Looking at cars is the fun part, but then you have to pick the colour, weave your way through dodgy dealers, fend off the overly friendly sales staff, negotiate the best price, walk away, negotiate again... and then there's the finance office.

Most people are so exhausted by this point that they end up taking the first finance offer they get, crossing their fingers, and hope they get approved - accruing hits to their credit score along the way.

And then you wait...

For the big thumbs up, where you end up paying too much for the car in the long run.

Or the big thumbs down, where you’re back to square one with an enquiry on your file and even less options.

Our car-buying catastrophe

In 2017, our CEO Scott tried to buy a car. It was an extremely painful process - and when the conversation turned to financing, things only got worse.

Scott went through the lengthy process of compiling all supporting documentation and the dealer lodged a loan application on his behalf. Four and a half days later, Scott learned that despite his good employment history and credit score, his application had been declined with no explanation.

What he didn't realise until later was that the process also resulted in two separate enquiries on his credit file for lenders he wasn't eligible for, which lowered his credit score and made his ability to secure financing in the future even worse.

The more Scott spoke to his friends and family about this experience, the more Scott realised he wasn't alone.

Where Urban Miles fits in

‍We have never worked in car dealerships, lenders or traditional brokers - but we've been customers.

So we built Urban Miles - a platform that helps customers like Scott fight back on the black-box that is the car finance process - providing options and transparency in a way that is sorely needed in the industry.