When you voluntarily surrender your vehicle, the lender will sell the car to recover as much of the money owed as possible. If the car is sold for less than the amount you owe on the loan, you will still be responsible for paying the remaining amount—the deficiency balance.
Does returning a car on finance affect credit score?
Voluntary termination will probably appear on your credit score. However, as long as you make your 50% repayment amount and any additional charges (e.g. for wear and tear), it is unlikely to have a sizeable impact on your ability to get car finance in the future.
What to do if you want to return a financed car?
Notify the dealership and finance company. If your sales agreement permits returning a financed vehicle, contact the auto dealer and your auto lender immediately. Mention you intent to return the car and cancel the auto loan.
What happens when you return a car to the dealer?
Once you return the vehicle, it’s considered a default because you’re no longer making payments. The car is then prepped to be sold at auction, and the proceeds from that are applied to your remaining loan balance. If the loan isn’t completely paid off, called the deficiency balance, you still owe that to the lender.
What happens if I give my car back to the lender?
If you return the car to the lender, the lender will likely sell it. It will apply the proceeds of the sale to your car loan balance, after reimbursing itself for the costs of sale and certain fees. Often the sale proceeds are not enough to cover your loan balance; the remainder of the loan amount is called the deficiency.
What happens if I cant make my car finance payments?
Usually the finance is provided by a company which is separate to the garage or dealership. If you can’t keep up with payments you can hand the car back. You won’t get any of the payments you’ve made back, but if you’ve paid more than half of the agreement you’ll usually have nothing else to pay.
