CS finance stands for Conditional Sale agreement. It’s the type of finance that we offer at Moneybarn, and it means that you will automatically own the vehicle once you've made your final repayment.

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What is CS finance?

Conditional Sale finance is a type of vehicle finance agreement where the lender buys the vehicle on your behalf. You then make fixed monthly payments for an agreed period. You’ll be the registered keeper throughout the agreement but only become the full owner once you’ve made your final payment. CS finance is designed to help people buy a car when they don’t have the money to pay upfront.

What is CS finance?

CS finance stands for Conditional Sale agreement. It’s the type of vehicle finance that we offer, that helps spread the cost of a new or used vehicle over time so you don’t have to pay a large lump sum upfront.

Unlike other types of car finance, like HP or PCP, there is no additional fee to own the vehicle. Once you’ve made your final repayment, you’ll legally own the car. During a CS agreement, you will be the registered keeper, which means you are responsible for maintaining and servicing the vehicle.

Because a Conditional Sale agreement uses a fixed APR, your monthly payments will be the same for the duration of the agreement, which is between 3-5 years (36-60 months).

How does Conditional Sale (CS) finance work?

We offer a Conditional Sale (CS) agreement, whether you choose to finance a car, motorbike, or van with us. You might have heard it referred to as ‘CS car finance’. Below we answer common questions so you can understand how it works.

How long can a Conditional Sale agreement be?

The agreement length may vary depending on the finance company you choose. Some finance companies offer CS finance between 12 and 60 months (1-5 years).

At Moneybarn, we offer agreements between 36 and 60 months (3-5 years).

Do you need to pay a deposit?

If you don’t want to pay a deposit up front, you may have heard of no deposit car finance, which is when you don’t pay anything at the start of the CS agreement.

Getting approved for an agreement with no deposit depends on several factors, such as affordability. No one can tell you for certain whether or not you have to pay a deposit, because everyone’s circumstances are different.

If you’re looking to get a vehicle without a deposit, why not get a quote? It doesn’t affect your credit score, and will give you a decision of whether we could help. If you are approved, our team would be happy to discuss whether you can put down a small or no deposit.

Can you modify a car on CS finance?

No, you can’t modify a car bought on CS finance. This is because you don’t legally own the vehicle until the end of the agreement.

Once you have made your final payment and the lender has notified you that you are now the legal owner, you are able to make legal modifications to the car.

How long does CS finance take to be approved?

When you fill in our online application, you’ll get an immediate decision of whether we can help. We use a soft search at the point of application, which doesn’t affect your credit score.

If you’re approved, or approved in principle, we’ll get in touch to help guide you onto a better road ahead.

Find out more about how long car finance approval takes, and the steps involved in financing a vehicle with us.

Is a Conditional Sale agreement secured or unsecured?

A Conditional Sale agreement is a secured loan. This means that the loan itself is secured against the vehicle. If for whatever reason you don’t pay your car finance, the lender may terminate your agreement and repossess the vehicle.

The exact process varies by lender, but there are options and support available if you decide you want to end your agreement.

What happens at the end of a CS agreement?

You will own the car as soon as you have made your final monthly payment. Once this has been paid, the CS finance company will transfer the vehicle into your name.

Can I change my car during a CS agreement?

While you can’t transfer finance from one car to another, you can settle your agreement early if you’d like to part exchange for a new car.

You can part exchange your vehicle during your agreement, but because you don’t legally own it, there are usually only two ways to do this. For more information, see our guide that explains how to part exchange a car on finance.

Paying off your agreement in full before the agreed end date is known as an ‘early settlement‘. If, during your agreement, you decide you wish to early settle, your lender will be able to provide you with your early settlement figure.

You are also entitled to make a ‘partial early settlement’, which can reduce the length of your agreement.

Can I cancel a Conditional Sale agreement?

You have a legal right to cancel or end your vehicle finance agreement early, provided you meet the necessary criteria. You can voluntarily terminate your CS finance agreement in writing and return the vehicle at any time.

If you end your CS agreement less than halfway through by voluntary termination, you are liable for half (50%) of the total amount payable, plus any arrears or charges where applicable. As part of voluntary termination, you are required to return the vehicle in good condition.

Conditional Sale agreement illustration

Buying a car with a Conditional Sale agreement can be exciting, but it’s important to understand the ins and outs of how CS works before you make an application.

Conditional Sale agreement illustration

Buying a car with a Conditional Sale agreement can be exciting, but it’s important to understand the ins and outs of how CS works before you make an application.

How long can a Conditional Sale agreement be?

The agreement length may vary depending on the finance company you choose. Some finance companies offer CS finance between 12 and 60 months (1-5 years).

At Moneybarn, we offer agreements between 36 and 60 months (3-5 years).

Do you need to pay a deposit?

If you don’t want to pay a deposit up front, you may have heard of no deposit car finance, which is when you don’t pay anything at the start of the CS agreement.

