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Car finance ›
How to check your credit score
Updated: Tuesday, 2 January 2024
If you’re looking to apply for car finance, a mortgage, or another type of credit, checking your credit score can help you understand how likely you are to be accepted.
In this article, we’ll explain how to check your credit score and credit report, so you know what your score is with each of the credit reference agencies.
What is a credit score?
Your credit score is a three-digit number that represents how reliable you are with credit. It is an indicator of how likely you are to repay on time, and it is one factor that potential lenders use to decide whether to approve your application.
In other words, your credit score is a summary of your credit report. Your credit report is a historical record of how you have managed and repaid credit. It includes information about what kinds of credit you have, your repayment history, and if you have had any difficulties such as a missed payment or default.
It’s important to know that there isn’t one credit score. Your credit score will differ depending on where you check, as there are three credit reference agencies (CRAs) in the UK. These are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
Your credit score will be different with each of the three CRAs because they have different algorithms and ranges to determine your creditworthiness.
Learn more about credit scores with help from our guide – what is a credit score?
How to check your credit report
Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion all offer credit report services.
You can also use websites like ClearScore and Credit Karma to check your credit score. These aren’t CRAs themselves but do allow you to check your credit score, often for free.
Here’s how to check your credit score on each of the main credit reference agencies:
How to get an Experian credit report
You can check your Experian credit score and report by setting up a free account on the Experian website or app. The free version updates once a month, so you can regularly see how your credit score is changing.
Alternatively, Experian offer advanced services for a small monthly fee, which gives a more detailed view of your credit report and provides additional services like Identity Plus which provides fraud protection and monitoring.
Either way, your Experian credit score will be a figure between 0 and 999. Here’s how Experian credit scores are split up:
- Very poor: 0-560
- Poor: 561-720
- Fair: 721-880
- Good: 881-960
- Excellent: 961-999
How to get an Equifax credit report
You can get a 30-day free trial for MyEquifax, after that, you will have to pay a monthly subscription. Alternatively, you can check your Equifax score by using a free credit report service, such as ClearScore.
ClearScore is a free service that uses Equifax data, however, they use different credit score ranges than Equifax.
Equifax gives you a credit score between 0 and 1000. Before April 2021, Equifax used to score between 0 and 700. Now they use the 0-1000 range, with slightly different credit score ranges from what they had in the past.
Here’s how credit scores are split up on Equifax:
- Poor: 0-438
- Fair: 439-530
- Good: 531-670
- Very good: 671-810
- Excellent: 811-1000
How to get a TransUnion credit report
You can get a one-off credit report from the TransUnion website, or for more regular updates, you could use a credit report service like Credit Karma. Credit Karma is a free service that lets you view your TransUnion credit score and report. It also offers tips on what could help or lower your score.
TransUnion credit scores range from 0 to 710:
- Very poor: 0-550
- Poor: 551-565
- Fair: 566-603
- Good: 604-627
- Excellent: 628-710
This information on Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion credit score ranges is accurate as of 26 May 2023.
Why should I check my credit score?
By checking your credit report, you can understand what lenders will see when you make a finance application. There might be some things you spot that you could do to improve your credit score. For more information, see our guide on how to improve your credit score.
You can also check for discrepancies in your report. Even small errors, such as incorrect or out-of-date information, can cause problems when applying for credit, so it’s a good idea to check through your credit reports with each credit reference agency (CRA) to make sure everything is as it should be.
If you find incorrect information on your credit report, contact the relevant CRA to get your report amended.
Why does my credit score look different on different sites?
So we know that CRAs use different scoring systems, but why might your credit score be ‘good’ through one CRA but ‘fair’ on another?
While CRAs may look at the same factors to determine your credit score, they may prioritise them differently. CRAs use different algorithms for awarding or taking away points from a credit score.
For example, you might lose 130 points with one CRA if you fail to make a repayment on time. With another agency, you might only lose 80 points.
Different lenders use different credit reference agencies
It’s not unusual to see different credit scores with each of the CRAs. Some lenders report to all three CRAs, but others may report to only one or two, or none at all depending on the type of credit.
Because of this, when you check with each of the three CRAs, they may hold slightly different information about you, so your score might be different as a result of this.
What does a credit report show?
What your credit report shows depends on the CRA providing the report. Typically, a credit report will include the following information:
Identity information
A basic credit report will start with some identifying details about yourself, such as your name and date of birth. This information does not affect your credit score.
Information on credit accounts
This section shows each of the credit accounts you currently have open, such as mortgages, credit cards and finance agreements. It will state when you opened these credit accounts, your credit limit on each, and your repayment history.
