Car Loan Rate by Credit Score Calculator
Your score, and the loan you are shopping for
Your result will appear here
Fill in the fields on the left and this updates as you type.
Know what this estimate is based on
- Jurisdiction
- General mathematical model
- Scope and limitations
- Educational estimate only. Confirm the assumptions, current rules, fees, and rounding that apply to your situation before making a decision.
- Source links checked
- Jul 30, 2026
Built and regression-tested by Smart Tools Lab. It has not been individually reviewed by a licensed financial, tax, or legal professional.
How to use
- 01
Enter your credit score. Experian's tiers are built on VantageScore 4.0, which runs from 300 to 850; your bank, card issuer or a credit monitoring service can show you one.
- 02
Enter the amount you plan to finance and the term, so each tier's rate becomes a payment and a total interest figure.
- 03
Read the typical new-car and used-car APR for your tier, then the extra interest your tier pays against super prime on the same loan.
- 04
Check how many points separate you from the next tier, and what that step would save on this loan.
- 05
Use the table to compare all five tiers. The rates are Experian's averages for the second quarter of 2026 and sit in the advanced fields, ready to update when the next quarter is published.
Formula
Tier = the Experian band your VantageScore 4.0 falls in: super prime 781 or above, prime 661-780, near prime 601-660, subprime 501-600, deep subprime 300-500. Rate = that tier's Experian Q2 2026 average, new and used. Payment = the amortizing payment on the loan amount at that rate over the term, and interest = payment × term − loan amount. Extra interest against super prime = your interest − the interest at the super prime rate on the same loan. Points to the next tier = the next tier's lowest score − your score.
Example
A 700 score is prime. Financing $40,000 over 60 months at the prime new-car average of 6.15% costs $776 a month and $6,566 of interest, $1,921 more than at the super prime average of 4.41%, where the interest would be $4,645. A used car at the prime average of 8.81% costs $827 a month and $9,599 of interest, $2,876 more than at super prime's 6.29%. Eighty-one more points would reach super prime. At near prime the same new-car loan would carry $10,651 of interest, and at deep subprime $18,504.
Definitions
- VantageScore 4.0
- A credit scoring model that runs from 300 to 850. Experian uses it to group auto borrowers into the five tiers on this page.
- Super prime
- Experian's top tier, scores of 781 to 850. It had the lowest average car loan rates in Q2 2026: 4.41% new and 6.29% used.
- Subprime
- Experian's tier for scores of 501 to 600, where new-car loans averaged 13.52% and used-car loans 19.10% in Q2 2026. Deep subprime, 300 to 500, sits below it.
- Preapproval
- A lender's conditional offer of a rate and amount before you shop. It gives you a real rate to compare with dealer financing.
- APR
- Annual percentage rate: the yearly cost of a loan including interest and certain finance charges, the figure lenders must disclose.
Good to know
How car lenders sort borrowers into tiers
A car loan rate starts with a lender's estimate of how likely you are to repay, and a credit score is the quickest summary of that estimate. Experian's quarterly State of the Automotive Finance Market groups borrowers into five tiers on VantageScore 4.0, a model that runs from 300 to 850: super prime at 781 and above, prime from 661 to 780, near prime from 601 to 660, subprime from 501 to 600 and deep subprime from 300 to 500. For each tier it reports the average rate on loans actually made. In the second quarter of 2026 new-car loans averaged 4.41%, 6.15%, 9.71%, 13.52% and 16.11% across the five tiers, and used-car loans 6.29%, 8.81%, 13.93%, 19.10% and 21.62%. The overall averages were 6.35% for new cars and 11.19% for used. Two things about those tiers are worth keeping in mind. First, they are a reporting convention, not a lending rule. No lender is obliged to price by Experian's bands, and many use their own scoring models, including scores built specifically for auto lending, so the number a lender sees can differ from the one in your banking app. Second, the lines are sharp while the underlying risk is not. A borrower at 779 and one at 782 look almost identical to a lender, yet they sit in different tiers in the table. That is why this page shows the points to the next tier and what the step is worth, rather than implying that crossing a line changes an offer by itself. Treat your tier as a guide to the neighborhood your rate is likely to fall in, and treat a preapproval as the actual number.
What the gap between tiers costs on a real loan
Rates in percentages understate how far apart the tiers are, because a rate is charged on a declining balance for years. Put the averages on one loan and the differences become dollars. On the default loan, $40,000 over 60 months, a new car at the super prime average of 4.41% carries $4,645 of interest. At the prime average of 6.15% it carries $6,566, and a 700 score, which is prime, therefore pays $1,921 more than a borrower above 780 for the same car and the same term. At near prime the interest rises to $10,651, at subprime to $15,248 and at deep subprime to $18,504, four times the super prime figure. Used cars start higher and spread further. The same $40,000 at the used-car averages costs $6,723 of interest at super prime, $9,599 at prime, $15,757 at near prime, $22,389 at subprime and $25,768 at deep subprime, which is nearly two-thirds of the amount borrowed. Those figures also explain why the tier matters more than the headline price for many buyers. A borrower who talks $1,000 off the price of a car but finances it one tier lower than they could have reached can easily lose more than that in interest. The effect compounds with the term: a longer loan charges the rate for more months, so the gap between tiers grows with every month added. And the averages move together over time, so a figure from an older quarter should not be mixed with current ones. The rates on this page are Experian's second-quarter 2026 averages, and each sits in an advanced field so it can be updated when the next quarter is published.
