Car finance and personal loan FAQs

Apply online, or call us on 0800 995 014 if you would rather talk. The application covers your income, your regular outgoings and what the loan is for. We then aim to give you an initial decision quickly, often within an hour during business hours, and the lender verifies your details before final approval.

Lenders usually verify three things: who you are, where you live and what you earn. That typically means your driver licence, something showing your current address, and recent evidence of your income from work. We tell you exactly what your lender asks for, so you only gather what is needed.

We aim to give you an initial decision quickly, often within an hour of applying during business hours. Final approval follows once the lender has verified your details. After the loan is approved and the documents are signed, funding usually follows within 24 to 48 hours.

Yes. Apply online and fill in your application in your own time. If you would rather talk, call 0800 995 014, or ask us to call you and we aim to call within 15 minutes during business hours.

No. A quote or call-back request is an enquiry, with no obligation to go ahead. Nothing goes to a lender until you have applied and agreed to proceed, and any credit check is done with your consent.

No. Applications are not an offer of finance. Every loan is subject to lender criteria, affordability, verification and responsible lending checks, and only the lender can give final approval.

Yes. Finance Made Easy services customers across New Zealand. Everything happens by phone and online, so where you live does not change how you apply.

People who are working and can show a regular income from that work. On top of that, each lender sets its own criteria and checks that the repayments are affordable for you, so meeting our starting point is not the same as approval.

No. We are not able to help when your main income is a benefit. We would rather tell you that plainly at the start than take you through an application that will not go ahead.

We are not able to help while you are not working. Lenders need an income from work they can verify. If your situation changes, call us on 0800 995 014 and we are happy to talk it through.

Yes. With your consent, lenders look at your credit history as part of responsible lending, alongside your income and existing debts. It is one of several things they weigh up. If something on your file worries you, tell us when you apply so we can talk about it openly.

A lender pays for the vehicle and you repay that amount, plus interest and fees, in regular instalments over an agreed term. The vehicle is usually the security for the loan. Our vehicle finance page explains the options in more detail.

It is a loan where the car itself is security. The lender registers its interest in the vehicle on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) until the loan is repaid. If repayments are not made, the lender can take the vehicle back.

We arrange finance for a car, a ute, a motorbike or scooter, a caravan or motorhome, a boat, or a vehicle for your business. Whether a particular vehicle can be financed depends on the vehicle itself and on lender criteria.

Yes. We arrange vehicle finance whether you are buying from a dealer or from a private seller. Whether a particular vehicle can be financed still depends on the vehicle and on lender criteria.

Dealer finance is arranged by the car yard as part of the sale. A broker such as Finance Made Easy arranges the loan with a lender on your behalf, separately from the vehicle, so you can know your budget before you shop and see the full cost of the loan on its own.

Work out how much you need and what it is for, then apply online, or call 0800 995 014 if you prefer. We aim to give you a quick initial decision, often within the hour during business hours, and once the lender approves the loan and you sign, funding usually follows within 24 to 48 hours. See personal loans for more.

Most often for debt consolidation, which rolls several debts into one repayment, for home renovations, and for major purchases. Tell us what the loan is for when you apply, as lenders ask.

They can affect your credit file in a few ways. The lender’s credit check is recorded as an enquiry, and the new loan appears on your file. Lenders can also report repayment history, so repayments made on time build a record over time, while missed ones count against you.

A secured loan uses an asset you own, often a vehicle, as security, so the lender can take that asset if the loan is not repaid. An unsecured loan has no asset attached. Which one a lender offers depends on its criteria and on your circumstances.

At an example rate of 12% p.a. over 5 years (60 monthly payments), a $30,000 car loan works out to about $667.34 a month, excluding fees. Your actual rate is set by the lender, and the repayment also depends on the term, any fees and how often you repay. Enter your own numbers in our repayment calculator for an estimate. Calculator results are estimates only; your actual repayments are set out in the lender’s loan documents.

Mainly the amount you borrow, the interest rate the lender offers you, the length of the term and any fees. A longer term lowers each repayment but usually means more interest overall, which is why the total amount repayable is the figure to compare.

New Zealand lenders must give you a disclosure statement. It sets out the interest rate, fees, the repayment amount and schedule, and the total amount you will repay. Read it before you sign, and ask us about anything in it you are unsure of.

Usually, yes. Lenders can charge an early repayment fee to cover their costs, and the way it is worked out is set out in your loan contract. Check that section, or ask us, before you decide to pay off a loan early.

Ask us before you go ahead. Anything you would pay, including the lender’s fees, is set out in writing before you sign, so you know the full cost before you commit.

A mechanical warranty typically covers the cost of repairing listed mechanical and electrical parts that break down, up to the limits in the plan. Exactly what is covered depends on the plan you choose. Routine servicing and parts that wear out normally sit outside it. See mechanical warranties for how cover works.

Yes. We arrange mechanical warranties through a range of warranty providers, with or without a loan, so how you paid for the vehicle does not matter.

Ask for a quote online or call 0800 995 014 with the make, model, year and kilometres of your vehicle. Whether it qualifies, and for which plan, depends on the provider’s criteria. Depending on the provider and the vehicle, a mechanical inspection may be needed before cover can start.