Can you modify a car on CS finance?

No, you can’t modify a car bought on CS finance. This is because you don’t legally own the vehicle until the end of the agreement.

Once you have made your final payment and the lender has notified you that you are now the legal owner, you are able to make legal modifications to the car.

How long does CS finance take to be approved?

When you fill in our online application, you’ll get an immediate decision of whether we can help. We use a soft search at the point of application, which doesn’t affect your credit score.

If you’re approved, or approved in principle, we’ll get in touch to help guide you onto a better road ahead.

Find out more about how long car finance approval takes, and the steps involved in financing a vehicle with us.

Is a Conditional Sale agreement secured or unsecured?

The exact process varies by lender, but there are options and support available if you decide you want to end your agreement.

What happens at the end of a CS agreement?

You will own the car as soon as you have made your final monthly payment. Once this has been paid, the CS finance company will transfer the vehicle into your name.

Can I change my car during a CS agreement?

While you can’t transfer finance from one car to another, you can settle your agreement early if you’d like to part exchange for a new car.

You are also entitled to make a ‘partial early settlement’, which can reduce the length of your agreement.

Can I cancel a Conditional Sale agreement?

If CS finance sounds right for you, try out our car finance calculator. It’ll show you what a Conditional Sale agreement might look like, based on how much you’re looking to borrow, the term length, and your credit score.

There are lots of different ways of financing a car that you might have heard about. We’ve written a guide explaining the differences between car finance and personal loans so you can make an informed decision.

CS car finance calculator

Purchase Price?

Repayment term?

Your credit score is

Summary

Monthly payment: £000.00
Total to repay: £00,000.00
Calculated APR: 00.0%

Representative 30.5% APR

Get a quote

CS car finance calculator

Purchase Price?

Repayment term?

Your credit score is

Monthly payment: £000.00
Total to repay: £00,000.00
Calculated APR: 00.0%

Get a quote

Representative 30.5% APR

Is CS finance right for me?

No one can tell you which type of finance is right for you. Everyone’s circumstances are different, and some people prefer different types of vehicle finance.

Make sure you research the different types of finance and fully understand how it works before you decide which lender to apply with.

If you’re looking to have a new vehicle every couple of years, a PCP or Leasing agreement may be more suitable. However, if you don’t have enough money to buy a vehicle outright but want to legally own it when the agreement ends, Conditional Sale could be for you.

Find out some of the pros and cons of Conditional Sale below.

Is CS finance right for me?

No one can tell you which type of finance is right for you. Everyone’s circumstances are different, and some people prefer different types of vehicle finance.

Make sure you research the different types of finance and fully understand how it works before you decide which lender to apply with.

Find out some of the pros and cons of Conditional Sale below.

Advantages of CS

Low or no deposit at the beginning of your agreement
You will automatically own the vehicle at the end of the agreement without paying an extra fee
CS finance is secured against the car. This means if you are unable to make the repayments, you can give the car back to help pay off the total amount payable
Your monthly repayments stay the same throughout your agreement because the APR is fixed. If you’re not sure what this means, check out our guide explaining what APR means

Disadvantages of CS

Monthly payments may be slightly higher than other types of finance. However, you don’t automatically own the vehicle at the end of the other types of agreements
You won’t own the vehicle until you make the final payment
You can’t sell or modify the car over the Conditional Sale agreement term without the lender’s permission.
There is less choice of what to do at the end of the agreement compared to PCP where you can give the car back

Advantages of CS

Low or no deposit at the beginning of your agreement
You will automatically own the vehicle at the end of the agreement without paying an extra fee
CS finance is secured against the car. This means if you are unable to make the repayments, you can give the car back to help pay off the total amount payable
Your monthly repayments stay the same throughout your agreement because the APR is fixed. If you’re not sure what this means, check out our guide explaining what APR means

Disadvantages of CS

Monthly payments may be slightly higher than other types of finance. However, you don’t automatically own the vehicle at the end of the other types of agreements
You won’t own the vehicle until you make the final payment
You can’t sell or modify the car over the Conditional Sale agreement term without the lender’s permission.
There is less choice of what to do at the end of the agreement compared to PCP where you can give the car back

Can you get CS finance with bad credit?

Yes, just because you have bad credit, it doesn’t mean you can’t get a Conditional Sale (CS) agreement. It just means you might have to use a specialist lender such as Moneybarn.

As specialists in bad credit car finance, we consider people with poor credit including those with CCJs and IVAs to get the vehicle finance they need.

We use a soft search when you get a quote. This doesn’t affect your credit score and will give you a decision as to whether we can help you. We only use a hard search once you’ve been accepted and decide to enter into an agreement with us, and contracts are drawn up for you to sign.

We’re proud to help thousands of people up and down the UK every month with their vehicle finance. We accept applications when other lenders might not, including:

Can you get CS finance with bad credit?

