What makes Auto Credit Express® unique is that they have created one of the nation’s largest networks of auto dealers that specialize in financing auto loans for different types of credit profiles.
Auto Credit Express®
Auto Credit Express® is a loan matching service helping people with bad credit, no credit, repossessions, and even bankruptcies obtain car financing. They work with over 900 auto dealers across the US, although their dealer network might be limited in some areas. The interest rates you get might be higher. You might have to deal with annoying calls, emails, and text messages.
Pros
Multiple loan offers
National lender network
Bad credit is OK
You only need 6 months of employment
93% approval nationwide
Cons
Loan rates depend on a lender
Must use network dealership
Could have high interest rates
Lender calls
In this review:
- Who Is Auto Credit Express®?
- How Does Auto Express Credit Work?
- What Auto Loan Rate Should I Expect?
- How Much Car Loan Can I Get Approved For?
- What Will My Monthly Payment Be?
- Auto Credit Express® Customer Reviews
- Who Should Apply for Auto Credit Express®?
- Auto Credit Express Alternatives
- Bottom Line
Who Is Auto Credit Express®?
Auto Credit Express® was founded by Rich LaLonde and has been around since June of 1999. Rich realized that the focus of the company should be on the consumer, utilizing the expertise of ACE and its employees.
Today, Auto Credit Express® is an automotive property of Internet Brands, which owns and operates the largest network of car buying and financing resources in North America, including CarsDirect, Motor Authority, Green Car Reports, and The Car Connection.
Their primary focus is matching their dealer partners with customers that have challenging credit backgrounds.
👉 Discover more auto lenders for bad credit.
What Auto Credit Express® Is Not
Auto Credit Express® is not a direct lender. They simply match you with local dealers that are willing to work with you.
How Does Auto Credit Express® Make Money?
Auto Credit Express® makes money by charging a fee from its partners, resulting in a free service for you.
What Makes Them Different?
Auto Credit Express® has a nationwide network of 933 auto dealers in the United States that have closed over $1 billion in bad credit auto loans.
They specialize in working with people with credit issues to help them get financing for new and late model cars. They will work with people that have delinquencies and repossessions, and even people with bankruptcy discharges.
Their application process is really quick and easy. After filling a simple form on their website your loan request is quickly matched with a local dealer or lender who can finance your car purchase. You can also start this complete process either over the phone or online which is a great option.
How Does Auto Express Credit Work?
Unlike a traditional bank or lender, Auto Credit Express® is more like a personal agent or broker because they don’t actually fund any loans.
When you fill in a loan application on their website they match your needs with the guidelines of a local dealer. The dealer then contacts you with a loan offer and if you accept you can go to the dealership and shop for your new car.
Here’s what the process of getting a car loan through Auto Credit Express® looks like in eight simple steps:
1. Meet The Guidelines
First, you need to meet the general guidelines before you can apply and those are:
- At least 18 years old,
- A current resident of the US or Canada
- In a position to acquire auto insurance
- Able to show proof of residency, a working phone number, and a recent utility bill
- Employed full-time or able to prove a guaranteed fixed income of at least $1,500 a month.
2. Are You Buying New or Used
You need to figure out what type of financing you will need.
Are you buying a new car or a used car? Will you be refinancing or are you looking for a lease buyout?
Once you know which option you are going for then you can go to the next step.
3. Complete the Form
The next step is to fill in the application form on the Auto Credit Express® website.
It takes 3 minutes or less to knock out the quick form.
4. Get Your Paperwork Together
Since you don’t know which lender or dealership you will be going to, it’s best to be prepared. Things the lenders might need are:
- Banking History
- Proof Of Income
- Proof Of Identity
- Proof Of Insurance
- Proof Of Residency
- Information On Vehicle You Plan To Purchase
- Current Vehicle Registration (If you plan to do a trade in)
Keep in mind this is just a general list, the lenders could need more or less information, just have at least the things above ready.
5. Pair Up
Once your application is complete, you will start the next step of getting paired with a lender that can finance you. Auto Credit Express® will start matching your application with the requirements of local dealers.
At this time, you will probably see a hard credit inquiry hit your credit profile.
💡 Quick Tip: FICO allows you to shop around for the best auto loan rates for 30 days after your first inquiry. During this grace period, you can apply for an unlimited number of auto loans without any additional inquiries being recorded to your credit file.
6. Review Your Offers
Be sure to review the offer from the auto dealer before you purchase. You will be given up to 30 days to select one of the four offers presented to you.
You need to look at their requirements as well as interest rates and if they will require a down payment or a co-signer. Just be sure to pick the best offer!
Remember that each lender will have its own specifics and requirements, so be sure to look at each offer with as much detail as possible.
Make sure you understand what you are paying for, and keep referring to the original offer to make sure nothing changed from the time you accepted it to the time your loan was funded.
7. Pick The Best Offer
Once you choose an offer, your loan can be funded by either a bank deposit, ACH, check, or certificate.
You can have your funds as early as the next business day.
8. Visit The Dealership & Shop
Now that you have been paired, it is time to visit the dealership and shop for your car.
🏆 Our #1 Auto Loan Matching Service
Helping people with any-credit auto financing since 1999!
Fill out a simple form and get offers in minutes.
What Auto Loan Rate Should I Expect?
It’s really hard to say what rates you can expect to get when applying for a car loan with Auto Credit Express®. The rates you get offered will be determined by the lender you get matched with.
Nevertheless, it’s always a good idea to be aware of the current state of the auto loan market so you have something to compare your offers with. Here are two tables showing different datasets for the current state of auto loan rates.
When it comes to interest rates, the longer time you plan to take to pay the loan off, the higher the rates become. While the monthly premiums will be lower if you select a longer payoff period, you are going to end up paying much more interest. Taking out a long-term car loan is rarely a good idea.
Average Car Loan Interest Rates by Credit Score
The next table worth taking a look at is the one below, showing you what an average interest rate is for new and used cars by credit score ranges.
| Category | Score Range | New car average interest rate | Used car average interest rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep subprime | 300-500 | 14.17% | 21.18% |
| Subprime | 501-600 | 11.86% | 18.39% |
| Near prime | 601-660 | 9.29% | 13.53% |
| Prime | 661-780 | 6.88% | 9.33% |
| Super prime | 781-850 | 5.61% | 7.43% |
*Actual interest rates are based on many factors such as state, down payment, and verification of credit score.
How Much Car Loan Can I Get Approved For?
How much financing you get approved for will depend on the lenders you get matched with.
When estimating how much financing you can get the lenders will look at your credit report to determine your creditworthiness, your income, and existing debts to determine if you will be able to make your payments…
Auto Credit Express® has a handy Car Loan Estimator that will help you estimate how much financing you can get approved for based on factors like your credit score, income, and existing debt.
What Will My Monthly Payment Be?
Your monthly payment is determined by the following factors:
- Amount of the loan (price of the car – down payment)
- Interest rate (APR)
- Loan term
Once you know how much financing you can get approved for and what interest rate you can expect you can use Auto Credit Express® Payment Calculator to estimate what your monthly payment could be based on the terms of an auto loan.
Auto Credit Express® Customer Reviews
We looked at some of the most trusted customer review websites, such as Trustpilot, Yelp, Google, and BBB, to see what customers have to say about Auto Credit Express®. Here’s the summary of what we’ve found…
| Auto Credit Express® Reviews | Customer Average Rating |
|---|---|
| Yelp Reviews rating | 1.0 (4 reviews) |
| Trustpilot rating | 4.6 (3,038 reviews) |
| Google Reviews rating | 3.2 (186 reviews) |
| Better Business Bureau rating | 1.0 (15 reviews) |
| Consumer Affairs Reviews rating | 3.2 (13 reviews) |
Positive Customer Reviews
Most positive reviews from customers say that they were happy with the service they receive. A number of people say that they managed to get approved for a car loan even they got turned down in the past for various reasons.
Auto Credit Express® has over 2,711 5 Star Reviews from Trustpilot which shows that customers are having an overall great experience with the Auto Credit Express® process. Here’s an example of a positive customer review:
It’s really nice to see that folks over at Auto Credit Express® reply to each of the reviews. This shows that they really do care what their customers are experiencing when using their service.
Negative Customer Reviews
Most negative reviews we’ve read are from people that were unaware that Auto Credit Express® is not a direct lender and were surprised when they got contacted by various dealerships.
We saw various other complaints related to customers not being informed about how Auto Credit Express® actually does. For example, this customer was unaware that they would not have their own choice of dealers but would instead be contacted by a dealer in the ACE network they get matched with.
Other customers complained about various aggressive ads and additional offers they got shown during an application process.
Most people complain about getting contacted by various insurance and other financial services providers after they submitted their car loan applications.
Auto Credit Express® BBB (Better Business Bureau) Rating
Auto Credit Express® has been a BBB accredited business for over 15 years. They have an A+ rating and have only had 7 user complaints.
Most Auto Credit Express® BBB reviews are negative and they outline similar issues as other negative reviews we’ve listed above.
Who Should Apply for Auto Credit Express®?
The best thing about Auto Credit Express® is that they deal with multiple auto dealerships that are versatile in the type of people they can get approved for a loan.
Below are some people who should feel free to apply:
People Who Have Had Repossessions
The worst thing about having a car repossessed is that it usually happens that the most inconvenient time.
If you have had this happen to you then you know it also leaves a negative mark on your credit report and can hurt your credit score.
By dealing with Auto Credit Express®, you can find a dealership willing to work with you, even if you had a car repossessed before.
People With Bankruptcies
Someone with bankruptcy is probably used to hearing the words “No” or “Declined.”
However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t purchase a car because of one.
The good thing about Auto Credit Express®’s network is that they will be able to partner you with a dealership that will be best for your needs.
Someone With No Credit History
If you don’t have any credit, it doesn’t mean you have bad credit. It just means you haven’t had a chance to establish any for the moment.
It is hard for lenders to make a good decision because you haven’t shown if you will treat your credit well or not.
Auto Credit Express® has plenty of dealerships with lenders that will work with you.
People with Little Credit History
If you don’t have a ton of credit history you can still get covered for an auto loan.
Your score might be in the mid to high 500’s or low 600’s but that doesn’t mean you have bad credit.
It just means you haven’t had a chance or taken the time to build your credit.
Auto Credit Express® has plenty of lenders that will assist you in getting an auto loan.
Those With Bad Credit
If you have bad credit, don’t worry, Auto Credit Express® works with a nationwide set of lenders who will be matched with you based on your credit profile.
You can rest assured that they work with lenders who can get you covered with as little as a 500 credit score.
Auto Credit Express Alternatives
| Pre-qualification | Eligible with bankruptcy | Minimum income requirement | Minimum credit score | |
| Auto Credit Express | Hard credit check | Yes | From $1,500 to $2,000 a month before taxes | Works with subprime lenders |
| Carvana | Soft credit check | Yes, if discharged or dismissed | At least $4,000 per year | None |
| myAutoloan | Soft or hard credit check | Yes, if discharged or dismissed | $21,600 gross yearly income | 575 |
Bottom Line
Hopefully, you found this Auto Credit Express® review helpful because getting an auto loan can be complicated and a time-suck if done incorrectly.
If you have bad credit or have had a previous bankruptcy, you should consider using Auto Credit Express® since they can help get you into a new car. While the interest rates you get offered might not be on the low end, at least they can help find dealers that will be open to working with you.
That said, ensure you know what you are getting yourself into. Auto Credit Express® is not a direct lender. They will share your personal information with various partners, and they will try to upsell you on other services every step of the way.
