01
Which method costs the least?
Estimated cost over your chosen period, after deducting the value of any car you own at the end and including finance or final fees still owed.
ONE CAR. MORE WAYS TO PAY.
What is the best way to pay for a car in the UK?
Compare cash, a personal loan, HP, PCP and leasing over the same period. Choose what matters most, enter a car price and see an illustrative comparison immediately. Refine it with your actual offers before deciding.
YOUR PAYMENT COMPARISON
Illustrative starting offers. Replace rates and payments with your written quotes before using this comparison to decide.
Your payment methods
01
Total money paid
Everything leaving your bank account during the comparison period: upfront, monthly, fees and final payments.
02
Estimated cost over the period
Total paid + estimated finance and unpaid final fees − the value of the car you retain. For lease, you return the car, so there is no retained value.
Example: £40,000 paid − £20,000 car value = £20,000 estimated cost.
Optional savings comparison:
Paying cash means giving up potential savings interest. Enter a realistic after-tax annual rate to include that trade-off in the comparison. At 0%, the ranking uses simple estimated cost. This return is illustrative, not guaranteed, and is not added to the money you actually pay.
| Method | Fit / 10 | Upfront | Monthly | End payment including fees |
Total paid in this period |
Finance / fees left at the end |
Estimated cost | Cost allowing for savings return |
|---|
SEE THE DIFFERENCE
Four views of the same comparison
The simple cost components reconcile with the estimated-cost column. Optional savings analysis is shown separately and changes the ranking when used.
02
Where does that cost come from?
Longer bars mean a higher estimated cost. For ownership methods, the bar separates the car’s lost value from finance charges and fees. Lease payments are shown as the cost of using the car.
Car value lost / vehicle use
Finance cost
Fees
03
What if the car is worth more or less than expected?
Your future car value is an estimate. Each range shows how simple cost changes if the car is worth 15% more or less than estimated. PCP keeping the car has resale exposure; returning a PCP car at the agreement end uses its guaranteed future value, subject to contract conditions.
Lower estimated cost
Higher estimated cost
Returning a lease or returning a PCP car at its agreement end has no resale-value range. Mileage, condition and other charges can still change the cost.
04
How does the money leave your account over time?
Solid lines show cumulative cash paid—not the true cost. At the end, the dotted adjustment allows for the car you own and any finance remaining. Compare the labelled end markers to see estimated cost.
Cash starts high because the full price is paid immediately. That does not make it the most expensive method: the end adjustment deducts the car’s remaining value.
THE TIMING MATTERS
Payment journeys, shown together.
See today’s payment, the regular commitment, any final payment and what position you are in at the end.
Calculations and assumptions
Estimated cost = total money paid during the selected period + estimated finance and unpaid final fees remaining − retained car value. PCP shows keep and return as separate decisions when the agreement ends within the comparison period.
Car-value sensitivity is an illustrative ±15%, not a valuation forecast. Running costs, tax, maintenance differences, insurance and early-termination costs are excluded. Investment returns are reflected only if you enter an optional after-tax savings return. For loan, HP and PCP, enter a quoted monthly payment when possible. Otherwise the payment is estimated using an effective annual interest rate excluding fees. A rate reverse-solved from a quoted payment is an implied interest rate, not the lender’s regulatory APR. The implied rate estimates outstanding finance when a term extends beyond the comparison date. Any unpaid final fee entered is then added. This is not a lender settlement quote.
Methodology version 1.3 · September 2026
How the rating works
The selected weights and component scores appear above. No unexplained flexibility adjustment is added. They are based on estimated cost, your three payment limits and whether you want to own the car. No rating guarantees affordability or credit approval.