Annabelle Clarke

PR Manager

Annabelle Clarke | Author

Eduardo Rodrigues

Content Writer

Claudia Tuñón

Isobel Coughlan

Joseph Law

Bumper Content Writer

Alastair Shephard

1 in 5 UK drivers admit to driving unsafe cars because they

and a quarter of drivers aged 17 to 24 say they put off repairs to avoid extra costs. This results in many dangerous vehicles on the road and a higher likelihood of 

Repairing your car is critical. To help manage the costs, a significant proportion of drivers use payday loans to cover car expenses. However, this isn’t always the best solution either. 

In this article, we’re exploring why payday loans aren’t always the best idea for car costs with honest advice and unbiased information. 

Before we discuss the pros and cons of payday

, we’ll quickly provide an overview of what they are. 

A payday loan is a short-term, unsecured loan that often comes with high-interest rates. These are also known as salary loans, payroll loans, payday advances, or cash advance loans. 

Payday loans are usually available for £500 or less and are a popular option for those with lower credit scores. But they’re not your only option.

It’s vital to be informed before applying for any 

. Here are the transparent benefits and drawbacks of payday loans for car repairs. 

Alternatives to payday loans for car repairs

Realising your car needs urgent repair is stressful. Before you sign up for a payday loan, consider alternative options and assess how they’ll affect your finances. 

Alternative payment options for car repairs include: 

Payday loans vs Bumper’s interest-free finance: A comparison

loans are used for car or vehicle expenses

, but they often have large interest rates. Typical interest rates work out to be 1,300% APR. 

In fact, one company we found offering payday loans for car repairs estimated a 6-month £2,000 loan would cost £3273.94, including interest. This is 

Companies offering payday loans tend to prey on those with 

‘Payday loans for bad credit’ is a phrase that appears frequently when searching online. This may seem appealing if you have a low credit score, but you’ll likely be charged a much higher interest rate. 

Finder.com reported that the average payday loan user is younger, between the ages of 25 and 30, single, in rented accommodation, and on a low income, with a household income of less than £1,500 per month. 61% of these users admitted to feeling less confident about managing money. 

Payday loans may seem like a quick solution to your car repair problems but could leave you with large amounts of interest to pay and your credit score negatively impacted (if you’re unable to make the repayments). 

Why interest-free loans are more sustainable than payday loans

 interest-free, buy now pay later loans for car repairs keep things simple. 

They have a 0% APR, meaning what you borrow is exactly what you pay. The garage covers the lender's cost in the form of a small percentage charge, so there is no need to worry about depositing extra cash to cover the interest. 

 and risk management systems uses artificial intelligence to make lending decisions based on previous loans, meaning we can lend responsibly and not push customers into debt. 

It also ensures we can lend to many people. Our average acceptance rate is 95%. 

Participating garages offer interest-free loans. Our' find a garage' tool allows you to find local garages using your postcode. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to car financing. However, it’s important to understand that payday loans aren’t always as friendly as they seem. Hopefully, this blog has helped you understand how payday loans work and encouraged you to conduct your own research before choosing one car repair financing method. 

 helps you spread the cost of any repairs at no extra cost. With 0% interest and the chance to split bills of up to £5,000, we’re here to help when your car goes wrong. We also offer quick online pre-approvals, allowing you to skip the paperwork and access help whenever needed. 

Apply for a credit limit and find a reliable service partner today. 

has been writing about cars for over seven years and writing for Bumper for over two, blending his passion for automobiles with a talent for storytelling.

Joseph has written about engineering and cars for Autozilla, Komaspec, and several engineering manufacturers. When he's not writing or tinkering with one of his five cars, Joseph dreams of owning an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.

Here’s Why You Should NOT Use Payday Loans For Car Repairs

Volkswagen UK is improving their aftersales experience by offering customers interest free on repairs, servicing, MOTS and accessories.

Bumper is an innovative, interest-free lender that allows customer to split their repair bill at no additional cost. With flexible options to suit big and small invoices, anything between £60 and £3,000 can be borrowed and split over 1 to 6 instalments (a payment made on the day is required for 4, 5 and 6 instalments).

The service is available in participating VW garages across the UK. Applications are subject to a Soft Check and a decision is presented to the customer instantly.

