We've got the answers. Your score dropped after buying a car due to hard inquiries. Each credit report the auto loan lender pull adds 1 new hard inquiry, and each hard inquiry lowers your score up to 10 FICO points. A single car loan application could lower your score up to 30 points.
Car Loan and Credit Utilization
An auto loan will not have an affect on your credit utilization score. Credit scores are highly sensitive to your credit utilization ratio—the amount of revolving credit you're using relative to your total credit limits—and a utilization ratio over 30% can hurt your credit score.
Buying a car can help your credit if: You make all of your payments on time. Because payment history is the biggest factor in your credit score, making payments on time and in full should improve your credit score over time. It improves your credit mix.
As you make on-time loan payments, an auto loan will improve your credit score. Your score will increase as it satisfies all of the factors the contribute to a credit score, adding to your payment history, amounts owed, length of credit history, new credit, and credit mix.
First, it will increase your total debt load and change your credit utilization ratio, which may cause a slight drop in your score. If you've just established the loan, there's no payment history yet, but any slight decline in credit score should be remedied quickly if you make your first few payments on time.
Buying a car also adds to your debt load, which can make you appear to be a riskier borrower. That could mean mortgage lenders are less likely to approve you for a mortgage loan. And, if you take on a large debt such as a car loan, you might be less able to afford the payment on the home you really want.
FICO credit scores, the industry standard for sizing up credit risk, range from 300 to a perfect 850—with 670 to 739 labeled “good,” 740-799 “very good” and 800 to 850 “exceptional.” A 700 score places you right in the middle of the good range, but still slightly below the average credit score of 711.
A 700 credit score meets the minimum requirements for most mortgage lenders, so it's possible to purchase a house when you're in that range. However, lenders look at more than just your credit score to determine your eligibility, so having a 700 credit score won't guarantee approval.
Experts say you need a minimum credit score of 620 to be approved for a conventional mortgage loan. As a result, a credit score of 790 should make a mortgage approval highly likely.
Don't apply for car finance just before or just after your mortgage application. Too many applications for credit in a short space of time will leave a mark on your credit history and could harm your credit score.
It can lower your credit score
But when you first make the purchase, since there is no payment history associated with the loan yet, you'll likely see a drop in your score. That's why if you're looking to purchase a new home soon, you should hold off on buying a vehicle as it could temporarily hurt your credit score.
If you have excellent credit and enough purchasing power to meet the lender's criteria, you should not have a problem buying a car and a home. You may want to wait at least six months between purchases to give your score enough time to increase.
If you pay off your only active installment loan, it is considered a closed credit account. Having no active installment loans or having only active installment loans with relatively little amounts paid off on those loans can result in a score drop.
Adding to Your Credit Profile
Auto financing also adds to your credit mix and new credit, which make up a combined 20 percent of your credit score. So, by getting a car loan and keeping up with your payments, you're impacting more than half of the things that influence your overall FICO score.
Lenders like to see a healthy mix of revolving accounts, like credit cards, and installment accounts, like auto loans. If you pay off a car loan early and it's your only installment account, your credit score could take a hit. And if you have very few credit accounts, the hit to your score could be even greater.
Your debt-to-income ratio, or DTI, is a percentage that compares your monthly debt payments to your gross monthly income. Many auto refinance lenders have a maximum DTI of around 50%. However, if you're applying for a mortgage, lenders prefer a DTI under 36%.
Although ranges vary depending on the credit scoring model, generally credit scores from 580 to 669 are considered fair; 670 to 739 are considered good; 740 to 799 are considered very good; and 800 and up are considered excellent.
What is an ideal debt-to-income ratio? Lenders typically say the ideal front-end ratio should be no more than 28 percent, and the back-end ratio, including all expenses, should be 36 percent or lower.
The credit scores and reports you see on Credit Karma should accurately reflect your credit information as reported by those bureaus. This means a couple of things: The scores we provide are actual credit scores pulled from two of the major consumer credit bureaus, not just estimates of your credit rating.
Your score falls within the range of scores, from 670 to 739, which are considered Good. The average U.S. FICO® Score, 711, falls within the Good range.
About 21.8% of America has a credit score higher than 800 points. If you have a credit score of 800, it likely means that you manage debt well and never miss a loan payment. This makes you an ideal borrower and gives you access to more offers and lower interest rates.
If you have been using credit for only six months or a year, it's unrealistic to expect a score in the high 700s. Still, it is possible to establish excellent credit — a score of 800 or higher, for example — in your 20s.