How to get a £20,000 loan with the best rate

£20,000 is close to the maximum amount that many banks are prepared to lend without securing the loan against property. Use our online calculators to find the best secured and unsecured rates available to you.

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Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other loan secured on it.

£20,000 loan calculator

£
yrs
£
£
Name Product Maximum LTV Loan amounts Loan terms Overall cost for comparison Repayments
Equifinance Adverse Secured Loan
75%
£10,000 to £75,000
3 to 25 years
15.5% APRC
£409.01
(£34,356.45 overall)
Equifinance Adverse Secured Loan
75%
£10,000 to £50,000
3 to 25 years
15.3% APRC
£405.31
(£34,046.04 overall)
Equifinance Standard Secured Loan
85%
£10,000 to £50,000
3 to 25 years
16.3% APRC
£414.58
(£34,824.96 overall)
Equifinance Adverse Secured Loan
75%
£10,000 to £150,000
3 to 25 years
11.7% APRC
£384.72
(£32,316.58 overall)
Pepper Money Prime Rate Secured Loan
100%
£7,500 to £200,000
3 to 30 years
13% APRC
£393.81
(£33,079.73 overall)
Equifinance Adverse Secured Loan
70%
£10,000 to £250,000
3 to 25 years
11.9% APRC
£390.71
(£32,820 overall)
Equifinance Adverse Secured Loan
75%
£10,000 to £100,000
3 to 25 years
13.2% APRC
£394.94
(£33,175 overall)
Equifinance Adverse Secured Loan
85%
£10,000 to £50,000
3 to 25 years
16% APRC
£412.1
(£34,616.32 overall)
Equifinance Adverse Secured Loan
75%
£10,000 to £50,000
3 to 25 years
15.5% APRC
£407.16
(£34,201.05 overall)
Equifinance Adverse Secured Loan
75%
£10,000 to £150,000
3 to 25 years
15.1% APRC
£420.2
(£35,296.93 overall)
Equifinance Standard Secured Loan
65%
£10,000 to £150,000
3 to 25 years
13.2% APRC
£399.8
(£33,583.33 overall)
Equifinance Standard Secured Loan
65%
£10,000 to £150,000
3 to 25 years
14.4% APRC
£412.72
(£34,668.4 overall)
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Overall representative example
If you borrow £43,000 over 16 years at a rate of 10.25% variable, you will pay 192 instalments of £505.18 per month and a total amount payable of £96,994.56. This includes the net loan, interest of £49,404.56, a broker fee of £3,995 and a lender fee of £595. The overall cost for comparison is 12.7% APRC variable.

Compare £20,000 unsecured loans

Table: sorted by representative APR, promoted deals first

Use our online calculator below to compare the representative APRs that mainstream lenders offer on £20k loans. However, keep in mind that lenders may only be willing to offer unsecured loans over £20,000 to people with excellent credit history, and you may instead want to consider a secured loan.

Name Product Total Payable Monthly Repayment Representative APR Link
Admiral Personal Loan
View details
Representative example: Borrow £10,000.00 over 3 years at a rate of 16.9% p.a. (fixed). Representative APR 16.9% and total payable £12,606.12 in monthly repayments of £350.17.
Novuna Personal Loan
View details
Representative example: Borrow £10,000.00 over 3 years at a rate of 7.4% p.a. (fixed). Representative APR 7.4% and total payable £11,142.00 in monthly repayments of £309.50.
M&S Bank Personal Loan
View details
Representative example: Borrow £10,000.00 over 3 years at a rate of 6.2% p.a. (fixed). Representative APR 6.2% and total payable £10,956.96 in monthly repayments of £304.36.
Shawbrook Bank Personal Loan
View details
Representative example: Borrow £10,000.00 over 3 years at a rate of 16.9% p.a. (fixed). Representative APR 16.9% and total payable £12,606.12 in monthly repayments of £350.17.
HSBC Premier Personal Loan
View details
Representative example: Borrow £10,000.00 over 3 years at a rate of 6.4% p.a. (fixed). Representative APR 6.4% and total payable £10,987.56 in monthly repayments of £305.21.
Santander Personal Loan
View details
Representative example: Borrow £10,000.00 over 3 years at a rate of 6.2% p.a. (fixed). Representative APR 6.2% and total payable £10,956.60 in monthly repayments of £304.35.
Royal Bank of Scotland Existing Customer Personal Loan
View details
Representative example: Borrow £10,000.00 over 3 years at a rate of 6.6% p.a. (fixed). Representative APR 6.6% and total payable £11,018.52 in monthly repayments of £306.07.
NatWest Existing Customer Personal Loan
View details
Representative example: Borrow £10,000.00 over 3 years at a rate of 6.6% p.a. (fixed). Representative APR 6.6% and total payable £11,018.52 in monthly repayments of £306.07.
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Please note: You should always refer to your loan agreement for exact repayment amounts as they may vary from our results.

Late repayments can cause you serious money problems. See our debt help guides.

How can I get a £20,000 loan?

Whether you’re consolidating debt, improving your home, funding a wedding or making a large purchase, £20,000 can be a life-changing sum. But it’s close to the £25,000 threshold at which many lenders stop issuing loans without security, and so if you’re after an unsecured loan, lenders will want to see a solid track record of responsible borrowing – in other words, a strong credit record.

Can I get a £20,000 loan with bad credit?

While there is specialist lenders who offer loans to people whose credit history isn’t perfect, it’s tougher to find a lender willing to offer as much as £20,000 to a borrower with bad credit.

Guarantor loans allow people with bad credit to leverage the good credit of a friend or relative, but are typically capped at £10,000, or £15,000 if your guarantor is a homeowner.

