Deep Subprime
What is deep subprime?
Deep subprime is the lowest auto-lending credit tier, roughly a 300 to 500 score under Experian's tier convention, sitting below regular subprime (roughly 501 to 600). It is the tier that pays the highest rates: used-vehicle APR averaged 21.6% in Q1 2026. Other scoring models and lenders may draw the line slightly differently, so treat the exact cutoff as a convention, not a fixed rule.
Key takeaways
- Deep subprime is roughly a 300 to 500 credit score, per Experian's tier convention — the lowest of the standard auto-lending tiers.
- Regular subprime sits just above it, roughly 501 to 600, and the two tiers are priced very differently even though they're often lumped together as just "bad credit."
- Deep-subprime used-vehicle APR averaged 21.6% in Q1 2026, against 6.3% for super-prime borrowers on the same type of vehicle.
- Exactly where the deep-subprime line falls varies by scoring model and by lender — Experian's convention is the one used consistently on this site, but it isn't a universal industry law.
- A deep-subprime score does not block approval by itself; income and down payment generally decide whether a specific deal funds.
What is deep subprime?
Deep subprime is the lowest credit tier auto lenders use for pricing, roughly a 300 to 500 score under Experian's tier convention. It's the tier most associated with the phrase "bad credit," because it covers the borrowers furthest from a typical approval.
It matters because lenders don't price off your exact score — they price off which tier you land in. A 480 and a 495 usually get quoted the same rate, while a 500 and a 505 can land in different tiers entirely with meaningfully different pricing.
How is deep subprime different from regular subprime?
They're two different tiers, even though most people lump them together as "bad credit." Regular subprime sits just above deep subprime, roughly 501 to 600 under the same convention, and the pricing gap between the two tiers is real.
| Tier | Score range (Experian convention) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Subprime | Roughly 501–600 | Damaged credit, but priced meaningfully better than deep subprime |
| Deep subprime | Roughly 300–500 | The lowest tier, priced at the top of the market |
This site anchors to Experian's tier convention specifically because it's the one behind the rate data cited across this site. It is a convention, not a universal cutoff — other scoring models and individual lenders sometimes draw the line a little higher or lower, which is part of why you'll see slightly different tier definitions if you compare sources.
What does deep subprime actually cost?
Used-vehicle APR for deep-subprime borrowers averaged 21.6% in Q1 2026, against 6.3% for super-prime borrowers financing the same type of vehicle — roughly a 15-point spread on an identical car. New-vehicle deep-subprime APR averaged 15.85%, a narrower gap than on used cars because a new vehicle holds value better as collateral.
That spread is the entire practical meaning of the tier. It doesn't determine whether you can get a car loan — it determines what that loan costs you every month for as long as you carry it.
Does a deep-subprime score mean I can't get approved?
No. Plenty of deep-subprime borrowers are financed every day. The score sets the pricing tier; income and down payment decide whether a specific application actually funds, which is a separate and, for most applicants, more decisive test.
See car loan rates by credit score for the full tier breakdown and what each one costs in dollars, and bad credit car loans for how approval actually works at this tier.