How long does it take to get approved for car finance?

The time to get approved for car finance varies depending on your lender and the application method you use. It’s possible to receive instant or same-day decisions from lenders. 

For decisions that require additional verification of documents or income sources, a wait of 1-3 days on average is likely for the final credit decision. Sometimes applications require additional steps, such as adding a guarantor or sending a reference to an underwriter for assessment, which can take 3 to 7 days. 

In some instances, conditional approval may be available sooner, but final approval may take longer, up to 10 days if lenders have to go back and forth.