Is it worth it to refinance your car loan?

If you’re trying to save money during this COVID-led recession, refinancing your car loan to a more competitive interest rate to reduce your repayments could be a good move.

But unlike refinancing a home loan, there’s a lot more to consider than getting a better interest rate when refinancing a car loan.

Thinking of refinancing your car? 

Most people who are considering refinancing their car loan are doing so because they want to reduce their repayments by getting a lower interest rate. Others want to do so because they want more flexibility or to consolidate their debts.

But there are many things to consider when refinancing your car loan and plenty of reasons why refinancing may not be a smart move.

When should you refinance your car loan?

1. Interest rates have dropped since you took out your original loan

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons people refinance their car loan is to get a better interest rate. Car loan interest rates are notoriously high, but recent cash rate cuts by the Reserve Bank means they’re getting lower. Interest rates for secured car loans currently vary between 2.99% and 10% while unsecured can be as high as 15%.

If you’re refinancing to get a better rate, keep the original loan term rather than refinancing to a longer loan term.

If you refinance to a longer loan term, your monthly repayments may seem smaller but you’ll actually end up paying more in interest over the life of the loan, so you won’t really be saving money. Whereas if you stick with your original loan term, you can wipe off a chunk of that debt quicker.

2. You want to reduce your repayments

By refinancing to a more competitive interest rate, your monthly car loan repayments will also decrease, which is ideal if you’re trying to save money during this time.

If you need to free up your cash flow, refinancing to a longer loan term could make your monthly repayments smaller but don’t forget that this also means you’ll end up paying more in interest over the life of the loan.

If you keep your monthly repayments the same by sticking with the original loan term, your cash flow won’t change in the short term but you could potentially pay off the loan faster, so you’ll save money in the long run.

3. Your credit score has improved

If your credit score has improved since you first took out your car loan, you may be eligible for a more competitive interest rate.

Having a bad credit score drastically impacts how high or low your interest rate is, so if you’ve been good and diligently making your repayments, you may just be able to take out a lower interest rate.

If you’re not sure what your credit score is, you can get a free credit report once every 12 months through any of the major credit reporting agencies in Australia, like Experian, Equifax or Illion.

4. Get a loan with better features

You could potentially find a car loan that comes with extra features, such as the option to make extra or more frequent repayments to help you get on top of your debt quicker.

So when is the best time to refinance a car loan? At loans.com.au we can provide car loans for vehicles that are under seven years old. Our personal car loans have no monthly or ongoing fees, the option to make weekly, fortnightly or monthly repayments, and optional balloon payments.

If you’d rather sell and buy a brand new car, why not make it an eco-friendly car? We offer discounted interest green car loan rates for eligible green cars.

5. You want to reduce your loan term

Perhaps you’re in a really good financial situation right now and want to get ahead of your repayments but your current car loan doesn’t allow you to make extra repayments or charges significant fees for doing so.

In this case, refinancing to a loan with a shorter loan term or allows extra repayments may be a good move.

6. You want to extend your loan term

On the other hand, if you want to lengthen your loan term, it could make sense to refinance to a loan that allows you to take out a longer repayment period.

When shouldn’t you refinance your car loan?

1. The value of your car is less than what you owe on your loan

Unlike a home, cars depreciate in value. If the value of your car is worth less than what you still owe on your car loan, it may be more difficult to refinance because the lender will deem it as too risky as they may not be able to recoup the costs by selling the vehicle if you default on your loan.

2. The fees and time involved in refinancing outweigh any potential savings

There are many costs involved in refinancing, including break fees, exit fees and application fees. If you don’t have long left on your loan term, it may actually cost you more money to refinance than it would to simply stay with your lender.

3. You’re going to apply for more credit in the near future

Many people aren’t aware of this, but every time you apply for credit (a loan) it negatively impacts your credit score. This could make it harder for you to take out a loan in the near future, so if you’re thinking about applying for a loan soon, it may be best to hold off on refinancing.

4. You’re near the end of your loan term

If you’re reaching the end of paying off your car loan, the costs of refinancing may outweigh any benefits like saving money on interest.

So is it worth refinancing a car loan? It depends on what your reasons for doing so are but if you’re doing so for the right reasons, it can be worth it if the rates are low.

If you’ve been thinking about refinancing, chat with one of our friendly lenders today.

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