Head of Aftersales at VW UK, Kevin Rendell, said, “The 0% offer allows drivers to spread the cost of accessories, maintenance, repairs and more, all with the reassurance of Volkswagen Retailer customer service. “

Bumper, CEO, James Jackson, said, “So far, the UK aftersales sector has demonstrated commitment and innovation when it comes to keeping key workers on the move. From drop off and pick up service appointments for essential work, through to offering frontline staff special service discounts, dealers are showing they are willing to pull out the stops.

“However, ability to pay for aftersales services, no matter how urgent, will also be compromised. Introducing payment flexibility can be one way in which dealerships can offer these key customers support during uncertain times.

“Because of the uncertainty that will surround the economy for some time after the current lockdown measures are lifted, many people will be unable to, or wary of paying for 

“Again, providing customers with payment flexibility, such as the ability to split their payments interest free over a number of months, will help dealerships retain customers and sell work that might otherwise prove difficult.”

Bumper is an interest free financing solution for car repairs and services that is customer centric and responsible. To get your Credit Limit and find participating garages, click below to find a service partner.

Volkswagen to offer 0% APR finance in bid to boost aftersales experience

 flexible interest-free payment solution across its service departments.

Jaguar Land Rover customers will be given the option to split their bills into affordable monthly payments completely interest-free. Bumper’s use of risk management systems and artificial intelligence allows an instant decision to be made whilst the customer’s car is still in the dealership. This allows maintenance work to be carried out and gives the customer peace of mind their bill has already been dealt with.

Customer Services Director of Jaguar Land Rover UK, Garry Burns, said: “We have seen a significant shift in consumer payment patterns, with many now preferring to split payments and pay on a monthly basis allowing us to broaden the options available to customers.

“As part of our commitment to giving customers the best possible experience when driving a Jaguar or Land Rover vehicle, we also want to make sure payments are as flexible and convenient to manage as possible.”

Jack Allman, co-founder of Bumper, said: “Jaguar Land Rover is one of the most recognised automotive brands in the world and we’re looking forward to helping them further improve their service experience, and continue their drive for innovation and customer excellence, with the ability to offer a buy now pay later option.

Jaguar Land Rover Roll Out Bumper Buy Now PayLater Option Across Service Departments

With many big online and high street names offering customers greater flexibility Buy now Pay Later is growing in popularity. Currys, Ikea, Very.co.uk and many others engage consumers with offers of slicing their bills and delaying payments.

Buy now pay later is a finance option that allows you to make purchases either by splitting them into monthly payments and/or delaying the payments to a later date.

Some providers have interest bearing BNPL options so it’s important to find out before applying, however this will often be made clear to you beforehand. Other providers, such as Bumper for car repairs, is interest free and won’t charge you extra for splitting your bill.

Why is Buy Now Pay Later becoming more popular?

For online shoppers using sites such as Pretty Little Thing, Missguided and ASOS BNPL allows customers to purchase more items and return clothes before payments are made. Retailers offering BNPL on larger items, for example washing machines at Currys or 

, allows customers to split often unexpected bills into affordable monthly payments.

Will using Buy Now Pay Later affect my credit score?

As some BNPL options require a credit check it can be used as a way to boost your credit score. Regular on-time payments are reported back to the credit reference agency and can be looked upon as favourable by lenders in the future. For advice and to see your credit score you should consult a credit reference agency such as Experian.

Bumper is an interest free solution for car repairs and services that is customer centric and responsible. To get your Credit Limit and find participating garages and dealerships clickhere.

Buy Now PayLater: Fastest Growing Payment Method Globally

We are excited to announce our latest partnership with CitNOW, which will continue to offer increased flexibility for customers when paying for repairs through CitNOW’s workshop app.

Now customers will be able to see required repair work with dealers using CitNOW via video and apply to split their bill into monthly instalments in just a few clicks.

Chief Technology Officer, Colin Tinto commented, ‘What has become clear during this pandemic is that consumers are becoming more accustomed to communicating and transacting digitally and are realising that the associated processes can be a lot more efficient. As we emerge from lockdown, convenience will continue to be a priority for consumers, which is why it made perfect sense for us to partner with Bumper.

“Like us they are a leader in their field, and, more importantly, they share our vision for cutting-edge digital solutions that benefit car buyers”.

The integration is available now in the CitNOW workshop app and is free to eligible sites.

Bumper is an interest free solution for car repairs and services that is customer-centric and responsible. To get your Credit Limit and find participating garages and dealerships visit the Bumper website.

