Author: Alpha390 Finance

One of the first questions buyers ask us is simple: how much deposit do you need for a car loan? The short answer is that many Australian lenders will finance a car with no deposit at all — but putting some money down usually means a stronger application, a sharper rate and lower repayments. This...

Written and reviewed by the Finance Director at Alpha390 Finance Your first car loan is a milestone — and often the first serious credit you’ll ever apply for. The catch is that lenders like to see a track record, and a first-time buyer usually doesn’t have one yet. The good news: first car loans are...

Before you start shopping, it helps to know roughly what you can borrow — it keeps you looking at the right cars and stops you stretching your budget. The honest answer is that your borrowing limit depends on your income, your regular commitments and the loan term, but you can get a solid estimate in...

If you run a business and need a vehicle or equipment that earns its keep, a commercial hire purchase (CHP) is one of the most established ways to fund it. It lets your business use the asset and generate income from day one while you pay it off over an agreed term — then take...

When you’re financing a car, the first real decision is whether to use a car loan or a personal loan — and the difference affects your interest rate, your repayments and even what happens if things change down the track. A car loan is secured against the vehicle you’re buying; a personal loan is usually...

Quick answer: Salary sacrifice is the broad idea of paying for something from your pre-tax salary. A novated lease is one specific type of salary sacrifice — it’s how you salary-sacrifice a car. So they’re not really rivals: a novated lease is salary sacrifice applied to a vehicle. The real question is usually whether a...

Quick answer: A novated lease is a three-way arrangement between you, your employer and a lease provider, where your car repayments and running costs come out of your salary — partly before tax. For eligible electric vehicles under the price cap, the federal EV FBT exemption removes fringe benefits tax on the car, which can...

Quick answer: A novated lease lets you pay for a car and many of its running costs out of your pre-tax salary through your employer, which can reduce your taxable income. A car loan is finance you take out yourself to buy the car outright, so you own it from day one. A novated lease...