Becoming upside-down on your car loan happens when you owe more than the vehicle is actually worth. This is precarious for borrowers as it can make selling the car and future financing more challenging.
You can get out of an upside-down car loan with a number of strategies, including by making extra payments toward the loan, refinancing the loan, or selling the vehicle.
Due to depreciation, new cars lose 20-25% of their value during their first year. If you need to sell your car or if it's totaled in that first year, you still need to pay off your loan. That's when being upside down can really come back to bite you.
When the amount you owe on your auto loan is greater than the vehicle's value, you have a negative equity car loan. Many people refer to it as being upside down on your car loan. Cars decrease in value the minute you drive them off the car lot. A new car can possibly lose 20% of its value in the first year.
According to Ramsey, selling the vehicle is your best solution if you no longer want to owe more on your car than it is worth. "If you want to get out of an upside-down loan, you've got to sell the car," Ramsey said.
When you trade in a car with negative equity, the equity will likely roll into your new vehicle loan. Here's an example… If your current vehicle has $10,000 in negative equity and your new car costs $20,000, you will take out a $30,000 loan from the lender.
You can sell your car to get rid of it without hurting your credit. This is easiest if the value of your car is close to or above the balance of your loan. You could also transfer your current loan to another person if they're approved for financing and agree to take it over.
If you owe more than your trade-in value – often referred to as “negative equity” – a dealer or lender may offer to roll the balance of your existing auto loan into a new auto loan, but this will make your new auto loan more expensive.
Having negative equity isn't necessarily a problem if a car owner keeps a car, but selling or trading in a vehicle when its loan is upside-down can be an expensive challenge. If a person owes $30,000 on a car that's worth $25,000, the vehicle has $5,000 worth of negative equity.
How Much Negative Equity Is Too Much on a Car? The maximum negative equity that can be transferred to your new car is around 125% . It means your loan value should not be more than 125% of your car's actual worth. If it is more than 125% then your next car's loan would not be approved.
Going “upside down” or “underwater” on your auto loan happens when the market value of your vehicle is less than the amount you owe. For example, say you still owe $30,000 on a car that you'd like to sell or trade in, but the most you've been offered is $20,000.
Estimates vary, but you can expect a voluntary repossession to lower your credit score by 50-150 points. How big of a drop you will see depends on factors such as your prior credit history and how many payments you made before the repossession.
Does GAP insurance cover negative equity? Yes. Negative equity (aka an upside-down loan) is another term for the gap between what you owe on your auto loan and the car's actual value. GAP insurance covers the difference between the two.
Most lenders won't refinance a car that has negative equity unless the amount you owe is minimal or you have a credit score of 750 or higher.
A repossession typically stays on credit reports for seven years. However, you can take steps to improve your credit before the seven-year period ends. Making consistent smart financial decisions over time, such as responsibly using credit cards, can help steer your credit in the right direction.
When trading in a car that has negative equity, you have two main options: Delay your trade-in until you're not upside down on your loan or move forward with the trade-in and pay off the negative equity. Delaying your trade-in is generally the better option financially.
There's no set time period for when you can trade in a car after you begin financing, but there are a few general rules to follow. You can trade a financed car at any point, but you may want to consider waiting a year or more.
Most of these dealerships even promise to pay off the balance on your auto loan. However, unless your local dealership is a charity, it will not make your loan disappear; it will pay off what you owe your lender and find a way to factor the expense it incurred into the price of the vehicle you purchase.
Attempting to hide negative equity is a form of auto fraud. The dealer may show on the contract of purchase that the amount of payoff is the same as the trade-in value, but then increases the purchase price to cover the negative equity.
Yes, you can trade in a car with a seized engine. This is not the best option for most people, but it is an option. For some cars, it may be possible to replace the engine and still make a profit on the sale of the car.
If your pay-off amount is more than our offer for your car, the difference is called “negative equity.” In some cases, the negative equity can be included in your financing when you buy a car from CarMax. If not, we'll calculate the difference between your pay-off and our offer to you and you can pay CarMax directly.
Your car will eventually be repossessed if you don't pay your car loan. Before that point, you'll be charged late fees for your missed payments, your credit score will take a significant hit, and you may be charged fees for repossession.
Voluntary repossession is a losing proposition, not only because it's unlikely to provide any tangible benefit to your credit score or wallet, but also because it might mean sacrificing your ride to work –jeopardizing your ability to pay other bills. Plus, you likely have better options that have yet to be exhausted.
Depending on your lender, you may be able to negotiate a payoff amount for your car loan. In addition to the lender's policies, other factors that can impact your ability to negotiate include whether you're current on your loan payments, how much cash you have to offer and the condition of your vehicle.