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I’m self employed. Will I get a car loan?

Published on March 2nd, 2021
  Written by 
Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
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Consumer Loan Options

This option is for people who are using the car for personal purposes. A consumer car loan is what’s commonly referred to a “car loan.”  These loans are regulated by the National Consumer Credit Protection Act (NCCPA.) This law safeguards consumers applying for credit, clearly detailing the lenders’ and borrowers’ obligations and rights.

Before being approved, you will have to provide financial statements proving you can pay the loan back. These may include (but are not limited to) individual tax returns for sole traders and company tax returns for the past two years. They will also generally ask for bank or financial statements to assess your eligibility as well.

Business Loan Options

If you intend to use your vehicle for business purposes (over 50% of the time), you may want to consider a range of alternative loans. Choose from a Chattel Mortgage, Finance Lease or Commercial Hire Purchase. Please note these loans are NOT covered by the NCCPA.

A chattel mortgage works in a similar way to a “traditional mortgage,” and resembles an unsecured consumer car loan. You benefit from lower interest rates, more flexible terms and you can claim GST, depreciation and interest back on your Business Activity Statements (BAS.) You can also opt for balloon payments at the end of a chattel mortgage to lower your regular repayments.

Finance Leases and Commercial Hire Purchases are similar, but the financier retains ownership of the car until the loan is paid off or your lease term is up.

In some cases, you may not have to provide proof of income such as those stated above. Please note some lenders may ask you to raise equity in your intended purchase by way of cash deposit or trade-in.

We’re Savvy with Self-Employed Car Finance

Savvy has access to Australia’s best lenders with the most competitive loans for the self-employed on the market.

Talk to one of our financial professionals for more information. They will guide you through the process and help determine if a consumer or business loan option is right for you. You’ll do better with Savvy on your side. 

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This guide provides general information and does not consider your individual needs, finances or objectives. We do not make any recommendation or suggestion about which product is best for you based on your specific situation and we do not compare all companies in the market, or all products offered by all companies. It’s always important to consider whether professional financial, legal or taxation advice is appropriate for you before choosing or purchasing a financial product.

The content on our website is produced by experts in the field of finance and reviewed as part of our editorial guidelines. We endeavour to keep all information across our site updated with accurate information.

Approval for car loans is always subject to our lender’s terms, conditions and qualification criteria. Lenders will undertake a credit check in line with responsible lending obligations to help determine whether you’re in a position to take on the loan you’re applying for.

The interest rate, comparison rate, fees and monthly repayments will depend on factors specific to your profile, such as your financial situation, as well others, such as the loan’s size and your chosen repayment term. Costs such as broker fees, redraw fees or early repayment fees, and cost savings such as fee waivers, aren’t included in the comparison rate but may influence the cost of the loan. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts may result in a different comparison rate.

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