Approved on your income, not your credit score: how it works

Income-based approval sounds vague until you see what it means in practice. Here is the actual process, without the sales gloss.

Affordability comes first

The central question is whether the monthly subscription fits comfortably alongside what you already have to pay. We look at what comes in, what goes out, and what is genuinely left. A subscription that leaves you with nothing at month end helps nobody, least of all you.

This is why our calculator asks for your expenses as well as your salary. Gross income on its own tells only half the story.

Your income matters more than your history

There is a once-off initiation fee to start, the same amount whichever car you choose. Beyond that, what moves your application is what you can comfortably carry each month, which is often the fastest lever available to someone whose record is not perfect.

What to have ready

Your ID, a valid driver's licence, three months of bank statements (six if you are self-employed), recent payslips if you are employed, and proof of address. Having these ready turns a multi-day back-and-forth into a same-day conversation.

Being honest helps you

If you have an existing debt order we cannot see, tell us. Applications come unstuck at the last step far more often through omissions than through bad history. We are trying to find a way to say yes that still works for you in month eighteen.

If the answer is not yet

Sometimes the honest answer is that the car you are looking at is above what your income supports today. That usually means a different car rather than a closed door. Ask us what would change the answer.