Methodology for personal loan ratings

Our scores and ratings can provide you with a quick overview of how a personal loan stacks up against the market. At Finder, we provide two ratings: one that reflects our experts’ assessment of the personal loan and another that captures customer satisfaction of a loan provider’s service.

These scores serve as a starting point when it comes to choosing a loan. They don’t show if a lender is the right choice for you and your needs.

Whilst you can certainly delve into our in-depth reviews for a greater understanding of each lender, ultimately, the provider which best suits your needs is your decision.

What is the Finder score?

Our expert team evaluates various products in our database, assigning each one a score out of 10. A higher score means the product is more competitive and may offer better value.

If you want peace of mind, this rating will give it to you. These products offer the best value and outcomes considering various product features, terms, conditions and price.

Well-balanced products that provide what you need, offering a healthy mix of competitive features at a good price. However, they’re not quite the best in class.

Bottom line: You can find better, but these products still offer reasonable value and have the basics sorted.

These products may not offer much value in the long run, and there are better options available.

So, how do we score personal loans?

We dive into the details of each loan, including:

• Amount range. How little or how much can you borrow?
• Term range. How short or long can you borrow for?
• Repayment holiday. Does the provider let you take a break whilst repaying back the loan?
• Early redemption penalty. Will you be penalised if you repay the loan before your contracted term agreement?
• Repayment changeable. Can you change how much you want to repay?
• Overpay without penalty. Can you overpay when repaying back the loan?
• Same day funds. Can you potentially receive funds the same day you apply?
• Lump sum payments. Can you repay in lump sums?
• Existing customers only. Is the loan only available to existing customers?
• Ethical or green lending. Does the provider reduce its impact on the environment or help the local community?
• Open-banking. Does the loan use open-banking to help decide whether or not to approve your loan application?
• Transparency. Is the provider transparent with their fees?

From here, we can see which provider’s offer the better loan flexibility, perks and transparency compared to its competitors. We then rate each aspect of the loan based on its performance in the market.

Your reviews and our customer survey

In January 2025, we ran a customer satisfaction survey on personal loan providers. The survey asked 755 respondents how satisfied they are with their investment platform on a scale from 1 to 5, and also whether they would recommend it to a friend or not.

You can see review stars at the top of our review pages, if we’ve received more than 10. These are from consumers just like you who use our site and want to review the products and providers they use. We include ratings out of 5 and responses we’ve received in our annual customer satisfaction surveys.

★★★★★ – Excellent

★★★★★ – Good

★★★★★ – Average

★★★★★ – Subpar

★★★★★ – Poor

We also show the percentage who would recommend each provider in a league table in guides and on our awards pages.

Written by

Michelle Stevens

Deputy editor

Michelle Stevens is a deputy editor at Finder, specialising in banking, credit, loans and mortgages. She has a journalism degree from the University of Sheffield and has been a journalist for 15 years, writing on topics including fintech, payment systems and retail. In her spare time, Michelle likes to travel, explore new foodie experiences and attempt to improve her own culinary skills. See full bio

Michelle's expertise

Michelle has written 108 Finder guides across topics including:

• Banking
• Mortgages
• Credit
• Fintech
• Payments
• Loans

Co-written by

Izzy Thomas

Senior associate publisher

Izzy Thomas is a senior associate publisher at Finder specialising in credit-based products including credit cards, business loans and personal loans. Izzy has a Masters in Publishing and a Bachelor of Arts in International Business Management. See full bio

Izzy's expertise

Izzy has written 22 Finder guides across topics including:

• Business and consumer finance
• Loans & credit cards
• Building credit