Paying for your car

Deciding how to pay for your car is a big decision, and you may have several options to choose from. From paying cash, to getting a personal loan or arranging finance through a garage. Before you start looking at cars, work out how much you can afford to spend.

The main options when paying for your car are:

• Cash or savings
  Saving the money is the cheapest option to pay for your car as you will not pay any interest. Rates of interest you can earn on savings can vary, so make sure you use our Money Tool to compare savings accounts before you start.
• Personal loan
  Using a personal loan to pay for your car means you own the car from the day you buy it, unlike PCP and HP where you do not own the car until the final payment is made. You can find the best interest rates available for personal loans on our Money Tool.
• Hire Purchase (HP)
  Many car finance loans offered by dealers and some lenders are actually hire purchase agreements. Find out more about how they work.
• Personal Contract Plan (PCP)
  PCPs are quite complex compared to other types of finance so it’s important to fully understand what you are signing up to.