Why used-car rates run higher at every tier
In every tier of Experian's second-quarter 2026 figures, the average used-car rate is above the new-car rate, and the gap is far wider toward the bottom of the scale. At super prime the difference is 1.88 points, 6.29% against 4.41%. At prime it is 2.66 points, at near prime 4.22, at subprime 5.58 and at deep subprime 5.51. The overall averages were 11.19% for used cars and 6.35% for new. One reason lies in the collateral. A lender that repossesses a car recovers only what the car sells for, and an older car is worth less, so the lender has less to fall back on for the same borrower. Another is how new cars are sold: manufacturers' finance arms run promotional rates to move new vehicles, which pulls the new-car averages down. Whatever the mix of reasons, the practical result is the same: a cheaper car can come with a dearer loan. The loans themselves also differ in size. Experian's second-quarter figures put the average new-car loan at $43,610 with a $765 payment over 69.5 months, and the average used-car loan at $27,852 with a $542 payment over 67.9 months. So a used car usually means a smaller balance at a higher rate, and whether that works out cheaper depends on the price difference, the rate difference and how long you keep the car. Two conclusions follow for anyone comparing the two. Compare total cost, including interest and depreciation, rather than price alone. And for a borrower in a lower tier, the rate gap between new and used can be large enough to change which car is really the cheaper one.
Averages are not offers
Every rate on this page is an average across many loans, and the loans behind it vary widely. Within a single tier, the rate a borrower is offered moves with the length of the term, the size of the down payment, how much the loan is compared with the car's value, the borrower's other debts and income, the age and mileage of the car and the lender itself. Banks, credit unions, manufacturers' finance companies and specialist lenders all price differently. Two borrowers with the same score can leave with rates several points apart. Where the loan is arranged matters too. A dealer that arranges financing may be paid for placing the loan, and the rate it presents can be above the rate the lender actually approved. That is not a reason to avoid dealer financing, which sometimes carries the best rate available, but it is a reason to arrive with a number of your own. A preapproval from a bank or credit union gives you a real rate for your credit, your loan size and your term, and it turns the finance office conversation into a comparison. Shopping for a rate does not have to hurt your score much: scoring models generally treat several auto loan inquiries made within a short shopping period as a single inquiry, so it is sensible to collect quotes over a few days rather than a few months. The last caution is timing. Experian publishes these figures quarterly, and rates move with the wider market. The page carries the second-quarter 2026 averages in editable fields; when a newer quarter appears, update all ten together rather than mixing figures from different quarters.
Frequently asked questions
What interest rate can I get on a car loan with a 700 credit score?
A 700 falls in Experian's prime tier (661-780), where new-car loans averaged 6.15% and used-car loans 8.81% in the second quarter of 2026. On $40,000 over 60 months that is a $776 payment and $6,566 of interest on a new car, or $827 and $9,599 on a used one. Your own offer can differ with the term, the down payment, the car and the lender.
What are the credit score tiers for auto loans?
Experian groups borrowers on VantageScore 4.0: super prime 781-850, prime 661-780, near prime 601-660, subprime 501-600 and deep subprime 300-500. In Q2 2026 the new-car averages were 4.41%, 6.15%, 9.71%, 13.52% and 16.11%, and the used-car averages 6.29%, 8.81%, 13.93%, 19.10% and 21.62%.
How much does a better credit score save on a car loan?
On the default $40,000, 60-month loan, a prime borrower pays $1,921 more interest on a new car than a super prime borrower, and $2,876 more on a used car. Further down the scale the gaps grow: a deep subprime new-car loan carries $18,504 of interest, against $4,645 at super prime.
Why are used-car loan rates higher?
Used-car loans averaged higher rates than new-car loans at every tier in Q2 2026, and the gap is far wider at the bottom of the scale: 1.88 points at super prime against 5.51 points at deep subprime. So a cheaper car can still come with a dearer loan, and total cost is the fair comparison, not price alone.
Will the lender use the same score I see?
Not necessarily. Experian's tiers use VantageScore 4.0, but a lender may pull a different score or scoring model, and that number can differ from the one in your app. Treat the tier as a guide, and get a preapproval from a bank or credit union so you know the rate a lender will actually offer before you visit the dealer.
Should I wait to improve my score before buying?
If you are close to a tier line and the purchase can wait, the step can be worth real money: on the default loan, the 81 points from 700 to super prime would cut new-car interest by $1,921. Whether that is worth waiting for depends on how soon you need the car and what the current one costs to keep running.