Company
Disclosure
We are a guide and referral service. This page explains how we are paid, what happens to your details, and what we cannot do for you.
Our relationship with lenders and brokers
We write about banks, finance companies, dealers and brokers. We are not a lender, a broker or a car dealer, and we do not make credit decisions. Any loan you take out is a contract between you and the lender.
We are not paid by the lenders we write about. We do not take payment to feature a lender, to rank one higher or to change what a page says.
How we are paid
You pay us nothing. Our check passes your details, only if you choose to send them, to a broker partner. That broker partner may pay us a fee if a loan settles. We are not paid for referrals that do not settle. The fee does not change the interest rate, the fees or any other term of your loan, and you will not pay more because you came through us.
Who pays us never decides what a page says about a lender. Our editorial policy sets out the rules we follow.
Nobody can promise approval
Lenders assess every application themselves, against the rules they must follow, and they decide case by case. We cannot promise that you will get a loan, how much you can borrow, or what rate you will be offered. Our guides, the compare-quotes tool and the check are not a quote, a pre-approval or an offer of credit.
Credit checks: soft and hard
Our check does not look at your credit file. A lender or broker may need to check it later, and they should tell you before they do.
Not every credit file enquiry has the same effect. Ordering your own credit report is a check you make about yourself, and it does not count against you. When you apply for credit, the lender's enquiry is recorded on your file, and several of those in a short time can look like financial stress to the next lender. Ask before you agree to any check which kind it is.
Who regulates lending in New Zealand
Consumer lending is covered by the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act 2003 (CCCFA). Lenders must lend responsibly, which includes making reasonable enquiries about whether the loan suits you and whether you can afford it. From 1 July 2026 the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) is the conduct regulator that oversees how lenders treat borrowers. Lenders do their own assessment, and that duty stays with them.
Your details
If you send us your details, we pass them to a broker partner so they can contact you about your request. See our privacy policy for what we collect and why.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with something we have done, email info@carfinanceguide.co.nz with the details and we will reply as soon as we can. If your complaint is about a loan or a lender, raise it with them first. Lenders must have a dispute resolution scheme you can take it to if it is not resolved.
If a payment is already hard to keep up with, free and confidential help is available from MoneyTalks on 0800 345 123.