Compare £1,500 loan
Whether the clutch has gone on your car or you need a new boiler, a £1,500 loan can give you the financial help you need to solve your short-term money problems. But how long will it take to repay a loan and are there any cheaper alternatives?
Why get a £1,500 loan?
Because life can often throw a spanner in the works, a loan for £1,500 is usually taken out to cover emergencies, like repairing your car or paying unexpected bills.
A £1,500 loan is normally known as a short-term loan because it's not considered a particularly high sum of money – at least in terms of lending. It can be a quick way to get your hands on some much-needed cash.
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What types of £1,500 loan are there?
There are several types of loan available if you need to borrow £1,500, including:
- Personal loans – monthly repayments are usually fixed over a period of one to five years. These are unsecured loans, which means they’re not borrowed against an asset like your home.
- Car loans – car finance comes in several guises, including an unsecured personal loan and a hire purchase loan, which is secured against the vehicle you’re buying.
- Guarantor loans – you can ask a close friend or family member with a better credit score than you to guarantee your loan and promise to pay off the debt if you can’t.
- Payday loans – these are quick and easy to get online and from high street shops, but banks don’t offer them. Payday loans can provide a short-term cash fix, but they often have eye-wateringly high rates of interest. We don’t offer this type of loan on our site.
- Credit union loans – a credit union is a co-operative where members pool their savings to lend to one another. Eligibility criteria for this type of loan might involve living in a local area, working in a particular industry or belonging to the same church.
What is the interest rate on a £1,500 loan?
A small loan of £1,500 is likely to have a higher interest rate than a loan for a larger sum of money, borrowed over a longer period. That’s because, to lenders, a small loan could look like you don’t have any savings to fall back on, plus the loan isn’t secured against an asset.
The interest rate on a loan will usually be expressed as an annual percentage rate (APR). This shows the total cost of borrowing over a year as a percentage, including any fees.
Loan providers will often advertise the ‘representative APR’. While this is useful for comparing loans, it’s not necessarily the rate you’ll get. The representative example is a rate that at least 51% of successful applicants must be offered, but that means the rest could be offered a higher rate of interest.
Some lenders are now offering guaranteed loan rates. This means that you’ll definitely get this rate of interest if you’re accepted for the loan and you’ll know exactly how much the loan will cost you to repay. The lender will decide what guaranteed rate to offer you using your credit score and the financial information you supply when applying to see if you’re eligible for the loan.
How much does a £1,500 loan cost?
Here’s an example of a typical loan taken out over one and two years to compare the total amount you’d pay:
| Initial loan | Time | APR | Monthly repayments | Total repayments |
| £1,500 | 12 months | 13.5% | £133.79 | £1,605.48 |
| £1,500 | 24 months | 13.5% | £71.12 | £1,706.88 |
The general rule is to borrow as little as possible and pay it back as quickly as possible. You can use our free loan calculator to work out how much you might need to repay each month if you take out a £1,500 loan.
How long will it take to repay a £1,500 loan?
Smaller personal loans are typically repaid over a period of 12 months to five years. The catch, of course, is the interest that’s added on top of the repayment period.
So, while it might seem cost-effective to reduce your monthly payments by stretching your loan over a longer period of time, you can end up paying more overall when all the interest adds up.
Loans calculator
If you’re thinking about taking out a loan, use our loans calculator to work out how much you can afford to borrow and how much it’ll cost each month.
Loan calculatorWhen will I get my loan?
Some lenders will send the money to your bank account on the same day your loan application is accepted. Others may take a few days.
Can I pay off my £1,500 loan early?
Yes, most loans can be paid back early or you can make a partial overpayment – however the lender may charge you for doing this.
If you want to make a partial overpayment, then a 28-day notice period applies. This means you’ll be charged interest on the full amount you owe for 28 days after you notify your lender of an extra payment.
If you want to pay your loan off in full, you’ll need to ask your lender for an ‘early settlement amount’, which is a recalculation of what you owe based on:
- what you’ve already paid and the amount you still owe
- what interest charges apply
- whether there are any early payment fees.
Your lender’s obliged to give you this figure if you ask for it and to give you at least 28 days to think it over. If you decide to go ahead, you’ll need to pay the outstanding early settlement amount by the settlement date the lender has given you – otherwise it will need to be recalculated.
If you don’t ask the lender for the figure, you may end up paying the wrong amount.
You don’t have to pay off the loan if you decide you’d be better off continuing with your monthly instalments.
Frequently asked questions
How do I apply for a £1,500 loan?
Start by comparing loans through Comparethemarket. We’ll find loans you’re likely to be eligible for. To be eligible for a loan, you’ll need to be a UK resident aged 18 or over.
Once you’ve found the right loan for you, you can start the application process by filling in an online application form.
Will I need a credit check to borrow £1,500?
Yes, any loan amount you borrow will require a ‘hard credit check’ from the potential lender. If you pass the credit check, you’ll receive your loan offer.
A credit search allows lenders to review your credit history to find out how responsible you’ve been with money in the past.
You can use our loans eligibility checker which uses a ‘soft credit check’ rather than a ‘hard credit check’ to find which loans you’re likely to be accepted for, before you submit your official loan application.
Can I get a £1,500 loan with bad credit?
A poor credit score doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be refused a loan, but your choices may be limited.
You might have a poor credit rating if you've fallen behind on payments, been declared bankrupt or received a CCJ (county court judgment). This is a court order that's registered against someone for not making payments on money they owe. If this is the case, then usually a bad credit can be the easiest way to gain access to funds. But it’s likely you’ll pay a much higher rate of interest than someone with a good credit score.
Of course, repaying your loan for £1,500 on time can be a good way to boost your poor credit score.
How do I apply for a £1,500 loan?
You can apply for a £1,500 loan at your local bank, over the phone or online by giving a few details about yourself and proof of income. If you apply online, the money could be in your account within hours, although the lender will need to run a credit check first.
Every time you apply for a loan, it will show up on your credit file, so you don’t want to make too many applications in a short space of time as it sets alarm bells ringing with lenders. So, it’s worth checking whether you’ll be approved before applying.
You can use our loan eligibility checker to find out which loans you’re likely to be accepted for before you apply. It’s a soft check so won’t affect your credit score.
Are there other ways to borrow £1,500?
Before you apply for a loan for £1,500, you might want to consider these alternatives first:
- 0% purchase credit card – this lets you spend without having to pay interest on your purchases for a set period. Just make sure you pay off the full balance before the 0% period ends as the APR is likely to shoot up sharply after that.
- Arranged overdraft – your bank may be willing to offer you an arranged overdraft. This lets you borrow money through your current account by spending more than you have in the account. Students are most likely to benefit from this option as they can get interest-free overdrafts.
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Find a loanThe content written in this article is for information purposes only and should not be taken as financial advice. If you require support on the products discussed here, please speak to your bank/lender or seek the advice of an independent professional financial advisor. We also have more information on our Customer Support Hub.
