Top personal loans compared

About Top personal loans compared

Personal loans rarely look the same across markets, and this ranking sets the differences side by side. It covers 1,819 brands serving borrowers in the Philippines, Mexico, Spain and the UK, including 720 licensed providers. The trade-off is the same everywhere: the headline rate against what the account takes from you, which is the fee taken at the start, the length of the term, the credit check you sit through and how quickly the money lands. Rates across the ranking span 0% to 82,901.36%, with the middle of the field at 12.25%. Amounts run €1.75 to €653,159.33 and repayment terms 1 to 480 months. Hard credit checks dominate, at 76.5% of the field.

How we picked

Every brand is scored on separate blocks, weighted from the data rather than from opinion. Cost carries 35% and covers the rate you are quoted, the fee taken at the start and the length of the term, since a cheap monthly figure means little if the balance runs on. The offer block carries 25% and looks at what the brand actually lends, the credit record it asks for and the features it adds, such as same-day funding and a credit line. Trust carries 40% and weighs the credit check, fixed or variable pricing, whether the brand lends the money or matches it, and the support channels offered. Figures come from published product pages, terms and conditions and repayment examples for each brand, set against a category view of 1,819 brands and 75 partners. Partners are listed first, in score order, because their published details are checked most often. Each member below explains why it earned a place and compares itself with the brand ranked straight after it.

What to look for

The rate you are really quoted

The middle rate in this ranking is 12.25%, and the field runs from 0% to 82,901.36%. Read the representative repayment example rather than the headline, because a headline usually sits at the friendly end of a range.

How long you keep the money

The middle term here is 48 months, with the field running from 1 to 480 months. A shorter term means a heavier monthly payment on the same amount, and costs more overall once interest is added.

The credit check you sit through

Hard credit checks apply to 76.5% of the brands in this ranking, while 19.1% run a soft prequalification. Prequalification is worth seeking out, because a full check can leave a mark even if you do not take the loan.

Fixed or variable pricing

Fixed pricing covers 80.6% of the brands in this ranking and variable pricing 19.4%. A fixed rate holds the payment steady, while a variable rate is set again at renewal, so budget for movement.

Speed of payout

Same-day funding appears on 81.9% of the brands here. Fast money settles an emergency and helps nobody plan, so it should not outweigh the cost of the loan.

Getting in touch and repaying early

Early repayment is free at 79.5% of the brands in this ranking, and support by phone sits with 85.3%. Repaying early only saves money where the charge is absent, and a phone line is worth more after a payment goes wrong than before it does.

Frequently asked questions

Top personal loans compared by country

• Australia
• Canada
• China
• Colombia
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• Mexico
• Poland
• Portugal
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV