How Does Auto Loan Preapproval & Prequalification Work?

How Does Auto Loan Preapproval & Prequalification Work?

LeeMarie Kennedy

LeeMarie Kennedy

Updated September 13, 2021

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Editor’s note: At Lantern, we strive to help you make financial decisions with confidence. To do this, we occasionally feature content that includes information about our partners and their products or services. We do not provide, endorse, or guarantee any third-party product, service, information or recommendations—and our opinions are our own.

Before taking a stroll across the showroom floor, you might want to think about how to secure the best possible deal on your next car. Auto loan prequalification and preapproval are two different ways to get a sense of what kind of financing you might be able to get from a potential lender before sealing the deal—or even going to the dealership. Sometimes you may see the two terms used interchangeably. But they’re not identical, and it's important to understand the similarities and differences between the two things.

What Does Preapproval Mean?

Auto loan preapproval is a way that you can find out from a potential lender what kind of offer it is likely to extend to you for a car loan. That includes the lender’s estimate of the amount of money it will be willing to provide. The offer is conditional and the terms are just estimates, but the preapproval is based on a thorough review of your finances. In order to be preapproved, you typically have to provide information about your identity, address, income, and employment status. And lenders will typically do a hard credit pull to verify your creditworthiness.If a lender preapproves you, typically you receive a letter from the lender listing the exact loan terms, interest rate, and the amount you can borrow. Preapprovals typically expire in 30 to 60 days, so it’s wise to request one only when you’re serious about buying your car soon. Remember that getting preapproval does not mean that you have gotten the loan. You could still be refused or the terms could change, especially if your financial situation changes before you take out the loan—if, for instance, you lose your job.

What Does Prequalifying for a Car Loan Mean?

Auto loan prequalification is another way for a would-be borrower to determine whether they’re eligible to receive a loan from a lender. But prequalifying is typically less rigorous and has fewer requirements. If the lender does a credit check for prequalification, it will usually be a soft pull. If you want to be prequalified for a car loan, you’ll likely be asked to provide your financial information to a lender or institution, which will often also do a soft credit check. Then, if you are prequalified, the lender will offer you an estimate of what you might receive. As with preapprovals, these numbers are not set in stone and can change before you purchase a car or you could even be denied the loan, especially if your information changes.

What Are the Benefits of Getting Preapproved?

There are several possible benefits to getting preapproved for a car loan:

It Can Reduce Purchasing Guesswork

Getting preapproved can make it easier to visualize the exact terms of a car loan, so you can have a firm budget in mind before you even start to shop. With a clear idea of how much you can spend, you can focus on vehicles that fall within that price range so you’re fully prepared when it’s time to start making monthly payments.

It May Create Negotiating Power

When you have a preapproval in hand, it lets dealers know you’re a creditworthy buyer who doesn’t have to be dependent on their financing. This may give you an extra bit of negotiating power, which can remove some of the stress from the car purchasing process. When you have a preapproval in hand, car salespeople may be less likely to try to pressure you into dealership financing options that cost more than you’re comfortable paying.

It Can Help You Avoid Upsells

When it’s time to sit down and sign the paperwork, having a preapproval letter can help you stave off unnecessary upsells and add-ons if you assert that you’re not willing to go over the preapproved amount. In some cases, the dealer might even try to beat the preapproval rate, helping you lock in a better deal.

How Do You Get Preapproved for a Car Loan?

If you’re wondering exactly how the car loan preapproval process works, here are some steps you’d typically take when you want to get preapproved:

1. Estimate Your Budget

Try to assess what you can afford to spend by way of down payment initially and then every month for your payments.

2. Review Your Credit Report

Before issuing a preapproval, lenders will typically review your credit history to see if they think you’re likely to repay the loan on time. In order to do this, the lender generally conducts a hard inquiry, which can have a direct impact on your credit score. It can be a good idea for you to review your credit report before meeting with a lender. That way, you can help ensure there are no unexpected issues. If any of the information on your report is incorrect, you can dispute it before the lender makes the credit inquiry.

3. Gather Information About Your Ability to Pay

Lenders will also typically want extensive personal and financial information to show that you’ll be able to afford the payments. It can be helpful to start pulling this information in advance so you’ll have it ready. Consider preparing the following.

Proof of employment status
W2s and any other income verification information
Social security number
I identifying documents, such as driver’s license, military ID, state ID, or passport
Proof of assets

4. Review Loan Preapproval Terms

You’ll want to be sure that the deal you’re offered meets your needs. Factors to examine can include:

Loan amount. This is the total amount you can borrow. You can generally take out less money, if you so choose, since this may be more than you want to take out or may require higher monthly payments than you can make.
Loan term: This is how long you will be paying the loan back.
Interest rate and APR: This will let you know how much the loan is costing you.
Monthly payments: This is how much you will have to pay the lender back each month.

5. Shop Around For the Best Loan Offer

Generally speaking, simply taking the first loan offer you receive is not the soundest borrowing strategy. Getting multiple car loan offers from a few different lenders can help you review and compare different loan features in depth, helping you get a desirable rate with terms that stay within your budget.

6. Hit the Dealership Floor

Once you’ve received auto loan preapproval from multiple lenders, it’s time to take the best offer to the showroom and start shopping around. Since most preapprovals expire within 30-60 days, it’s wise to apply for preapprovals within a short period of time and then get to the dealership sooner rather than later.

What Are the Benefits of Getting Prequalified?

Prequalification is a way to get a better idea about your odds of approval and the loan terms you might be likely to get before you submit a loan application. Some of the other benefits of getting prequalified can include the following.

You Get a Take on What You Qualify for

Getting prequalified may be less intensive than getting preapproved, but it still paints a pretty detailed picture of how creditworthy you look to a lender. Seeing what responses you get from potential lenders can give you a good sense of what kind of loan you’re likely to be offered.

It Gives You a Sense of Your Budget Limits

Going through the prequalification process may not give you a definitive loan offer, but it can help you estimate how much loan you’re likely to get and how much you can expect to pay in monthly payments before you even enter the dealership.

How Do You Get Prequalified?

The process of getting prequalified for a loan is somewhat similar to getting preapproved for a loan, though typically a little less rigorous. Here are a few steps you might typically take.

1. Determine Your Budget

As with preapproval, the first step in the prequalification process is figuring out a budget that fits your financial goals so there are no surprises after you drive off the lot.

2. Gather Information for Lenders

Your potential lender will likely want to know about your identity, income, employment status, and current debt obligations. Having things like your social security number, ID, proof income, and housing payment info handy can be helpful. In most cases it will also make a soft credit pull, so if you have concerns about your credit you may want to look at your credit report prior to contacting a potential lender.

3. Pay Close Attention to the Loan Terms

Prequalification isn’t considered a guarantee of loan approval. So this is a good time to scour the loan terms—before any formal agreement. Here are some figures to review in detail:

Loan amount: How much you can borrow from the lender
Loan term: How long you’ll have to repay the loan
Interest rate and APR: How much you’ll pay the lender to finance the loan each month, and what fees and other costs might be involved
Monthly payments: Your minimum monthly payment over the loan’s lifespan.

Preapproval vs. Prequalification

Prospective car buyers don’t necessarily have to choose between prequalification and preapproval. Prequalification can be an initial step, when you’re at the browsing stage. But when you get serious about your car purchase, you may want to get preapproved. Bear in mind that, unlike prequalification, preapproval typically requires a hard credit pull, which can have a negative impact on your credit, so you don’t want to take it lightly. But it can also signal to car dealers that you are a serious buyer—and that you’re not reliant on the dealership for funding.

The Takeaway

Regardless of whether you opt for applying for a prequalification or a preapproval for a car loan—or end up doing both sequentially—you may be able to use the processes to your benefit. Both options can potentially help you develop a budget before you begin shopping seriously. Just remember that asking for a preapproval serves as a more formal declaration that you intend to buy a car (and takes more work), while getting a prequalification is a more casual request for an estimate of what a lender could offer you. Once you purchase your car, even if you get a good deal you may eventually want to refinance. With auto loan refinancing from Lantern by SoFi, you can fill out one easy form to get loans from multiple lenders in our partner network so you can find the one that works best for you.

Photo credit: iStock/erdikocakThe tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.SOLC0721123

Frequently Asked Questions

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About the Author

LeeMarie Kennedy

LeeMarie Kennedy

LeeMarie Kennedy is a Boston-based copywriter and content creator with over a decade of experience writing for a variety of publishers, institutions, and corporations. She has spent the last few years focusing on writing for financial services, technology, HR and TA, and health & wellness sectors. LeeMarie has a BA in Journalism from Quinnipiac University and a MS in Organizational Communication from Northeastern University and was an original contributor to The Daily, SoFi's newsletter.

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