Debt Management Plan Car Finance for Those With Poor Credit Scores

Looking for a new car can be a crazy process, especially when you’ve got personal problems that could potentially stand in the way of you being able to get the car that you want. Poor credit or having no credit at all can have a big impact on your eligibility for car finance, as can a CCJ or an IVA. If you’ve had trouble managing your credit before, it’s possible that you’re now under a debt management plan (DMP), which can sometimes lead to even more roadblocks to the car finance process. Here at ChooseMyCar we aim to provide everyone with the platform they need to get themselves back on the road, no matter whether they have bad credit or not. Below you can find a wealth of information relating to debt management car finance deals, including how to apply for car finance when you have bad credit and how specialist bad credit car finance companies can help you to structure your credit arrangement and payments.

Whilst this is great for paying off certain debts, there are others that a debt management plan won’t be able to help you with – these are priority debts like:

Your debt advisor will structure a DMP that works alongside the amount that you’re earning each month in order to start reducing the amount owed in the most effective way. To do this, you’ll pay a monthly fee to the DMP provider, who then pays money to your creditors for you – this way you will not have to structure payments yourself and you won’t have the chance to spend the money irresponsibly before taking care of your debts first. The payment made to your creditors will be determined by your debt management provider, which will take a look at your incomings and outgoings to ensure that the amount is feasible on a consistent basis.

Debt management plans are usually a great option for people who can only afford to pay each of their creditors a small amount each month – often in these scenarios people feel pressured to pay off their most urgent debt, forgetting about their other debts, which means certain creditors are left with no repayment that month. A debt management plan with help you to ensure that all of your creditors are gradually being paid off in smaller chunks; whilst this may be a slower way to pay your payments, it does mean that all of your debts are gradually reducing with a payment plan that is feasible in the long and short term.

A DMP makes it easier to pay off your debts as it takes the confusion and control out of the situation – you simply make one lump payment each month and this is then shared out amongst your creditors to ensure that they each receive some reimbursement every month. Your DMP provider will arrange this with your creditors and will be in charge of determining how much money goes to each creditor each month, meaning you don’t have to worry about calculating that on your own. A debt management plan also offers you the chance to start reducing your debt without taking out more credit, which is a major issue with many of the other debt reduction methods. This many mean that you are in debt for slightly longer as you are paying it back in smaller increments, you will see your debt reduce without first increasing, which will help you to improve your credit score whils reducing your debt.

If you meet all of the above criteria, it could be time to look into setting up a debt management plan to help you start reducing your debts, such as your car finance payments, and improving your credit score.

For people who are currently under a DMP, making new purchases can be a difficult task – your DMP provider will likely be very strict when it comes to deciding which purchases are and aren’t necessary, particularly expensive purchases such as a new car! The point of a debt management plan is to control spending and ensure that your outstanding debts are paid, so it is likely that you will have to evidence to your provider that your new car is a necessary purchase, as well as proving that the vehicle is affordable within the budget you have available whilst continuing to make payments to your creditors.

There are, however, no guidelines that prohibit you from being able to buy a car during a DMP, so should you wish to purchase one you will be able to. However, if you are looking to pay for the car using a car finance plan, you will likely have to speak with your DMP provider first to ensure that this is a manageable additional monthly cost.

If your DMP provider is asking you whether the car is a necessity, it’s important to consider the following factors:

• Do you live in a rural area? People in rural areas often find themselves secluded from necessary amenities when they don’t have access to a car or transport. If your home does not have access to reliable transport routes, a car enables you to be able to go shopping, run errands, commute to work, and lead a more convenient life – in these cases a car is deemed a necessity.
• How long is your commute to work? For many people, the daily commute to and from work is perhaps the most use that their car gets, particularly if you’re travelling a long distance to get into work. When you work a considerable distance from your home, it’s vital that you have the means to get there – if you aren’t able to get to work, you won’t be able to earn the money required to make payment to your debt management plan, so it’s likely that your DMP provider will agree to allowing you to buy a car in these circumstances.
• Do you have any children? In addition to the daily work commute, the school run is also a major use for the household vehicle. If you have dependent children, you’ll need to ensure that you have a way to get them to and from school each day, again making your car a necessary possession.
• Do you have any health problems? Any health issues that you may have that impact your ability to get from A to B will be taken into account by your DMP provider when deciding whether a car is something that you need. If your health problems restrict your mobility in any way, your car will be seen as something that you require.
• Are you a carer for the elderly or a vulnerable person? In some situations, you may find yourself caring for a relative who is elderly or otherwise classed as vulnerable. If this is the case, you’ll likely be doing things such as shopping, errands, and trips to the doctors with the person. To do this, you’ll need a vehicle that’s safe and accessible, so your DMP provider will likely deem your request for a new car as a reasonable one, thus accepting it.

