If you’re in the market for a new car, chances are you’ve seen dealership advertisements for 0% APR (Annual Percentage Rate) car deals. You may be wondering what this means and if it’s too good to be true — and you’d be right to question it.
Always read the fine print to determine what the real deal is. There are some situations where a 0% APR offer may be a good deal, as well as some cases where the deal might not be as sweet as it seems on paper.
Before you consider 0% APR car deals, it’s important to understand what APR means. When you borrow money, you typically must repay the lender plus interest. An interest rate is the percentage of the principal that the lender will charge you. An annual percentage rate, or APR, is that yearly rate plus lender fees (not dealer fees). Part of your monthly car payment will go toward paying the lender and part will go toward your loan. A 0% APR deal means that you can borrow money for free and 100% of every payment you make is applied to your loan. You typically need excellent credit to qualify.
Short answer: It’s a way to sell more new cars. The lenders that offer 0% APRs are linked to auto manufacturers, and these “captive” lenders can offer loans with no interest because the company as a whole makes a profit from the car sale. For example, Toyota’s 0% financing deals are offered by Toyota Financial Services, or one of its financing arms, only on Toyota vehicles.
APR deals also serve as a way to get customers in the door. Even if a customer may not qualify for the 0% APR, you may still obtain a low interest rate with the captive lender. But it may feel like a bait-and-switch if you pick out a car, test-drive it and negotiate a price only to find out you don’t qualify because your credit isn’t quite good enough.
This is why it’s ultra-important to review 0% car deals closely and get preapproved for an auto loan before you go to the dealership. A preapproved auto loan offer will not provide you with a 0% APR in all likelihood, but it can give you an idea if you’re eligible for the lowest rates.
WKFCU encourages all our members to get pre-approved before you go to the dealership!
Strong credit is required, as we’ve mentioned, but you also won’t find 0% APRs on just any car on the lot. Here are some of the limits of 0% APR financing:
New cars only. It’s worth noting, however, that you can find near-zero APR deals on certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicles.
Limited choice. Automakers offer the best deals on the models that they want to sell quickly based on supply and demand. You may be able to obtain 0% APR on one model but not another, depending on when you go car shopping. Tell your salesperson that you only want to look at cars that are available for the 0% APR financing program.
Shorter loan terms. The dealer may be offering a 0% APR on a 48-month loan, but a 1% APR on a 72-month loan. In general, you may have to choose a relatively short term for the best deal.
If you do qualify for the 0% APR loan, keep in mind that dealers will still aim to make money by selling add-ons, such as extended warranties or guaranteed auto protection insurance (GAP) — and this becomes one of the major ways they can take you for a ride. Make sure you negotiate the actual price of the vehicle as well as add-ons, and don’t just take the first deal offered. If the dealer says add-ons are required for the 0% financing, ask to see the policy in writing.
The lower your credit score, the lower your chances of qualifying for a 0% APR car loan.
According to Experian, you’re looking at a score above 740 to qualify for the top financing rates for new cars. However, you may be able to qualify with a lower score, because lenders are considering your entire credit history, as well as different versions of your credit score, including your FICO Auto Score. Lenders will also look at the types of accounts you have opened, when you opened them, the credit limit or loan amount, the account balance and your payment history. To improve your chances of qualifying, you’ll want to make sure you have a strong credit history and credit score.
Two other factors are important in how a lender determines whether you qualify for a 0% APR loan. The first is your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, which helps a lender judge your ability to repay your car loan. The second is your loan-to-value (LTV) ratio. A loan is considered riskier if the borrowed amount is higher than what the collateral is worth. So if you have negative equity from a trade-in, you may want to consider making a down payment.
There may be other incentives offered as a secondary option to your 0% financing rate. The dealer may offer you a rebate incentive in place of the 0% APR offer.
If you must choose between a 0% financing offer and a rebate, it is almost always better to take the rebate, especially if you don’t plan to keep the car for the full length of the loan term.
WKFCU can show you how it is better for you to take the rebate and finance with your credit union.
But there could be a way to have your cake and eat it, too if they say you have to take their rate in order to get the rebate — double dipping is when you take the rebate in exchange for the higher APR at the dealership, but after a month or so, turn around and refinance it at a lower APR at your credit union.
Your Credit Union is here for you before, during and after the car-buying process.
WKFCU is working to get the best deal for you, not the dealership.
Credit Union are not-for profit organizations. Financing is one of the ways dealerships make a profit. We are working to get the best possible financing for you.
(Partially reprinted from lendingtree.com)
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*APR = Annual Percentage Rate *APY = Annual Percentage Yield Rates are subject to change without notice
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