Announcement: Bumper and CitNOW partnership offers increased flexibility for drivers

Bumper has been selected to join Tech Nation's highly specialised growth programme for the FinTech sector.

The programme is specially designed for companies ready to achieve their potential and scale. It consists of insights sessions delivered by some of the most established fintech entrepreneurs, investors, and partners.

The programme lasts for six months and includes an in-depth induction, a series of learning sessions and networking events with key stakeholders.

A record number of applications have been narrowed down to just 31 companies. The companies include Automated Intelligence, Aveni, Balkerne, BankBI, Bankifi, Caura, Coincover, Credas and Creditable.

Bumper CEO, James Jackson, said, “It’s great to be recognised by this Government-backed programme which selects the 30 most exciting FinTechs in the UK to help support them through their growth phase and includes an international showcase tour to help raise Bumper’s profile and potentially new investment. Previous graduates of the programme include FinTech Unicorns including Starling Bank, TransferWise and Revolut”.

Bumper is an interest-free financing solution for car repairs and services that is customer-centric and responsible.

We’re delighted to announce a partnership with RTC Automotive Solutions. The collaboration will see Bumper’s aftersales payment integrated into RTC’s aftersales platform and will mean Bumper’s ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ service will be easily offered to aftersales customers at dealerships using RTC’s software.

RTC’s Aftersales management technology, which provides dealerships with inbound booking, workshop loading and management, electronic vehicle health check and deferred work contact capabilities, now also includes the ability to offer customers the option of splitting their payments across a number of interest-free instalments.

Decisions are offered and processed immediately within the platform using Bumper’s proprietary risk management technology, helping to speed up the customer approval process and enabling dealerships to sell work that might have otherwise been declined.

Bumper is now used by more than 2,000 dealership sites in the UK, including sites belonging to brands such as Jaguar, Land Rover, Peugeot, Citroën, Ford and Vauxhall. The business has also started working with Volkswagen Group brands across the country. Dealerships typically pay a percentage of the work sold using Bumper to the company.

James Jackson, Co-founder and CEO of Bumper, said:

“Having the ability to offer customers flexible payment options is becoming increasingly important to retail businesses, and dealerships are no different. Customers also have high expectations for convenience and by integrating our solution with RTC Aftersales, we will be able to provide dealerships with a quick way of streamlining the approval of work, with the ability to split payments a seamless part of the process”.

Richard Robinson, Chief Operating Officer at RTC, said:

“We’re constantly looking to develop our solutions and integrate with new partners. The ability for our dealerships to offer their customers a simple way to choose flexible payments as part of the approval process for any required work will ensure a smoother aftersales experience.”

Find out more about RTC’s Aftersales platform here.

Bumper is an interest free financing solution for car repairs and services that is customer centric and responsible.

New RTC and ASF integration offers customers seamless application process

Bumper has teamed up with Ecologi to set and achieve goals for a carbon neutral future.

Bristol based, Ecologi, was set up to empower everyday people and businesses to help tackle the climate crisis. Funds raised go directly to planet saving projects. A key area of focus is Tree Planting, one of the best tools to help keep our temperatures from rising, and carbon reduction, the process of removing more greenhouses gases than are produced.

So far Bumper has funded the planting of 1,000 trees, which is 73.53 tonnes of carbon reduction. This is equivalent to 56 long haul flights, 148,428 miles driven in a car and 221 square meters of sea ice saved.

Bumper’s funding has already contributed to several green projects.

This project aims to provide long term access to clean water for families in the Zoba Debub district of Eritrea by repairing water boreholes. Boreholes are used in the region to access clean water however a large number are broken. Repaired water boreholes access naturally cleaned water purified as it percolates through pores in the rock and reduces the number of residents using fired wood as a means of purification.

Forest plantation on degraded grassland in Uruguay

Previously used for cattle grazing for 300 years, 21,298 hectares of land have been turned into sustainable managed forestry. The project, which is over seen by Rainforest Alliance, should remove 7,644,973 tonnes of CO2 in the next 60 years.

Our goal is to help plant 100,000 trees in the next 12 months and become a carbon neutral business.

To learn more about the work Ecologi is doing 

Bumper team up with Ecologi to tackle urgent climate crisis

Find all the latest industry news and handiest car repair and service tips on the Bumper Blog. Want to get the Bumper view on something? Let us know and we’ll drop a blog post on it as soon as we can.