Nissan Financing: What To Know Before You Buy

Are you dreaming about zipping around in a sporty GT-R? Yeah, we thought so. But even if you’re working with a Versa budget, you’ll need a way to pay for your new wheels. For most, this means getting an auto loan.

Understanding your NMAC financing options is one step in the process. Checking if your loan offer is competitive is another. You can tick off both those boxes here.

How do your Nissan payments compare to the average?

Use our auto loan calculator to determine how much car you can afford.

You might already have a loan offer for your new Nissan, but how do you know if it’s a good deal? To help, we estimated average monthly Nissan payments for borrowers with various credit scores. With these numbers, you can compare your quoted payments to those of hypothetical borrowers in your same credit band.

To use this data, first, check your credit score. Then, review the tables below and find the model and credit band that most closely matches your situation. From there, you can see how your payment stacks up to the estimated average.

Keep in mind that these figures are estimates. Car payments depend on many factors that are personal to you, including annual percentage rate (APR), loan terms and your down payment amount. Also, these payments only consider the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), not dealer fees, registration costs or extra warranty packages.

You might be wondering why some of our high-credit borrowers pay more per month than lower-credit borrowers. According to Experian, borrowers with higher credit scores generally choose shorter loan terms.

A shorter loan term can save you money, as you’ll pay less interest. You’ll also have less time to pay off your loan. As a result, your monthly payments will be higher to ensure you pay your loan off before the end of your term.

Learn more about how we calculated average monthly Nissan payments.

Estimated average monthly payments for new Nissans

Estimated average monthly payments for used Nissans

Nissan finance options

Researching auto loans might not be as exciting as buying a car, but a little time and effort can go a long way. You could even snag a 0.00% APR Nissan finance deal.

 Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation

Best if...

You’re taking advantage of a special offer or buying your first car with little to no credit.

The first Nissan finance option to look into is captive financing. Also called manufacturer financing, the car manufacturer itself provides your car loan. In this case, your lender would be Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation (NMAC).

Captive financing can save you money if the model you’re purchasing is on promotion. Periodically, NMAC will mark down certain models through a discounted APR, MSRP or monthly lease payment. Cash back may also be on the table. These are called “special offers.”

Special offers vary by location. You’ll need to check Nissan’s website or speak with a local dealer to see what is available in your area.

Like many manufacturers, Nissan doesn’t disclose its exact credit score requirements. However, it may occasionally approve buyers with fair credit. Generally, though, you will need at least good credit (670+) to access Nissan’s special offers and lowest APRs.

You can apply online for a preapproved car loan from Nissan. If it approves you, it will send your preapproval by email, which you can then take to your Nissan dealer.

Other than special offers, you could find other perks by financing through NMAC, including:

First Time Car Buyer Program

It’s not easy to get a car loan with no credit history. Nissan might help with its First Time Car Buyer Program.

You’ll still need to have a job (or a cosigner). You also need to meet other requirements, like earning at least $1,800 in monthly income. Still, this program removes some of the barriers no-credit borrowers face when applying for their first auto loans.

Certified pre-owned vehicles

Nissan offers three types of certified pre-owned vehicles: Nissan Certified, Certified Select and EV Certified.

Nissan Certified vehicles are up to six years old with less than 80,000 miles. Certified Select are up to 10 years old with less than 100,000 miles. With EV Certified, you’ll find electric vehicles that are up to six years old and less than 80,000 miles.

Nissan’s certified pre-owned vehicles must pass a rigorous multi-point inspection. If they pass, these cars come with warranties, complimentary maintenance, special financing and more.

Nissan Military Program

Active-duty and retired military, reserves and veterans can save up to $1,000 on new Nissan vehicles (purchases or leases).

Additionally, military members, civilian components and diplomats deployed overseas can participate in Nissan’s Military AutoSource. This program offers special military pricing and stateside delivery for those who are eligible.

College graduate discount

College graduates can get $500 cash back on qualifying purchases or leases.

SignatureFlex Lease

If you’re in the market for a Nissan lease, SignatureFlex could be a wise choice. This lease deal allows you to add extra miles during your term to help you avoid excess mileage charges when it’s time to turn in your vehicle.

Warranties

New Nissans come with a three-year, 36,000-mile limited warranty and a five-year limited powertrain warranty.

 Bank and credit union auto loans

Best if...

Your bank or credit union offers exclusive APR discounts or car-buying benefits.

Your bank or credit union can also be a good place to get an auto loan. Some banks offer extra benefits for long-time members. Truist, for instance, offers short-term payment relief in the event of hardship. However, this is only available if you’ve banked with them for at least nine months with a positive payment history.

Credit union auto loans are also worth checking out, as they tend to have low interest rates and unique benefits. For example, if you buy an electric vehicle with a DCU Auto Loan, you could get a 0.25% APR discount. That’s on top of a 0.50% APR discount for setting up electronic payments if you’re a Plus or Relationship member.

Banks and credit unions don’t usually disclose their credit score requirements. But if you have a longstanding history, your bank might be willing to look past less-than-perfect credit.

 Online auto loans

Best for...

Comparing multiple offers, no matter your credit score.

One of the best ways to make sure you’re getting the most competitive loan is to compare multiple offers. Targeting online auto loans can make this process easy, especially if you use LendingTree’s loan marketplace. With just a few clicks, you can compare offers from up to five lenders with no negative impact to your credit. Check out what you could qualify for today.

 In-house financing

Best if...

You have bad or no credit and don’t qualify for another type of Nissan financing.

You should only turn to in-house financing as a last resort. Also known as buy here, pay here loans, dealers themselves provide in-house loans, not financial institutions or lenders.

Some borrowers go with in-house financing to get a zero-down bad-credit car loan. As enticing as they sound, these loans can come with triple-digit APRs. Not only that, but loans like these usually only apply to marked-up older vehicles. These factors combined can be a quick way to find yourself with an upside-down car loan.

How we calculated average monthly Nissan payments

To calculate average monthly Nissan payments, we found estimated starting MSRPs for some of Nissan’s most popular models.

Then, we subtracted an average down payment from each MSRP. According to Edmunds, the average down payment on a new vehicle was $6,907 in Q3 2023. For used vehicles, it was $4,111. The resulting figure represents the total amount our hypothetical borrowers financed.

From there, we used our auto loan calculator to figure out average monthly Nissan payments, using average APRs and loan terms as reported by Experian’s State of the Automotive Finance Market Q3 2023. You’ll find this data in the tables below. Please note that loan terms were rounded to the nearest whole number during our calculations.