Thinking about car finance? It may help to check your credit profile first. This shows how you’ve managed borrowing in the past. It can also highlight any problems that might affect your chances of being approved.
If you’ve been turned down before, checking your credit report could help you understand why. It gives you a clearer picture of how lenders might see your application.
What is a credit profile?
Your credit profile is a record of your past borrowing. It includes things like credit cards, loans, car finance, and phone contracts. Lenders use this to help decide if they should lend to you.
It also shows your name, addresses you’ve lived at, and if you’re registered to vote. This helps confirm your identity.
Want to know what lenders look for? Read our guide on how car finance approval works.
Why does it matter?
Lenders want to know how reliable you are with money. They look at your credit report to see how often you’ve paid on time. They also check how much you already owe.
Other things matter too, like your income and recent credit applications. But your credit profile is a key part.
At Go Car Credit, we know that life doesn’t always go to plan. If you’ve had problems before, you might still get approved. Try our car finance eligibility checker to see if you could qualify.
Where can you check it?
You can check your credit report online for free. One well-known site is Credit Karma UK. It uses TransUnion data and shows your report and score.
You could also try ClearScore (which uses Equifax) or Experian. Each one might show something slightly different.
What’s on a credit report?
Your report usually shows:
- Loans, credit cards, and car finance
- Any late or missed payments
- CCJs or bankruptcies, if you’ve had them
- Your past and present addresses
- Companies that have checked your credit
Not all lenders report to every agency. So, you might notice a missing account or two. If anything looks wrong, you could contact the agency or the lender to ask for a fix.
Want more info? Read our guide to bad credit scores.
How often is it updated?
Lenders usually update your report once a month. If you make a payment or close an account, it may take a few weeks to show up.
Need to know how long records stay? Check our guide on improving your credit score.
Can it help your car finance application?
Yes. Checking your report won’t hurt your score. But it could help you spot things that need fixing, like an old address or a closed account that still shows as open.
If you’ve had money issues, we still might be able to help. See our page on bad credit car finance.
Have a CCJ or IVA?
Some lenders may say no if you have a County Court Judgment (CCJ) or have had an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA). But not all lenders are the same. It often depends on how long ago it was and how your finances look now.
You can learn more in our guides to car finance with a CCJ and car finance with an IVA.
How to improve your credit profile
This isn’t advice, but here are simple things that may help over time:
- Make sure all your details are right
- Try to pay bills on time
- Use less than your full credit limit
- Register to vote at your current address
- Don’t apply for too many things at once
For more support, check MoneyHelper’s credit section or the ICO’s credit rights page.
Been refused before?
If you’ve already been turned down, it doesn’t always mean you’ll be refused again. Every lender is different. At Go Car Credit, we look at more than just your score. If this happened to you, see our page on what to do if you’ve been refused.
Ready to apply?
Your credit profile helps show where you stand. It could guide your next steps. We treat every application as unique and look at more than just your score.
If you’d like to start, visit our car finance application page.
