Auto Sales & Finance

Auto Financing

Most consumers finance their car at the dealership. Dealers now often make as much or more profit from financing and add-on products as they do from selling cars. Financing the car purchase makes consumers vulnerable to a host of abuses including interest rate mark-ups, financing costs hidden in the price of the vehicle, sky-high financing costs, and putting people into car financing they cannot afford. NCLC works to bring fairness and transparency to car financing.

CFPB Must Supervise Auto Finance, Debt Collection, Credit Reporting, and International Remittance Industries

September 24, 2025

Rigorous Supervision Is Needed to Protect People from Financial Abuse

Read More about: CFPB Must Supervise Auto Finance, Debt Collection, Credit Reporting, and International Remittance Industries
May 22, 2023
May 1, 2016

Recent

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Bankrate: How predatory but legal auto loans are systematically taking advantage of people with subprime credit

March 4, 2026

More Perfect Union: We Uncovered the Secret Scheme Trapping Americans in Car Loans

February 26, 2026

CFPB Must Supervise Auto Finance, Debt Collection, Credit Reporting, and International Remittance Industries

September 24, 2025

Comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Regarding Defining Larger Participants of the Auto Financing Market

September 22, 2025

USA Today: How to get the best car loan before you visit the dealership

August 14, 2025

2025 Consumer Protection Federal Priorities

October 21, 2024

The New York Times: What to Do if You Fall Behind on Auto Loan Payments

October 11, 2024

ProPublica: What No One Tells You About Car Loan Deferments

September 12, 2024

Amicus Brief: Ochoa v. Ford Motor Company

May 6, 2024

Comments & Letters

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Comments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Regarding Defining Larger Participants of the Auto Financing Market

September 22, 2025

Consumer Group Comments Urging CFPB to Continue and Expand its Auto Data Collection Project

March 25, 2024

Coalition Comments to CFPB Regarding Collection of Data from the Auto Finance Market

December 19, 2022

Consumer Groups Comments to the CFPB Regarding the Need for Additional Auto Finance Data

December 19, 2022

Comments to the FTC Addressing Auto Sale Add-ons, Price and Financing Disclosures, Yo-Yo sales, and More

September 12, 2022

Group Letter to the FTC Addressing Auto Sale Add-ons, Price and Financing Disclosures, Yo-yo sales, and More

September 12, 2022

Group Letter to the Colorado Motor Vehicle Dealer Board

January 23, 2019

Group Comments to the CFPB Regarding Defining Larger Participants in Auto Financing

December 8, 2014

Reports

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Time to Stop Racing Cars: The Role of Race and Ethnicity in Buying and Using a Car

April 15, 2019

Auto Add-Ons Add Up: How Dealer Discretion Drives Excessive, Arbitrary, and Discriminatory Pricing

October 1, 2017

Repo Madness: How Automobile Repossessions Endanger Owners, Agents, & the Public

March 1, 2010

Imperfect Competition in Auto Lending: Subjective Markup, RacialDisparity, and Class Action Litigation

December 1, 2006

Driving Out of Poverty in Private Automobiles

January 30, 2002

Issue Briefs

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2025 Consumer Protection Federal Priorities

October 21, 2024

New Ways to Understand the Impact of Auto Finance on Low-Income Families

May 1, 2016

Testimony

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Testimony During “Examining Discrimination in the Automobile Loan and Insurance Industries”

May 1, 2019

Press Releases & News

View All for Press Releases & News
Bankrate: How predatory but legal auto loans are systematically taking advantage of people with subprime credit

March 4, 2026

More Perfect Union: We Uncovered the Secret Scheme Trapping Americans in Car Loans

February 26, 2026

CFPB Must Supervise Auto Finance, Debt Collection, Credit Reporting, and International Remittance Industries

September 24, 2025

USA Today: How to get the best car loan before you visit the dealership

August 14, 2025

The New York Times: What to Do if You Fall Behind on Auto Loan Payments

October 11, 2024

ProPublica: What No One Tells You About Car Loan Deferments

September 12, 2024

Broad Coalition of 104 Organizations Tell Congress to Support FTC CARS Rule

April 10, 2024

Consumer Advocates Applaud FTC for Moving Forward with CARS Rule

December 12, 2023

Los Angeles Times: Why all Latino wealth is not equal

July 19, 2023

Find a Car Program

Across the country more than 100 nonprofit organizations work to ensure that low wage working families are able to get a car in order to find and keep a job. Do you need a car or want to donate one? Find a program in your state.

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From the NCLC Digital Library

Automobile Fraud

NCLC’s treatise on odometer tampering, lemon laundering, and concealment of salvage or other adverse history. Winning investigation and litigation techniques for obtaining punitive damages, rescission, treble damages, or $10,000 statutory damages, and attorney fees.

Read Chapter One

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