Report eases concerns over UK sub-prime auto lenders

The finding comes amid recent national press coverage suggesting a boom in car loans to customers with poor credit records.

The report finds that captive finance lenders and banks dominate the market.

Captive finance companies, such as Volkswagen Financial Services and BMW Financial Services, lend around 47% of dealer car finance to consumers.

Large bank-owned car lenders, including Black Horse and Santander, who the report notes do not offer sub-prime finance, lend around 51%.

A range of smaller, mostly non-bank, lenders including specialists in customers with issues with their credit history, account for the rest of the market.

The study, UK Car Dealer Point of Sale Finance: Market Insight 2017, written by Apex Insight director Frank Proud, looks at the financial accounts of the car finance companies to help identify the value of the cars they have on finance agreements with retail customers.

The research also finds a large difference in the levels of point of sale finance on used car sales between franchised and independent dealers. For franchised dealers, around 1 in 3 used vehicles have finance compared to less than 1 in 5 from independent dealers.

Asset Finance International recently released an analysis of key facts in the market following ongoing negative media coverage of car finance.