Finance Now vs Avanti Finance

Finance Now and Avanti Finance are often listed side by side by people shopping for a non-bank car loan. They are not the same kind of operation, though, and the differences show up in the numbers each publishes. We have set out what each company says on its own pages, dated 10 November 2026, without ranking either.

Car Finance Guide is a guide. We are not a lender or a broker, and we have no view on who will lend to you. Reviews and rate-comparison sites sometimes quote older figures, so we left them out and used each company’s own pages.

Who are you comparing?

Finance Now says it offers online car loans, and its pages are built around a calculator and a short online application. Avanti Finance describes auto loans on a dedicated page, an online application, relationships with hundreds of registered dealers across New Zealand, and a section aimed at advisers, brokers and dealers who introduce customers.

So one reads as a direct online lender, and the other as a direct lender that also has an introducer channel. You can still apply to Avanti yourself online.

Loan size and term

Here the two diverge sharply.

• Finance Now: up to $60,000, with its calculator starting at $1,000, over 6 to 60 months.
• Avanti: $2,500 to $500,000 over 6 to 84 months, per its auto loans page.

An 84-month term means a smaller monthly payment but more interest in total. If you are weighing a longer term for that reason, see our hire purchase vs car loan page, and test any long term against your own plans for the car.

The fees, line by line

Avanti’s list says it is effective from 31 October 2026. Finance Now’s figures come from its car loan and calculator pages. Neither list is a quote for you.

Rates, and a mismatch worth knowing about

Finance Now shows 8.25% to 29.95% a year as the range until 14 January 2027, then a minimum of 8.45%. Avanti’s rates and fees page shows secured fixed rates of 9.20% to 25.20%, and says they may include an introducer margin. Avanti’s auto loan page shows 8.95% to 25.20%.

Two Avanti pages give two minimum rates. Since the rates and fees page is the one that carries an effective date, we lead with it, and we suggest asking Avanti which figure applies to the offer in front of you.

A wide range is the lender saying your rate depends on your credit history and the risk it sees. Finance Now says the same about its own range. See what is a comparison rate for how fees fold into the real cost.

Speed, as each lender describes it

Finance Now’s car FAQ says approvals are often within 24 to 48 hours, subject to responsible lending enquiries. Avanti’s site says decisions are typically within two business hours and that approved loans are paid out within one business day of the agreement being signed, though that wording sits on its general lending page rather than a car-specific one.

Treat these as descriptions of usual practice. They are not promises to you, and a lender may take longer if it needs more information.

Add-ons and pre-approval

Avanti’s auto page says it offers mechanical breakdown, payment protection and GAP insurance, and that you can seek pre-approval before you buy a vehicle. Finance Now’s calculator mentions optional payment protection insurance, which is not included in the repayments it shows. If any add-on is offered, ask for its price on its own line, and ask whether it is added to the loan, since interest then runs on it.

What happens if you fall behind

Avanti’s fee list is more detailed here. It shows an arrears management fee of $36 a month once a loan is 30 or more days past due, default interest equal to the annual rate plus 10% a year on the unpaid amount, a $142 repossession administration fee if it repossesses a secured vehicle, and court and recovery costs at actual cost. It also shows a $117 loan restructure fee, which is what you would meet if you asked to change the loan.

The Finance Now pages we read do not publish a default fee schedule. That does not mean there are none. The disclosure statement must list them, so ask to see it early and read the section on missed payments before you decide. Both lenders encourage you to get in touch if you cannot pay, and a lender is usually easier to deal with before an account is behind than after.

If you are weighing the two on risk, look at how easy each makes it to find the answers. A lender that publishes its charges on a dated page is easier to compare, but it is not by itself cheaper or safer.

Your protections under NZ law

Credit like this falls under the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act. Consumer Protection’s guidance says a lender must:

• ask about your needs and check you can repay without undue difficulty
• give you disclosure before you are committed
• belong to an approved dispute resolution scheme
• let you repay early, with only a reasonable fee

We did not find a named scheme on the car loan pages of either company, so ask each one which it belongs to and look it up on the Financial Service Providers Register.

A worked example, with made-up offers

These are illustrations, not offers from either company. You borrow $20,000 over five years at 10%, with a $200 establishment fee on both.

• Offer 1: a $2.50 monthly fee. The repayment is about $425 a month, and you repay about $25,846 in all.
• Offer 2: a $6.95 monthly fee. The repayment is also about $425, and you repay about $26,113.

The monthly payments look identical at a glance. Over 60 months the fee difference is about $267, which is the kind of gap a quick glance at the headline rate would miss. Add a $500 dealer fee, which is made up here, and the gap widens.

How to decide

Work through these in order.

1. Does the loan fit? Check the amount and term against each lender’s published range.
2. What does it cost in total? Compare the full repayable amount, with every fee.
3. Who is in the middle? Ask whether a dealer or introducer fee applies.
4. What is the exit? Get a payout figure for the middle of the loan.
5. Who handles complaints? Ask for the scheme’s name.

Next steps

1. Pick an amount, a term and a repayment you could carry.
2. Ask both for a written offer on exactly that.
3. Copy the totals into one table.
4. Get a third quote, perhaps from a bank. Our bank vs finance company page explains how those differ.
5. If you would like a human to help with the process, the /check form passes your details to a broker partner, who compares lenders for you and calls you back.

Checklist

• Both offers are written and use the same amount and term.
• You have the rate, every fee and the total repayable.
• You know whether a dealer or introducer fee applies.
• You know whether the loan is secured on the vehicle.
• You have a payout figure for early settlement.
• You know each lender’s dispute scheme.

Red flags

• A fee that was not on the first page of the offer.
• A longer term suggested only to lower the repayment.
• Insurance folded into the loan without its own price.
• Being told a loan is certain before the lender has seen your details.
• A lender unwilling to say which dispute scheme it belongs to.

If money gets tight, speak to your lender early, and call MoneyTalks free on 0800 345 123.

Sources

• Finance Now: car loans
• Finance Now: car loan calculator
• Avanti Finance: auto loans
• Avanti Finance: rates and fees
• Avanti Finance: home page
• Consumer Protection: what lenders must do
• Financial Service Providers Register