Car finance is one of the most popular ways to fund the purchase of a new car. But if you’ve never used finance to fund the purchase of something, it can appear to be a little daunting. The good news is that car finance is relatively straightforward, with FCA approved providers (such as Creditplus), sharing all the information you need every step of the process.

During the car finance application process, there are some documents and pieces of information that you will need to share. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need before you apply for car finance.

Proof of identity

The first thing you’ll need to be able to do is prove your identity. You can do this with a driving licence, either full or provisional. You can also use a passport to confirm your identity.

It’s a good idea to make sure that the information on these documents is correct. So have you updated the address on your driving licence? If not, do it now as you’ll need this during the application (and its also technically illegal to have the wrong address on your driving licence).

If you decide to use your passport, then you should make sure it’s in date too. Just make sure you haven’t sent it off for renewal when the time comes to apply for car finance, as you will end up being delayed.

Proof of address

You’ll also need to be able to prove your address. There are a number of ways you can do this, but the most straightforward is by using some sort of utility bill. This can be from your gas or electric provider, your local council tax statement, mobile phone or broadband bill, or a bank statement. As long as it shows your current address, these documents are ideal.

When the time comes to share this with the finance provider, you will need to ensure that the bill is dated no more than sixty days before the date of the application. It’s a good idea to request a statement specifically for use in the application, especially if you don’t normally receive a paper statement.

Proof of income

You need to be able to prove that you can afford the finance package you are taking out. If you are employed by a company, you can use your most recent payslips as proof of income. You’ll need the payslips from the three months leading up to your application. You can also use a bank statement if it shows the payment from your employer being paid in.

If you are self-employed, you will also need to show bank statements confirming your income. If there are any other sources of income that you are using during your application, you’ll need to show proof of this too.

If, for whatever reason, you cannot show payslips from your company, the finance provider may ask you if they can call your employer to confirm your employment. This is a quick check to ensure you are working where you say you are working. They will not discuss any details of your application with your employer, so your privacy will be preserved.