No impact on your credit score
Check your eligibility without leaving a mark on your credit file
A clearer view of your options
See what rates you could get and from which providers before applying
Compare multiple options in one place
We'll show loans from a range of lenders so you can find the right deal
We offer loans from FCA-regulated providers including:
Showing providers 1 to 8 of 11
Our loan eligibility checker shows which loans you’re most likely to be accepted for, plus the interest rate you could be charged, before you formally apply for a loan. It uses information from your credit report and lending criteria from providers.
And because it’s a soft search of your credit file, there’ll be no impact on your credit score.
This helps protect your credit score. Having a good credit score increases your chances of getting approved for a loan
Multiple rejections can damage your credit rating, making it harder for you to get a loan in future
You can also see how you can manage them (online or in an app, for example)
It won’t always be the advertised rate. The advertised representative APR must be given to 51% of applicants. You could be offered a higher rate of interest, depending on your credit score
Compare loans and rates from a range of different providers, all in one place.
A personal loan lets you borrow a fixed amount without putting up an asset as security.
A home improvement loan can help cover the cost of renovations or refurbishments.
Combine multiple debts into one loan with a debt consolidation loan. But you could pay more overall if you extend your repayment term.
A wedding loan can help cover the cost of your big day, allowing you to spread the repayments over a set period.
Consider an emergency loan if you need help to pay for an urgent expense, such as repairs to your car or a new boiler.
Found a car you love? A car loan could help you spread the cost over time.
If you’re planning the trip of a lifetime, a holiday loan could top up your savings.
Personal loans usually range from £1,000 to £25,000, although Compare the Market offers personal loans up to £50,000.
People typically borrow £11,008when applying for a loan through us2.
Use our quick loan calculator to see how much you could borrow, what your monthly repayments might look like, and the overall cost of a loan.
Always think carefully before taking out a loan and be sure that you can afford the repayments on time, every month.
Lenders want to be sure that you can comfortably afford your monthly repayments and pay back the money you owe. They usually look at:
Lenders will look at whether you have a regular income and how much you spend each month. In general, higher earners tend to borrow more.
For example, people borrowing up to £10,000 via Compare the Market earn around £37,000 a year, while those borrowing £30,000-£40,000 earn around £57,0002.
Being employed, particularly if you're full time, can show lenders that you’re financially stable. This generally makes them more likely to give you a loan. It’s no surprise that over 80% of people who compare loans through us have full-time jobs2.
This could include existing loans, credit cards, store cards and overdrafts. The higher your debt, the harder you may find it to borrow more.
Lenders will look at your credit file to see whether you’ve applied for new credit recently, how much of your available credit you’re using (known as your credit utilisation) and whether you’ve missed repayments in the past.
A solid track record of repaying debt shows you can probably be trusted to pay back a loan.
To use the eligibility checker, you’ll need to answer a few questions about:
How much you want to borrow
Your personal details, including employment status and occupation
Your UK address history
Your annual salary and any other income
Any financial dependants
Any mortgage or rent payments.
Find out more about how to apply for a loan, explore the different types of loans and understand how they work.
No, the loan eligibility checker uses a soft credit check, which won’t have any impact on your credit score. You’ll be able to see the eligibility check on your credit file, but lenders won’t.
You can have unlimited soft searches on your credit report without it affecting your credit score.
If you decide to formally make a loan application, the lender will carry out a hard search. Each hard search stays on your credit file for 12 months and can be seen by prospective lenders and credit providers.
You can find full details of how your data will be used, along with important information about your rights, in our Privacy Policy. You’ll need to acknowledge you’ve read this before you can see your loan eligibility results.
If you’re providing information on behalf of someone else, please make sure they’re aware of our Privacy Policy as well.
Here’s how you could help boost your credit rating:
Register to vote. Lenders use the electoral roll to verify your identity and where you live, so make sure you’re registered to vote at your current address.
Make payments on time. Making your repayments each month and paying down outstanding debts shows you can successfully manage credit.
Don’t use all the credit available to you. Try to keep your credit utilisation ratio as low as possible. Most lenders advise keeping it below 30%.
Check your credit report for mistakes. You can check your credit report online for free at Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. If you find an error, contact the credit provider and ask them to resolve the issue.
The minimum requirements vary between lenders but, typically, you need to tick the following boxes:
You must be 18 years old or over. For some loans, you might need to be 21 to apply. Some lenders also have upper age limits.
You need to be a UK resident with full rights to live in the UK and have at least three years’ worth of UK address history.
You need to have a current account.
You must not have been declared bankrupt in the past six years.
The soft search used by our loan eligibility checker will appear in a separate section of your credit file under ‘other searches’. Lenders won’t be able to see this, only you. Any hard searches carried out by lenders will sit under ‘credit searches’.
If you’re ‘pre-approved’ for a loan when you use our eligibility checker, it means that a formal application for that loan is likely to be accepted. This is based on the information we’ve given the lender from our soft search.
But pre-approval doesn’t guarantee acceptance. Lenders will carry out a hard search when you apply for a loan. And if it finds something that it’s not happy about, there’s a chance your application could be rejected.
If you’re refused a loan, your first step is to find out why. It might be something you can rectify, so you have a better chance of being accepted next time you apply.
To boost your chances of acceptance in future, you can:
Check your credit report
Improve your credit score
Pay off any debts
Wait a few months and try to improve your credit score before applying again.
Charlie is a senior commercial leader with close to a decade of experience across the UK’s leading personal-finance and comparison platforms. Before joining Compare the Market as Head of Commercial in 2024, he held senior commercial roles at TotallyMoney and MoneySuperMarket Group.
1Based on the % of respondents claiming they have used Compare the Market in the last 12 months vs. other leading PCWs. Source: Savanta BrandVue Financial Services, National Representative Survey of 12,257 respondents (June 2026)
2Correct as of June 2026.
Compare the Market Limited acts as a credit broker, not a lender. To apply you must be a UK resident and aged 18 or over. Credit is subject to status and eligibility.
What our expert says...
“It’s a good idea to get your credit score in shape before you apply for a loan. Even minor errors on your file can cause difficulties getting a loan. Don’t borrow more than you need to and make sure you can afford the repayments each month.”