MTF vs Avanti Finance for a car loan

Searching for MTF against Avanti usually means one of two things: you have a quote from each and want to know why they differ, or a dealer has named one and you wonder about the other. We are a guide, not a lender or broker, so this is a description of what each company says about itself and what the law asks of both.

Where they differ in one paragraph

Avanti presents itself as a specialist that works through advisers, brokers and dealers and talks openly about dealer and introducer fees. MTF presents itself as a network of local offices and approved dealers and publishes a table of rates by credit rating. Both publish rate ranges that are wide, which is the honest reading of risk-based pricing: your own rate could sit anywhere in the range, or the lender could decline.

About the two companies

Avanti Finance. Its about-us page says it started in 1989 in auto lending, is New Zealand-owned, and now lends for property, autos, personal and business needs in New Zealand, plus auto finance in Australia. It says it provides lending “through our trusted network of advisers, brokers and dealers” and that it is a member of the Financial Services Federation.

MTF. Motor Trade Finance Limited says its model began in 1970 with a group of car dealers. Dealers in the network handle the application and paperwork for their customers, and the public side of the business is a set of local offices, over 50 according to its car loan page.

What the published figures show

We have not given a single Avanti starting rate because its own pages disagree on the lower end. Check the current auto loan interest rate guide on Avanti’s rates and fees page, and ask for your rate in writing.

Fees you can see on their own pages

Avanti’s auto fee schedule, which showed an effective date of 31 October 2026 when we read it, lists a $205 establishment fee, a PPSR registration fee of $9.10, a dealer fee of up to $500 that is added to your loan and paid to the dealer, and a monthly account fee of $6.95. It also lists a prepayment administration fee of $23, a possible interest-difference fee worked out on request, and an arrears fee of $36 a month once a loan is 30 days overdue.

MTF’s fee table for secured loans lists an establishment fee of up to $380, an agent fee of up to $250 when its agent refers you, a $7.54 monthly admin fee, a $10.35 PPSR fee, and a $17.00 early repayment fee with a variable fee on top when market rates have changed.

Notice how both put the dealer or agent charge on a separate line. That is useful. It means you can ask whether the charge applies to your deal and whether you can avoid it by going direct.

What the introducer charge does to the numbers

A dealer charge is added to the loan, so you pay interest on it. On a $15,000 loan over five years at 15% a year, repayments would be about $357 a month, or roughly $21,411 in all. Add a $500 fee to the balance and they rise to about $369 a month and roughly $22,125. The $500 fee costs you about $714 once interest on it is counted. These are made-up figures, not a quote from MTF or Avanti, and the lenders’ own monthly and establishment fees would sit on top.

Direct or through a dealer

Avanti describes three ways in: apply online, ask for pre-approval before you shop, or apply at a partner dealership. MTF describes starting online, over the phone or at an office, and talking with a local lending specialist about options. Both also work through dealers.

If you arrive via a dealer, the lender is still the one that signs you up. Avanti says documents and communications come from Avanti if the loan goes ahead. You can usually ask whether the same lender would deal with you directly, and what that does to the charges. Our car finance broker guide covers a third route, where a broker compares lenders for a fee or a commission.

What the law adds for either lender

Whichever name is on the contract, the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act sets rules for lenders and brokers alike. The ones that matter most when a third party introduces the deal:

• the lender, not the dealer, carries the duty to check that the loan suits you and is affordable
• anything a dealer or introducer charges has to be disclosed to you in the loan paperwork, with the total cost of credit
• fees must be reasonable, which applies to early repayment and to arrears charges
• the lender must belong to a dispute scheme, and you can use it for free after the lender has had a chance to respond

Consumer Protection and the Financial Markets Authority explain these in more detail. We link both below. Also remember that a broker or dealer who gives you advice about finance may have their own obligations; ask who is advising you and who pays them.

Questions to put to whoever is arranging it

A dealer or adviser who introduces you to either lender can answer these in a minute, and the answers belong in writing. Which lender will hold the loan? Is any part of the interest rate an introducer margin, and if so, can it be reduced? Is a dealer or agent fee being added to the balance, and what does it do to the total? Would the same lender quote direct, without the introducer, and at what rate? What are the settlement figures at the end of year one and year three? None of these questions is rude. A lender that publishes its dealer fee, as both do, expects them.

How to choose

Treat price as the main test and everything else as tie-breakers.

1. Same loan, two quotes. Equal amount, term and payment frequency.
2. Total repayable first. Then the monthly figure.
3. Ask about every add-on. Payment protection, GAP and mechanical breakdown insurance are optional with both lenders. Ask for their price outside the loan so you can shop around.
4. Look at the exit. Settlement figures differ.
5. Know the hardship process. Ask what happens if you lose income.
6. Get one more quote. A bank or other lender gives you a baseline; see bank vs finance company car loan.

Steps to take this week

1. Work out your budget with a buffer.
2. Ask both lenders for a written offer and an early settlement figure.
3. Ask whether any dealer, agent or introducer charge sits in the quote.
4. Check each lender on the Financial Service Providers Register.
5. Compare totals and read the disclosure before signing.
6. Our /check form passes your details to a broker partner, who compares lenders for you and calls you back.

Checklist

• Written offers from both, for the same loan.
• Rate, every fee, and total repayable on each.
• Any dealer or agent charge shown separately.
• Settlement figure from each.
• Dispute scheme confirmed for each.

Red flags

• A fee that appears only on the final contract.
• A dealer saying a lender will certainly lend before the lender has assessed you.
• Insurance bundled without its own price.
• A refusal to show the total repayable.
• Pressure to sign on the day.

If repayments get hard, contact the lender early and call MoneyTalks on 0800 345 123. Avanti’s site has a financial hardship support page, and any lender must consider a hardship request under the law.

Sources

• Avanti Finance: auto loans
• Avanti Finance: rates and fees
• Avanti Finance: about us
• Avanti Finance: feedback and complaints
• MTF: interest rates and fees
• MTF: car loans
• MTF: contact and complaints
• Consumer Protection: what lenders must do
• Financial Markets Authority: credit law changes