What a personal loan costs
On 10,000 over 36 months, the lenders we hold work out at $10,945 to $11,955, median $11,279 to repay in the United States best case, and £10,911 to £13,510, median £11,065 in the United Kingdom at the representative APR.
At the top of the published ranges the same loan is $11,955 to $16,487, median $16,481 in the United States and £11,219 to £17,420, median £14,590 in the United Kingdom.
What do the published ranges come to?
The spread below is across the lenders we hold, not a market average.
| Market | Lenders | Best case | Worst case |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 22 | $10,945 to $11,955, median $11,279 | $11,955 to $16,487, median $16,481 (19 publish a ceiling) |
| United Kingdom | 17 | £10,911 to £13,510, median £11,065 | £11,219 to £17,420, median £14,590 (9 publish a ceiling) |
A worked example
Take the lender we hold with the highest published origination fee, LendingPoint, at the top of its published range, and borrow $10,000 over 36 months.
From LendingPoint's published rates page. checked 2026-08-25 This is an example, not a quote.
What does the headline APR leave out?
- Where you sit in the range. The floor goes to the strongest credit profiles. The lender's own disclosure usually says how many applicants got it; where it does, we quote it on the lender's page.
- The origination fee. 11 lenders we hold take a fee off the money before it arrives. The APR already counts it, so the figures here are unchanged by it; what changes is the amount you sign for.
- The term. The same APR over 60 months instead of 36 lowers the payment and raises the total, at every lender.
- Autopay. Several published floors assume automatic payments; without them the rate is a quarter to a half point higher.
- Early settlement. Some UK lenders charge up to two months' interest to settle early; the totals here assume you run to term.
What can you negotiate, and what can you not?
Negotiable in practice: nothing on the published page, but the offer you actually receive is one of several the lender could make, and a second soft-search quote elsewhere is the only leverage a borrower has. Not negotiable: the fee percentage once the offer is made, and the published minimum and maximum.
Questions worth asking before you accept an offer
- What is the total repayable on this exact offer, in writing?
- Is the origination fee deducted from the proceeds, and how much will actually arrive?
- Does the rate assume autopay, and what is it without?
- What does it cost to settle early?
Who this is not for
If you need a recommendation or advice, this page will not give you one. It describes what the published numbers imply and what they leave out. We have not borrowed from these lenders and we do not rate them.
Sources
- Every figure above is computed from the rows in data.json, each carrying its own source URL and check date.
- The method page gives the formula in full and the three reasons a rate can be missing.
Related
Written by Kaz (pen name). Figures are copied from providers' published pricing pages on the dates shown. We have not used these products. Corrections: contact form.