Equifax vs Experian

I have noticed a great discrepancy between the two companies. Experian has my bank details, past credit and my electoral roll details but, despite sending letters and a copy of my Experian statutory report, Equifax have only my Virgin Media account on my profile. Which do you use as it appears that Experian is more thorough?

January 14, 2021

In the UK, there are three main credit reference agencies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each of these agencies has a different scoring system and uses different information to determine your credit score. It’s not unusual for your score to be different with each of these agencies.

At CarFinance 247, we work with a panel of lenders who use different credit reference agencies to determine whether they can approve you in principle. As you can’t be certain which of the three agencies your lender uses, it’s good practice to check your credit score at all three. This can be done for free by heading to Credit Karma (which uses TransUnion data), ClearScore (which uses Equifax) or Credit Club from MoneySavingExpert (using Experian data).

Find out more about credit reference agencies here

My monthly budget is

Get my quote

Rates from 8.9% APR. Representative APR 19.9%

My monthly budget is

Get my quote

Rates from 8.9%: the exact rate you will be offered will be based on your circumstances, subject to status.

Representative example: borrowing £10,000 over 5 years with a representative APR of 19.9%, an annual interest rate of 19.9% (Fixed) and a deposit of £0.00, the amount payable would be £255.50 per month, with a total cost of credit of £5,329.80 and a total amount payable of £15,030.

We look to find the best rate from our panel of lenders and offer you the best deal that you're eligible for. We earn a commission for providing our services, but this does not influence the interest rate you’re offered in any way.

Amount to borrow

To pay over

5 years

Assuming your credit profile is:

Total cost of credit	£ 2000
Total repayment	£ 2000

48 monthly
payments of

£ 245 98

Get my quote

Rates from 9.9%: the exact rate you will be offered will be based on your circumstances, subject to status.

Representative example: borrowing £25,000 over 48 months, £3,750.00 deposit, on PCP, with annual mileage of 8,000pa, and a representative APR of 11.9%, an annual interest rate of 11.9% (Fixed), the amount payable would be £394.51 per month, an optional final payment of £7,194.33, with a total cost of credit of £9,912.36 and a total amount payable of £28,444.33.

We look to find the best product from our panel of lenders and will offer you the best deal that you’re eligible for. We earn a commission for providing our services, but this does not influence the interest rate you’re offered in any way.

Credit scores related questions

Hi, I'm 19 years old, have a credit score of 785 on Experian, have a gross annual income of £16000 which gives me about 1250 p/m net, live with parents paying no rent, and looking for car finance of about £3500... If I applied what sort of APR am I lookin

Asked by Jordan Stevey
January 14, 2021

Hi Jordan, as you have a good income and aren;t looking for that much finance i'd imagine the rate we could secure you would be between 9% and 12%. Please apply when you feel ready. Applying with a parent as a guarantor would improve your chances too (if that's an option). Kind Regards, Rachel

Hi, I have a very bad credit experian score showing as 659. I do have a car worth around £3000 (I could prob sell it for £3500 private but dont want the hassle) which I can part exchange. What are the chances of me getting around £4000 on finance?

Asked by Sarah
January 14, 2021

Hi Sarah, with a credit score of 659 and a £3000 part exchange deposit i'm pretty confident we'll be able to get you the £4000 to £5000 you need. Have you applied at any other internet companies and if so where & what was the outcome? If not, great as too many credit searches on your profile have an adverse affect. I take it you have a driving licence and are employed? If so, excellent as we'll need proof to get you a loan. Lastly, are you on the voters roll? Rachel

Hi, i'm 18 and I have an Experian credit score of 636. I have been in full time employment for 2 years with £11,000 pa income living at home with parents so no rent to pay. I'm looking for a £5000 loan with maybe £500-£1000 deposit if needed. I have 4 cre

Asked by Dwayne D
January 14, 2021

Hi Dwayne, thank you for your question. I'm confident we can help as you are employed, have a good income, a large deposit and have 4 live active credit accounts. As long as you are on the electoral roll, can prove your income and have a full UK licence we should be able to get you the funds required. Kind Regards, Rachel

Hi, I am looking to get car finance of around £7000 I have an experian credit score of 982 but my partner (we have a joint bank account) has a very low score off 532. This is only because she paid for a course on a monthly payment scheme, cancelled it wit

Asked by Nick W
January 14, 2021

Hi Nick, thank you for your question and apologies for the delayed response.

Your partner's poor credit won't effect your chances of being approved for a car loan at all. You may need to provide proof of income from your new job (payslips or bank statements) but as long as you can do that we should be fine to secure you the £7000. Would you have a deposit at all? Just to be clear - the lenders that we deal with can look at just your credit without taking associates into account.

