What Documents are Needed for Car Finance?

The documents that you’ll need to complete your car finance application will depend on the lender that approves you in principle. Each lender has their own requirements but, in general, they will need to see proof of driving licence, proof of income, and proof of address.

It doesn’t matter whether you live in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland – the documents that you’ll need to secure car finance will be broadly the same.

If your lender does need additional paperwork, your account manager will let you know and sort out all the admin for you.

Driving Licence

While we do work with lenders that can offer car finance to people with a provisional licence – or no licence at all – many of our panel do ask that you have a full driving licence. You’ll be asked to upload a picture of your licence photocard after you’ve applied online. Make sure that your picture and all the details – including your current address – are clear and easy to read before you share your shot.

Proof of income

Lenders will typically want to know whether you’re employed full-time, working part-time, self-employed, retired or a student as well as how much you typically earn each month. This helps them to carry out affordability checks to make sure you’re not applying for a loan that could cause your finances to stretch too thin. Copies of your payslips or bank statements can be a good form of proof, or you may be invited to use 247 Connect to confirm your income.

Proof of address

To double-check your address details, a lender will usually ask for a copy of something like a utility bill – your latest electricity or water bill – or your most recent council tax statement as proof.

These documents will be requested no matter whether your credit is excellent, fair, or in need of some work. In fact, we work with lenders that can help people find bad credit car finance, even if you’ve been refused elsewhere.

Find out more about the paperwork you might need to prepare here