If any or all of the above applies to you, you stand a good chance of being allowed to go out and purchase a car during your DMP, so you shouldn’t have to worry about that too much; if you seriously require a car, your request should be granted and you’ll be able to start looking for the safest, most manageable way possible.

The first, and most important, thing that you need to consider is whether you can afford to consistently meet your agreed upon payments for your new car for the duration of the contract. When signing up for a finance deal, you’re agreeing to a credit arrangement, which does mean that more debt will appear on your account – this adds to the amount of debt that your DMP will be managing, so you will likely be paying more into your debt management plan as a result.

ChooseMyCar’s Finance Calculator can help you to understand the ins and outs of car finance payments, showcasing exactly what you can afford by entering your budget and performing a credit check.

If you’re currently under a debt management plan, you’re likely to have a lower credit rating – this is because your debt is taken into account when scoring your credit file, with high levels of debt and the presence of a debt management plan or IVA on the file flagging as an issue. Whilst this can make it more difficult to be accepted for a finance deal, it does not make it impossible; there are many specialists such as ChooseMyCar who provide services tailored to people with bad credit, offering bad credit car finance and debt management car finance plans that enable you to get the car you want at a manageable price.

One thing to bear in mind when looking for a car finance deal under a debt management plan is which kind of car finance plans you will be able to apply for. Your DMP will be able to assist you in payments for unsecured loans, however, secured loans cannot be added to your debt management plan. Hire Purchase agreements also cannot be added into a debt management plan – this is due to the clause that states ownership of the vehicle will revert to the dealership in the event of missed payments, which means that there is another alternative to paying this debt back. Debt management plans are in place to help you make regular repayments that are manageable in line with your monthly income that otherwise would simply go unpaid, which is not the case with an HP agreement.

In principle, this again can depend on the factor of necessity; if you have an existing agreement on a car that is deemed necessary, or you require a car in order to work or support vulnerable friends and family members. In these cases, your car will be deemed a necessary expense, therefore allowing you to set up a payment plan for the vehicle and add that into your monthly repayment plan set up by your DMP provider.

For those with a bad credit score, specialist bad credit car finance deals can be an incredibly useful tool to utilise – ChooseMyCar has a huge history of assisting people in all circumstances to get back on the road, offering payment plans that are safe, secure, and manageable for the applicant. Our 2 step credit check allows us to check all the bases, offering greater protection to both ourselves and the applicant, ensuring that they have the facilities to make regular payments without plunging themselves into dangerous levels of debt. Your DMP provider will also likely get involved with this process to further assure you of whether you’ll be capable of meeting the financial obligations presented.

As part of our credit checks, we’ll run both a soft search and, upon successful completion of that, and a hard search – this allows you to gauge whether you may be successful with your application and the following hard search without it having a negative impact on your score. Hard searches will appear on your credit file, with too many in a short period of time leading to a lower score – soft searches are less thorough and do not appear on your credit file, so having this conducted before you proceed with a formal application is a fantastic way to protect yourself from negative impacts on your account.

Bad credit car finance deals come in a range of different shapes and sizes, allowing us to help people in a variety of different circumstances to take the necessary steps towards getting on the road in a car that’s suitable for their needs. For many, our bad credit car finance packages offer a way to get on the road in a car that’s going to be reliable and durable, rather than having to buy something cheap that may not last as long as you’d need it to. For those who have particular struggles with passing credit checks, we offer guarantor car finance deals – these allow you to get a car finance plan when your credit score isn’t healthy enough to pass the credit check. In these instances, your guarantor will act as a safety net for your lender should you miss payments, meaning that they will be contractually responsible for ensuring that any missed payments are rectified.

Unfortunately, there are cases where the payment plan becomes too much – this could be for a variety of reasons including changes in employment or emergencies. In these circumstances, it’s important to know what will happen to your car. If you have not yet completed every payment in your payment plan, ownership of the vehicle will revert to the dealership – this means the car is no longer your possession and you will be notified of the next steps in due course.

Once you’ve decided that you’re going to get a car, it’s time to start looking at the options available! Due to the DMP in place, you are likely going to be looking for a company who is able to offer bad credit car finance to those who may not be eligible for credit with other lenders. ChooseMyCar offers a simple process with a range of fantastic vehicles to choose from, all with catered plans to help out those with bad credit.

Use our handy online car finance calculator to get a better idea of how much you would be able to spend on your car, then start your application by following our online application process or by contacting our friendly team by phone! You’ll quickly be able to see whether you’ve been accepted for credit, then be able to browse the vehicles that fall within your budget! After that, it’s just a case of setting up the credit agreement and payment plan before you can collect the keys to your new car!