How a Logbook Loan Works

Just like any other loan, you can take out a logbook loan on the high street or there are plenty of online providers too. Offering loans of anywhere between £250 and £100,000, these lenders charge Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) of at least 100%, with 450% being far from unusual. When you consider that high street loans are available with APRs below 5%, your options have to be pretty narrow to sign up for one of these loans.

Repayment periods can be as little as three months (although at least six months is more common), while some lenders will let you pay back the debt over as much as five years. How much you’ll be able to borrow will depend on how much your car is worth – remember that’s what the loan is secured upon. Some lenders will let you borrow up to half of what your car will fetch, but the terms and conditions vary from one lender to another.

When you take on a logbook loan "loan against car" you’ll have to hand your registration document (V5C) over to the lender and you won’t get it back until the debt has been cleared. Default on the payments and your car will be seized so you’ll never get the V5C (or your car) back. 

If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you’ll have to sign a credit agreement and a bill of sale. By doing this you’re assigning temporary ownership of your car to the lender, but as long as you keep up the payments you can continue to drive it. Crucially though, the law recognise a bill of sale only if the lender registers it with the High Court. Should the lender fail to do so, the lender has to get a court’s approval to repossess your vehicle.

If you live in Scotland, bear in mind that bills of sale aren’t recognised, which means they can’t be used as security and they’re not legally binding.

As with any loan you need to read the small print very carefully, paying especially close attention to what the arrangement will cost you. A typical logbook loan has an APR of around 300%, so if you borrow just £1000 for 12 months, you’ll have to pay back £1960, at £163 each month. Take out the same loan on the high street and you could potentially cut these costs to as little as £1032 and £86; just half as much.