Category
Vehicle financeA low credit score does not have to keep you off the road. Here are six realistic ways South Africans with a thin or damaged credit record can still finance a car — and how to strengthen your record before you apply.
Read 6 min
Vehicle financeThe deposit you put down on a car decides how much you finance — and therefore what you pay every month and in total interest. Here is what a car repayment calculator reveals about deposits of 0%, 10% and 20%, with worked examples in rand.
Read 8 min
Vehicle financeMost South African banks will not finance a car unless you hold a valid driver’s licence — but that is lender policy, not the law. Here are the legitimate routes to vehicle finance without a licence, the paperwork that gets you approved, and the risks to weigh first.
Read 6 min
Vehicle financeBanks do not finance the car you want — they finance the instalment you can afford. Here is how South African lenders calculate your maximum vehicle finance amount, a worked example in rand, and five practical ways to qualify for more.
Read 7 min
Vehicle financeCar finance approval in South Africa comes down to a short list: your ID and age, a provable income, your credit record, your existing debt and the vehicle itself. Here is exactly what NCR-registered lenders check, what each credit score band means for your rate, and what to do if your application is declined.
Read 8 min
Vehicle financeVehicle finance is secured against the car and usually cheaper per month; a personal loan is unsecured, faster and gives you the title from day one. Here is how the two compare on rate, term, total cost and flexibility in South Africa.
Read 7 min
Vehicle financeCar finance is a loan secured by the vehicle itself: the credit provider pays the seller, you repay in monthly instalments, and the car stays the lender's security until the last rand is settled. Here is how instalment sales, balloon deals, leases and personal loans differ, what the term and the deposit really cost you in rand, and how the application runs from pre-approval to your first debit order.
Read 8 min
Vehicle financeMost cars on South African roads are funded by a short list of NCR-registered finance houses — WesBank, Standard Bank, Absa, MFC and Bidvest Bank among them. Here is what each one is known for, how instalment sale, lease and balloon agreements differ, and the eight checks that separate a good vehicle finance deal from an expensive one.
Read 9 min
Vehicle financeJoint car finance puts two names on one vehicle agreement, so a credit provider assesses two incomes and two credit records instead of one. Here is who may apply together, what the National Credit Act expects both applicants to prove, what joint liability really means when one of you stops paying, and how to get a name off the agreement again.
Read 8 min
Vehicle financeThe car a dealership will approve you for and the car you can comfortably run are rarely the same vehicle. This guide converts South African salary bands into realistic car prices in rand, shows the sums behind them, and adds the running costs that never appear on a finance quotation.
Read 8 min
Vehicle financePre-approval turns car shopping from guesswork into a decision with a number attached. Here is exactly how to get car finance pre-approval online in South Africa — the documents, the six steps, how long an offer stays valid, and the mistakes that quietly cost you a better rate.
Read 8 min
Vehicle financeEasy car finance in South Africa depends far less on the brand printed on the agreement than on where you are buying and what your credit record looks like. Here is what WesBank, Nedbank MFC, Standard Bank, Absa, FNB, Capitec, African Bank, iMasFinance and SA Motor Loans each do well, and how to make your own application move quickly.
Read 10 min
Vehicle financeThe best car finance deal is almost never the one with the smallest monthly instalment. Here is how deals are structured in South Africa, what really moves the price, and the eight habits that get you a better rate before you sign.
Read 8 min
Vehicle financeCheap car finance is not the offer with the smallest instalment. It is the one with the lowest total cost of credit on a car you can afford to run. Here is what drives the price in South Africa, what the numbers actually look like, and how to shop for a better rate.
Read 8 min
Vehicle financeA pre-approval tells you what a lender is willing to finance before you set foot in a dealership, so you negotiate on the price of the car instead of the size of your loan. Here is how to get one in South Africa, what the letter should say, and the mistakes that quietly undo it.
Read 7 min
Vehicle financeCheap car finance in South Africa is decided by four things: your credit record, your deposit, the length of the term and the fees nobody quotes upfront. Here is what each one is worth in rand, which lenders write the country's vehicle agreements, and the eight moves that bring the total cost of credit down before you sign.
Read 8 min
Vehicle financeWorking for yourself does not close the door on vehicle finance in South Africa, but it changes the evidence you have to produce. Here is what lenders read instead of a payslip, how personal and business finance differ, and what a deposit is genuinely worth in rand.
Read 8 min
Vehicle financeEvery credit provider registered with the National Credit Regulator works from broadly the same list: your identity, your income, your credit record and the vehicle itself. Here is the full set of car finance requirements in South Africa, the documents that go with them, and what to do when your file does not tick every box.
Read 9 min
Vehicle financeRefinancing replaces your existing vehicle agreement with a new one, ideally at a lower rate or on a term your budget can carry. Here is when it genuinely saves you money in South Africa, when it quietly costs more, and exactly how to arrange the switch.
Read 8 min
Vehicle financeCape Town buyers can arrange vehicle finance at a bank, at a dealership finance desk, through a manufacturer finance house or with an independent lender — and the same file is priced differently at each one. Here is what the paperwork has to contain, what the affordability assessment looks at, and how to compare offers on total cost.
Read 8 min
