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About RateGenius
RateGenius is an auto refinance company worth taking a look at if you would like to refinance your vehicle. They are an auto lending marketplace operating under the legal name called The Savings Group, Inc. Previously, the company was known as RateGenius, Inc. but changed names in 2021 after a merger with another marketplace called AUTOPAY. The company stands on its solid history of helping driver’s save money with decades of experience.
Lender Type
Marketplace
Interest Rate
2.99%***
RateGenius states their refinance rates start at 2.99%***. Rate based on excellent credit score and shorter refinance term. See application for details.
Credit Score
500+
RateGenius serves credit scores of 500 and higher. This falls into the fair FICO credit range bracket.
When Applying
Check Out the Full-service car refinance and re-titling platform with cash out options.
Qualifying with RateGenius
Step Into Auto Refinancing Pre-Approval
Thinking of applying with RateGenius? Here is what you need to know to plan ahead.
Make Sure You Qualify
You may qualify for refinancing through RateGenius if you have a credit score above 500. Actual marketplace qualification may vary.
Gather Documents
Make a file with the documents you need to refinance including your vehicle information, personal details, and current loan specifications.
Look Before Leaping
Know what you are getting into ahead of time. You can use our auto refinance calculator to compare new loan offers with your current loan rates.
TrustPilot Reviews
See what customers have to say about RateGenius on Trustpilot.
My experience with this company is good overall. Have all necessary documents ready, ask the important questions up front (what is the rate they can do and what are the processing fees). Don't waste your time and their's with formalities (it's just the business environment these days). Also, this service is mainly for people who have bad credit, and the ones benefits the most. People with 750+ will not benefit much expecting interest rate reduced. Many negative reviews here are people who didn't read the fine print or surprised that they pulled hard credit (people need some common sense; they're moving tens of thousands of bank $$ around, what does one expect?)
Rude and disrespectful. The staff at rate genius talks to you like a dog. Troy Trigg is the worst
I was told by the rategenius rep there would be no hard pulls to my credit during the application process and there were 2 lowering my credit score.
Quick, easy, fantastic people. Ann McKinley was very helpful and made sure I understood every step of refinancing my car. rateGenius kept me up to date on every phase of the loan. I would highly recommend them if you need a better rate on the car loan you have. I saved over $50.00 per month. Very happy.
They pulled my credit without my approval and now I can't get it taken off. Said nothing about pulling credit. After they so kindly did that, the rates weren't hardly better at all even with my 790 score. This company is garbage.
It's funny that all their responses start with " we are disappointed that your experience was less than perfect". Simply put, tell the truth and don't mislead. My loan started fast, then slowed due to requirements needed while living in the 'sticks'. Notaries are not plentiful. My work required start before UPS opens and end after UPS closed. The new payment date was given BEFORE the loan finalized so the "no payment for 6 weeks" is False. I have less than a month till new payment due. Due to the slow process I had to make a car payment to protect my credit rating. (Missed payment will follow you for years) As a result all the payoff numbers were wrong-FYI the loan was finalized 1 week after the payment was made. So the question is, who got extra money? Not me
Never do business with this company. 1. They say they won't affect your credit score - highly deceiving because if you look into the fine print they WILL pull a hard inquiry. (see marketing email I attached - submitting to the CFPB as a deceiving practice) 2. They will take several days to even contact you saying there are rates avail. I had to call my agent over 10 times before I even got to a live rep. 3. I have an 800+ credit score with a vehicle worth 20k. They offered a horrible rate that made the payment lower but a super high APR - typical dealer scam. 4. When speaking to customer service through their online web chat - they will disconnect on you multiple times if you ask a question they can't/don't want to answer. I would NEVER recommend anyone doing business with this company. Very unprofessional, deceiving, and offered horrible rates. Don't pay attention to the 5 star reviews on TrustPilot from employees! What a joke.
got approved fast, but i was not informed of what my new loan amount would be and what my all of the fees were that i was being charged with on my new loan. Hindsight, i would not have done this.
I would give a negative number if it was possible they started out strong because they want your business and then they failed terribly when they’re doing the paperwork and making sure they close up your loan!! I would not do business with them I ended up withdrawing from the process because they couldn’t do what they told me they could do!!!
RateGenius's History
RateGenius was founded in 1999 making them one of the longest operating marketplaces in the United States with over 20 years of experience helping customers refinance their vehicles. Their headquarters is located in Austin, Texas, and they were voted one of the best places to work in Austin for 2021.
They serve drivers nationwide in all 50 states through their network of over 180 lenders. The available services offered through RateGenius depend on the lenders. Their diverse lender network provides customers with many options including traditional refinancing along with cash-out car loan refinancing, car lease buyouts, and additional auto products.
These include guaranteed asset protection waivers (GAP) offerings and vehicle service contracts (VSCs). If you are interested in adding on GAP to your refinanced car loan for example, RageGenius could connect you with the right lender and help you find what you need to protect what you’ve invested in your vehicle.
RateGenius is a larger marketplace when compared to others in the industry and acquired AUTOPAY as the result of a recent merger in 2021. This led to the creation of a new parent company called The Savings Group, Inc. which is making moves and taking over a larger part of the refinance industry. It will be interesting to see where their future plans take them.
RateGenius is focused around helping car owners save money on their monthly car payments. Their website states they help people save an average of $96 per month over the entirety of 2021. During all of 2021, their State of Auto Refinance report noted they helped drivers save over $56.4 million on their auto loans. That is a huge impact, so well done RateGenius Team!
