services. It provides finance on both new and used Toyota cars. This unit offers its own version of PCP finance named AccessToyota plan. Customers can design their plan by choosing the deposit, their installment period, and their expected number of miles. Toyota also offers standard hire purchase and contract hire financing options.
Volkswagen: Volkswagen offers different financing options. It also has its own version of PCP, which is called 'Solutions'. The deposit is flexible and the contract term can be in the range of 18-48 months. Apart from PCP, it offers hire purchase and contract hire options (only for business clients.) Volkswagen also has a customized PCP plan for its two electric models, which is called e-Solutions. All the other terms are similar to PCP; however, under this plan, the customer has the option to return the car after 12 months. Subject to conditions, there will be no extra charge upon return.
Ford: Ford also offers various financing options to promote the sale of its cars. It has its PCP program named as Ford Options. Also, it has another plan called as Ford Options Cashplan, under which customers can pay a large deposit and then not pay any monthly installments. Ford also offers the standard hire purchase, under the name Ford Acquire, and Ford personal lease plans.
Other manufacturers such as Honda, BMW, Renault, etc. also offer car finance.
Barclays: Barclays provides personal loans for buying cars. These loans are available on both new and used cars. It provides a guarantee of matching the rate of any similar loan with lower monthly installments. So if you are getting a monthly repayment of £200 from another bank, Barclays can match this subject to certain conditions. Barclays has tied up with two agencies - RAC Cars and Glass - which can be used by consumers for services such as car valuation, checking history of a used car, and other information.
Barclays Partner Finance: Barclays also offers car finance through its division named Barclays Partner Finance. This unit offers PCP finance, conditional sale (similar to hire purchase), or personal loans. Barclays Partner Finance offers loans for amounts between £1,500 and £50,000 for terms of up to 48 months. It also provides a zero deposit option if needed.
RBS: RBS offers personal loans for cars of amounts between £1,000 and £25,000. For loans ranging from £7,500 to £14,950, RBS offers representative APR of 4.9%. The loans can be for periods of 1-7 years.
These are a few examples. Other leading banks also provide car loans.
Overall, a car buyer has a choice of several providers for securing finance. When getting quotes from different providers, you need to look at APR, total payment, term of the loan, monthly installment amount, and other factors.