Search information
Here, you can find two types of search information:
- Hard searches: this type of search is usually made when you apply for credit, though some lenders like Moneybarn only use a soft search when you apply. According to Experian, it’s best to limit these to two or three every few months because each hard search will stay on your credit report for 12 months and can lower your score slightly.
- Soft searches: a soft search is used when you check your own credit score. It might also be used by lenders to check your identity or to see if you are eligible for credit.
If you’d like to read more about these types of searches, we’ve written a guide comparing soft search and hard search credit checks. It runs through the differences between a soft and hard search, and the things you should be aware of before applying for credit.
Financial difficulties
Financial events like defaulting on credit, bankruptcy, CCJs, and IVAs will remain on your credit report for around six years and will impact your score over this period of time. Lenders will be able to see if you’ve declared bankruptcy or had any other financial problems when they check your credit file.
What affects a credit score?
We’ve written a full guide on what affects your credit score, but here is a quick round-up of the most important factors:
- Missing or late payments
- Being close to your credit limit
- Applying for credit too often
- No credit history
FAQs about checking your credit score
Is there a free way to check my credit score?
It’s possible to check your credit score for free. You can use Equifax’s 30 day free trial to check your score there. Experian and TransUnion offer a free service to check your credit score with them.
If you are looking for a more detailed credit report for free, some banks offer free credit score services, or you could use a credit report service such as ClearScore or Credit Karma.
These are not CRAs themselves, but they use data from the CRAs to create free credit reports. ClearScore uses Equifax data, and Credit Karma uses TransUnion data.
Can I check my own credit score without affecting it?
Checking your credit score does not affect it. This is because it uses a soft search which doesn’t impact it in any way. This soft search is only visible to you, and doesn’t change your score.
How long does my credit score last?
Your credit score naturally goes up and down over time, so this depends on which CRA or credit report service you are using to check your credit score. Some provide weekly or monthly updates.
Information about missed payments, or other financial difficulties like CCJs and IVAs, may stay on your credit file for six years.
If you’re looking to apply for car finance, a mortgage, or another type of credit, checking your credit score can help you understand how likely you are to be accepted.
In this article, we’ll explain how to check your credit score and credit report, so you know what your score is with each of the credit reference agencies.
What is a credit score?
Your credit score is a three-digit number that represents how reliable you are with credit. It is an indicator of how likely you are to repay on time, and it is one factor that potential lenders use to decide whether to approve your application.
In other words, your credit score is a summary of your credit report. Your credit report is a historical record of how you have managed and repaid credit. It includes information about what kinds of credit you have, your repayment history, and if you have had any difficulties such as a missed payment or default.
It’s important to know that there isn’t one credit score. Your credit score will differ depending on where you check, as there are three credit reference agencies (CRAs) in the UK. These are Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
Your credit score will be different with each of the three CRAs because they have different algorithms and ranges to determine your creditworthiness.
Learn more about credit scores with help from our guide – what is a credit score?
How to check your credit report
Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion all offer credit report services.
You can also use websites like ClearScore and Credit Karma to check your credit score. These aren’t CRAs themselves but do allow you to check your credit score, often for free.
Here’s how to check your credit score on each of the main credit reference agencies:
How to get an Experian credit report
You can check your Experian credit score and report by setting up a free account on the Experian website or app. The free version updates once a month, so you can regularly see how your credit score is changing.
Alternatively, Experian offer advanced services for a small monthly fee, which gives a more detailed view of your credit report and provides additional services like Identity Plus which provides fraud protection and monitoring.
Either way, your Experian credit score will be a figure between 0 and 999. Here’s how Experian credit scores are split up:
- Very poor: 0-560
- Poor: 561-720
- Fair: 721-880
- Good: 881-960
- Excellent: 961-999
How to get an Equifax credit report
You can get a 30-day free trial for MyEquifax, after that, you will have to pay a monthly subscription. Alternatively, you can check your Equifax score by using a free credit report service, such as ClearScore.
ClearScore is a free service that uses Equifax data, however, they use different credit score ranges than Equifax.
Equifax gives you a credit score between 0 and 1000. Before April 2021, Equifax used to score between 0 and 700. Now they use the 0-1000 range, with slightly different credit score ranges from what they had in the past.
Here’s how credit scores are split up on Equifax:
- Poor: 0-438
- Fair: 439-530
- Good: 531-670
- Very good: 671-810
- Excellent: 811-1000
How to get a TransUnion credit report
You can get a one-off credit report from the TransUnion website, or for more regular updates, you could use a credit report service like Credit Karma. Credit Karma is a free service that lets you view your TransUnion credit score and report. It also offers tips on what could help or lower your score.