Applying for Car Refinancing with RateGenius
Applying for refinancing through RateGenius is one of the more enjoyable experiences we found in the world of auto refinancing applications. It ranks up there near the top in our opinion and is close to Caribou’s seamless process as far as usability, features, and ease of application.
You start the application on the RateGenius website by clicking any one of the “Find My Rate” or “Get Started” buttons or links. This brings you into the application where you can enter and submit your information. You can also select refinance goals along the way like:
- Lowering your monthly car payment
- Lowering your loan interest rate
- Taking someone off your car loan
- Check other loan options
All of the vehicle information is entered when you start the online process. This info includes the vehicle’s year, make, model, trim options, mileage, current auto lender (who you make payments to), and current monthly auto payment. If you’ve made it this far, you are already halfway there. The progress bar on each page is a very helpful notification.
Next, you need to enter your personal details. This step includes your first and last name, address (street, city, state, and zip code), email, mobile phone number, date of birth (DOB), and co-borrower information (if you are applying with one). You are almost to the rates!
The loan finder will help find refinance offers based on your credit score and information. It does this by checking your credit history through a soft credit pull which does not impact your credit score. Like the other lending marketplaces, the hard pull on your credit occurs later when you have selected the loan offer you want to apply for.
RateGenius also offers pre-approval and a loan finder tool to easily check rates. The pre-approval process starts with an initial form where you can enter your vehicle info, personal info, and income all at once. This form completes a soft credit pull and can lead to your pre-approval to better serve you qualified refinance rates next.
The loan finder jumps you right to offer estimates. The standard credit brackets from lowest to highest are based on the standard FICO® scores from very poor (300 to 579), fair (580 to 669), good (670 to 739), very good (740 to 799), and excellent (800 to 850) credit scores. Estimating your credit score is acceptable for this step.
To complete the loan finder entry and see estimated rates, enter your monthly car loan payment amount, remaining loan balance, and remaining loan term. This will generate three refinanced loan category options with highlighted rates for lowest payment option, lowest rate option, and lowest term option. There are around seven other loan options provided in each category for comparison.
RateGenius also handles vehicle title processes and refinanced-related retitling. Similarly to Caribou, they have a title team to help you understand the titling laws where you live. These laws and requirements can vary from state to state, so their advice and expertise is much appreciated.
RateGenius BBB Reviews
Trusted by Hundreds of Auto Refinancing Drivers
4.5
Over 702 Reviews
Better Business Bureau
See Company Profile
"Worked with Rate Genius for a little bit. They were able to get me into a cheaper loan without having to have a down payment that others requested. They apologized for taking so long. This is my first experience ever refinancing a car. It was a great experience. I would highly recommend them!!"
"I had a great experience with rate genius refinancing my loan and getting a significantly reduced APR. I'd wouldn't hesitate to recommend them or use them again. Their online application process makes it super easy and you can follow along and know the status of your loan real-time"
"Working with RateGenius has been so easy and I was updated every step of the way. I would recommend this company highly. They got my car note lowered from 24+% to a little over 9%. It also went from 66 months down to 60. The change in my monthly payment really helps my family a great deal. A+ business !"
"Rate Genius is a genius! Very resourceful and fast with providing comparable, if not better financing. My rate is lower and contract covers more on my vehicle. Im very satisfied and have recommended to my friends."
Car Loan Interest Rates with RateGenius
RateGenius’s interest rates start at around 2.99%***. This rate is not qualified by a specific credit score or loan term, but it is most likely very similar to having a credit score over 750+ with a relatively short refinance term of around 36 to 48 months. Their refinance rate tools can help you verify headline rates and know what to expect based on your credit score.
The RateGenius website has a tool to help you see the daily refinance rate estimations with breakdowns by credit brackets. On average, it looks like vehicle owners with excellent credit scores of 750 to 850 points can expect auto refinance rates around 2.93 to 3.66% with terms relatively ranging from 36 to 72 months.
The other score brackets follow suit. For credit scores with good ratings of 700 ro 749 points, the interest rates increase to about 3.51% for 36 months up to 4.58% for 72 months. For fair credit scores of 640 to 699, refinancers can expect around 4.95% for 36 months to 6.31% for 72 months. Finally, scores lower than 639 points, estimated rates are around 8.93% for 36 months to 9.09% for 72 months.
Expert Lending Help
Why Choose RateGenius?
RateGenius can be a good choice to use to refinance your vehicle. Their expert team is knowledgeable, and can help you find the right loan option you need to save money. The results speak to their 20+ years in the auto refinance field.
Decades of Lending Experience
RateGenius has serious refinance chops, decades of experience, and hundreds of happy customers to prove it.
Refinance and Re-titling Services
They offer a one-stop-shop with refinance and re-titling services under the same roof. Optimize your refinance journey with less work.
Nationwide Refinancing
Not sure if other lenders serve your area? RateGenius provides nationwide auto refinancing in all 50 states. Find your state.
RateGenius Fees and Things to Know
RateGenius does have a document processing and loan origination fee of $395. This fee is charged when your refinanced loan is processed (after your loan selection) and is part of your refinance package. Other related fees may include the title transfer fee (this can vary by state), processing fee (is typically around $80 - $100), and the credit union membership fee which varies lender to lender (is typically around $5 - $30), but some lenders may waive this fee.
Highlights
***2.99% rate is not qualified by a specific credit score or loan term. Check with RateGenius for more information. It is most likely very similar to having a higher credit score with a relatively short refinance term. Actual rate may vary.