However, if you’re a homeowner with a mortgage, you could use the equity in your property as security. Having security means that a loan represents lower risk to a lender, which normally in turn means lower rates and a greater likelihood of approval for the borrower. If you’re spreading repayment over 15 years, however, then obviously the overall cost of borrowing is likely to be higher despite the annual rate being lower. It’s a major commitment (take a moment to read through our secured loans guide) but it could let you access rates below 15%.

Compare secured loan rates

Think carefully before securing other debts against your home. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other loan secured on it.

Can I get a £20,000 loan with good credit?

If you’re looking at borrowing £20,000 and you already know you have a good credit rating, then you may be able to go after the very best rates on the market.

Crucially, you’ll still need to be able to afford any loan that you apply for. You could have the best credit record going, but if you’re unrealistic about what you can comfortably repay each month, your application will be rejected. Spreading your loan over a longer term brings down the monthly repayment figure, making it more affordable, but also pushes up the overall cost of the loan. Aim to find a balance – keeping the overall cost as low as you can, while ensuring the repayment schedule is manageable. If you’ve done your sums and feel that you’d be able to afford the loan you’re applying for, then there’s a strong chance a lender will reach the same conclusion.

Provided you can do this, you’re likely to be able to apply to the majority of lenders and enjoy their most competitive rates. Your current bank may even offer same-day funding to existing customers, although it almost always pays to shop around. With such a sizeable loan, even a small difference in the interest rate can mean big savings – especially if you’re borrowing over a number of years.

Browse bank rates

Can I get a £20,000 for business purposes?

If you’re looking for a loan to start a new business, your first though might be a personal loan to help get you kickstarted. In many cases, a condition for taking out a personal loan is that it cannot be used for business purposes. However, there are a huge range of loan products available specifically for use by businesses, and some are even government-backed, which can mean lower rates for borrowers and a less strict borrowing criteria.

Compare £20,000 business loans

Some lenders summarise eligibility in three C's

  • Character is about creditworthiness and how you’ve handled your debt payments in the past.
  • Capital is perhaps better-described as collateral. You may be able to rely on capital by getting a secured loan, using an asset the lender can take possession of if you don’t repay the loan as you’ve agreed to.
  • Capacity refers to your ability to repay the loan. The lender will evaluate the length and type of your employment as well as your income and debt-to-income ratio. If you’ve been in your current employment for a short time, your previous job history may be important. The lender will analyse your ability to handle the new monthly payment.

What is the monthly payment on a £20,000 loan?

Your monthly payments will vary based on your interest rate and the length of your loan term. For example, a £20k loan with a fixed rate of 12% p.a. and a 4-year term would have monthly repayments of around £527. In comparison, a £20,000 loan with a fixed 4% annual rate and 7-year loan term would cost around £273 each month. You can calculate the cost of your loan here.

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Representative Example: If you borrow £43,000 over 16 years at a rate of 10.25% variable, you will pay 192 instalments of £505.18 per month and a total amount payable of £96,994.56. This includes the net loan, interest of £49,404.56, a broker fee of £3,995 and a lender fee of £595. The overall cost for comparison is 12.7% APRC variable.
Interest rate of 5% fixed p.a.Interest rate of 10% fixed p.a.Interest rate of 15% fixed p.a.
1-year loan£1,712£1,758£1,805
2-year loan£877£923£970
3-year loan£599£645£693
4-year loan£461£507£557
5-year loan£377£425£476
6-year loan£322£371£423
7-year loan£283£332£386

How much does a £20,000 loan cost overall?

Again, this will vary based on your interest rate and the length of your loan term. For example, a £20k loan with a fixed rate of 4% p.a. and a 4-year term would cost around £21,676 overall. In comparison, a £20,000 loan with a fixed 12% annual rate and 7-year loan term would cost around £29,657 overall. You can calculate the cost of your loan here.

3% p.a. interest5% p.a. interest10% p.a. interest
1-year loan£20,326£20,546£21,100
3-year loan£20,938£21,579£23,232
4-year loan£21,249£22,108£24,348
5-year loan£21,562£22,645£25,496
6-year loan£21,879£23,191£26,677
7-year loan£22,198£23,745£27,890
8-year loan£22,521£24,307£29,134

The above loan illustrations are based on a flat rate and are only approximations of what you may pay. Your specific loan payments may differ depending on things like fees, your repayment schedule, and whether your rate is fixed or variable.

How do the repayments work?

In most cases, you’ll simply pay a fixed sum each month by direct debit. But behind the scenes, your monthly payment will be split into paying off all the interest you’ve accrued so far and then paying off a chunk of the original sum borrowed. Your first repayment will contain a relatively large amount of interest, while your final repayment will hardly contain any.

Typically your loan agreement will contain all the information you’ll need about your specific loan repayments, including the interest you’ll owe, your monthly repayments, account fees and any additional costs you might incur e.g. early repayment fees.

Here’s an illustration of the repayments on a £20,000 loan over five years at an APR of 7%. Each bar represents a monthly £394 payment, and you can click/hover to see how that month’s payment is broken down.

Repayment 1Repayment 60Interest proportion of repaymentCapital proportion of repaymentOutstanding loan balance
RepaymentAmountInterestOutstanding:Capital

Self-employed personal loans

With the rise in remote working and digital nomads, mainstream lenders know self employment is a growing market and are more willing to consider self employed applicants. That said, you still have to know your stuff to prove yourself an eligible candidate, so make sure you read up on the loan requirement and how to go about applying.

Compare loans for the self-employed

Frequently asked questions

We show offers we can track - that's not every product on the market...yet. Unless we've said otherwise, products are in no particular order. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations of these) aren't ratings, though we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it. This is subject to our terms of use. When you make major financial decisions, consider getting independent financial advice. Always consider your own circumstances when you compare products so you get what's right for you.

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