I hope this helps and i look forward to receiving your application. Regards, Rachel

Hi there, I have an Experian credit rating of 508. I have lots of settled finances on my file along with one default in 2008 which is due to come off in June this year. I have one late payment on a store card account which has now been settled too. I ea

Asked by Gabrielle Dalligan
January 14, 2021

Hi Gabrielle, apologies for the delayed response. As you have a decent income and a recent clean credit history we should be able to secure you car finance. £11,000 may be a stretch but we'll try our best. Please make an application and once approved you can choose a car from any dealer and we also provide a no obligation quote. Kind Regards, Rachel

Hi Rachel, My situation is; Experian -896, Equiafx - 253. I don't know why difference is so big. I have default and settled account with capital one last year, up to 5 missed payments. All the above was during my self-employed time and lack of work in thi

Asked by Maciej Wieliczko
January 14, 2021

Hi Maciej, thank you for your question.

Firstly Experian and Equifax do score differently. I believe Equifax may only go up to 500 whereas Experian go to 1000. That's why you're seeing wide differences from the two reference agencies.

The good news is that we do have lenders on our panel that help people with past defaults and missed payments get car finance. We obviously can't guarantee an approval at this stage and as you have recently been declined by Carloan4u we may struggle too. However, as you have recently moved this may be the reason for the recent decline.

As you have a large income, are on the electoral roll and are up to date with your current repayments i'd advise leaving it another month before making a car finance application. This way it'll give time for all your credit to be updated to your new address. Please make an application when you're ready and if approved you can choose a car from any reputable dealer and we also provide a no obligation quote. Kind Regards, Rachel

Hello there, My credit score is 772 on Experian. I've just got 1 credit account, no defaults and no late payments. I am not on the electoral roll yet. However, i am sort of new to credit. My address and work history is about 1 year. I recently started my

Asked by Fox
January 14, 2021

Hi Fox, thank you for your question and apologies for the delayed response. I hope that you had a good Christmas / New Year! In answer to your question we should be able to get you approved as long as you have 3 years address history in the UK. Is this the case? If so, great! You also have a decent income, a good deposit and a fair credit score with no negatives so this is why i'm confident we can get you accepted. If approved we provide a no obligation quote and you can buy a car from any dealer in the UK so please make an online application now. Kind Regards, Rachel

Hi, I have poor credit and i have a 567 score in credit Experian. I'm looking for £5000 and I'm working full time. I earn £890 a month & also my wife is working. She can be guarantee on my back up and she is working full time earning more then £1000 .

Asked by Eko
January 14, 2021

Hi Eko, we do help people with bad credit and as you're employed i'm confident we can help. Please apply when you have 2 minutes. Regards, Rachel

Hi, I have an experian credit score of 710, I have 2 ccjs which were both paid before it got to court, one five years ago and one three years ago, I have three defaults also from five years ago, I have sent settlement letters to registry trust to try and

Asked by John
January 14, 2021

Hi John, Your credit score is quite high in light of your ccjs/defaults. The amount you are looking for is definitely achievable given your circumstances. From what you have told me I am confident we will be able to help you as you are clearly showing intent to improve your credit profile. Please make an application so we can see what would be the best option for you. Thanks, Rachel

Hi, I am currently working in Switzerland but live and maintain a house in the UK where I am registered for certain bills. I can provide proof of earnings but of course they are from my swiss company and also bank statements too. I have a clean credit re

Asked by Mark
January 14, 2021

Hi Mark, if you apply for finance with your UK residency address and you have a good credit profile then we will be able to get you approved for finance without having to show or prove your income. All we'll need is a copy of your driving licence. The fact that you have a minimum of a 20% deposit also helps. Please apply and i'll get Alex our manager to look at your application. Regards, Rachel

Can't find the right answer?

Our Manchester based team are ready to help you.

Get in touch

Free ride to the top

CarFinance 247 Ltd.,
Universal Square,
Devonshire Street North,
Manchester,
M12 6JH,

Free ride to the top

* The UK's largest online car finance broker by unique users to the website. Based on Similar Web data – 1,137,647 to CarFinance 247 vs. 753,819 for nearest competitor. January to June 2023.

CarFinance 247 is a trading name of CarFinance 247 Limited. Registered office: Universal Square, Devonshire Street North, Manchester, M12 6JH. Registered in England. (Registration Number 06035525).

CarFinance 247 is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for insurance distribution and credit broking (Firm Reference Number: 653019). CarFinance 247 is registered with the ICO (Registration Number Z1897658).

Finance is subject to status and is only available to UK residents aged 18 and over. Written quotations are available on request.

This site uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience. By continuing to use the site you are consenting for cookies to be used. Further information on cookies and how you can disable them is available on our cookie policy.