TransUnion credit scores range from 0 to 710:
- Very poor: 0-550
- Poor: 551-565
- Fair: 566-603
- Good: 604-627
- Excellent: 628-710
This information on Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion credit score ranges is accurate as of 26 May 2023.
Why should I check my credit score?
By checking your credit report, you can understand what lenders will see when you make a finance application. There might be some things you spot that you could do to improve your credit score. For more information, see our guide on how to improve your credit score.
You can also check for discrepancies in your report. Even small errors, such as incorrect or out-of-date information, can cause problems when applying for credit, so it’s a good idea to check through your credit reports with each credit reference agency (CRA) to make sure everything is as it should be.
If you find incorrect information on your credit report, contact the relevant CRA to get your report amended.
Why does my credit score look different on different sites?
So we know that CRAs use different scoring systems, but why might your credit score be ‘good’ through one CRA but ‘fair’ on another?
While CRAs may look at the same factors to determine your credit score, they may prioritise them differently. CRAs use different algorithms for awarding or taking away points from a credit score.
For example, you might lose 130 points with one CRA if you fail to make a repayment on time. With another agency, you might only lose 80 points.
Different lenders use different credit reference agencies
It’s not unusual to see different credit scores with each of the CRAs. Some lenders report to all three CRAs, but others may report to only one or two, or none at all depending on the type of credit.
Because of this, when you check with each of the three CRAs, they may hold slightly different information about you, so your score might be different as a result of this.
What does a credit report show?
What your credit report shows depends on the CRA providing the report. Typically, a credit report will include the following information:
Identity information
A basic credit report will start with some identifying details about yourself, such as your name and date of birth. This information does not affect your credit score.
Information on credit accounts
This section shows each of the credit accounts you currently have open, such as mortgages, credit cards and finance agreements. It will state when you opened these credit accounts, your credit limit on each, and your repayment history.
Search information
Here, you can find two types of search information:
- Hard searches: this type of search is usually made when you apply for credit, though some lenders like Moneybarn only use a soft search when you apply. According to Experian, it’s best to limit these to two or three every few months because each hard search will stay on your credit report for 12 months and can lower your score slightly.
- Soft searches: a soft search is used when you check your own credit score. It might also be used by lenders to check your identity or to see if you are eligible for credit.
If you’d like to read more about these types of searches, we’ve written a guide comparing soft search and hard search credit checks. It runs through the differences between a soft and hard search, and the things you should be aware of before applying for credit.
Financial difficulties
Financial events like defaulting on credit, bankruptcy, CCJs, and IVAs will remain on your credit report for around six years and will impact your score over this period of time. Lenders will be able to see if you’ve declared bankruptcy or had any other financial problems when they check your credit file.
What affects a credit score?
We’ve written a full guide on what affects your credit score, but here is a quick round-up of the most important factors:
- Missing or late payments
- Being close to your credit limit
- Applying for credit too often
- No credit history
FAQs about checking your credit score
Is there a free way to check my credit score?
It’s possible to check your credit score for free. You can use Equifax’s 30 day free trial to check your score there. Experian and TransUnion offer a free service to check your credit score with them.
If you are looking for a more detailed credit report for free, some banks offer free credit score services, or you could use a credit report service such as ClearScore or Credit Karma.
These are not CRAs themselves, but they use data from the CRAs to create free credit reports. ClearScore uses Equifax data, and Credit Karma uses TransUnion data.
Can I check my own credit score without affecting it?
Checking your credit score does not affect it. This is because it uses a soft search which doesn’t impact it in any way. This soft search is only visible to you, and doesn’t change your score.
How long does my credit score last?
Your credit score naturally goes up and down over time, so this depends on which CRA or credit report service you are using to check your credit score. Some provide weekly or monthly updates.
Information about missed payments, or other financial difficulties like CCJs and IVAs, may stay on your credit file for six years.
For a better road ahead
Moneybarn is a member of the Finance and Leasing Association, the official trade organisation of the motor finance industry. The FLA promotes best practice in the motor finance industry for lending and leasing to consumers and businesses.
Moneybarn is the trading style of Moneybarn No. 1 Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 04496573, and Moneybarn Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 02766324. The registered address for these companies is: Athena House, Bedford Road, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3LJ.
Moneybarn’s VAT registration number is 180 5559 52.
Moneybarn Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services reference No. 702781)
Moneybarn No. 1 Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services reference No. 702780)