Yes, just because you have bad credit, it doesn’t mean you can’t get a Conditional Sale (CS) agreement. It just means you might have to use a specialist lender such as Moneybarn.

As specialists in bad credit car finance, we consider people with poor credit including those with CCJs and IVAs to get the vehicle finance they need.

We’re proud to help thousands of people up and down the UK every month with their vehicle finance. We accept applications when other lenders might not, including:

People with bad credit
IVAs
CCJs
Self-employed

Little or no credit history
Bankruptcy (after 6 years)
Claiming benefits
Rejected by mainstream lenders

Debt Relief Order (DRO)
Debt Management Plan (DMP)
Joint finance applicants
Missed payments in the past

People with bad credit
IVAs
CCJs
Self-employed
Little or no credit history
Bankruptcy (after 6 years)
Claiming benefits
Rejected by mainstream lenders
Debt Relief Order (DRO)
Debt Management Plan (DMP)
Joint finance applicants
Missed payments in the past

How do I apply for Conditional Sale finance?

To apply for a Conditional Sale (CS) agreement with us, you’ll need:

Monthly earnings over £1,000 (after tax), or over £1,300 if you’re making a joint finance application
To be aged between 20 and 75
A full valid UK driving licence*
2 consecutive months of payslips

*or, if applying for motorbike finance, you will need a valid A1, A2, or A UK motorbike licence, or a valid CBT certificate.

If you have a vehicle in mind, great! Our team is ready to help – get a quote.

If you’re not sure, don’t worry. Our online application should only take 5 minutes to fill in and will tell you if we can help. If you get accepted, our team will be happy to help you find the right vehicle.

We understand that finding the right vehicle is important, whether you need one to commute to work, or to get around day-to-day. We can only finance vehicles that fit within our lending criteria, which are explained below.

How do I apply for Conditional Sale finance?

To apply for a Conditional Sale (CS) agreement with us, you’ll need:

Monthly earnings over £1,000 (after tax), or over £1,300 if you’re making a joint finance application
To be aged between 20 and 75
A full valid UK driving licence*
2 consecutive months of payslips

*or, if applying for motorbike finance, you will need a valid A1, A2, or A UK motorbike licence, or a valid CBT certificate.

If you have a vehicle in mind, great! Our team is ready to help – get a quote.

Car criteria

Financing a car from £4,000 - £35,000
No more than 100,000 miles on the clock at the start of the agreement
No older than 13 years at the end of the agreement

Important things to know:

We don’t finance cars for taxi, private hire, courier, or driving instruction use
We don’t finance limousines or heavy commercial cars
We don’t finance left-hand drive or parallel (grey) import cars

Motorbike criteria

Financing a motorbike from £2,500 - £15,000
No more than 30,000 miles on the clock at the start of the agreement
No older than 12 years at the start of the agreement

Important things to know:

The motorbike must have a minimum engine size of 125cc
We don’t finance motorcycles that are not road legal, such as motocross bikes, and don’t finance imports
We can’t finance motorbikes for people who are employed as a delivery driver

Van criteria

Financing a van from £4,000 - £35,000
No more than 125,000 miles on the clock at the start of the agreement
No older than 12 years at the end of the agreement

Important things to know:

We don’t finance VAT
We do not finance specialist LCVs such as cranes, cherry pickers, or vehicles with specialised bodywork
We do not finance vehicles used for removal purposes
We don’t finance mini buses or mini cabs

Car criteria

Financing a car from £4,000 - £35,000
No more than 100,000 miles on the clock at the start of the agreement
No older than 13 years at the end of the agreement

Important things to know:

We don’t finance cars for taxi, private hire, courier, or driving instruction use
We don’t finance limousines or heavy commercial cars
We don’t finance left-hand drive or parallel (grey) import cars

Motorbike criteria

Financing a motorbike from £2,500 - £15,000
No more than 30,000 miles on the clock at the start of the agreement
No older than 12 years at the start of the agreement

Important things to know:

The motorbike must have a minimum engine size of 125cc
We don’t finance motorcycles that are not road legal, such as motocross bikes, and don’t finance imports
We can’t finance motorbikes for people who are employed as a delivery driver

Van criteria

Financing a van from £4,000 - £35,000
No more than 125,000 miles on the clock at the start of the agreement
No older than 12 years at the end of the agreement

Important things to know:

We don’t finance VAT
We do not finance specialist LCVs such as cranes, cherry pickers, or vehicles with specialised bodywork
We do not finance vehicles used for removal purposes
We don’t finance mini buses or mini cabs

The difference between CS and other types of finance

We only offer a Conditional Sale agreement, but understanding the differences between the types of vehicle finance can help you make an informed decision.

Some of the most popular types of vehicle finance, aside from CS, include:

Hire Purchase (HP)
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP)
Personal Contract Hire (Leasing)
Personal Loan

Is Conditional Sale the same as Hire Purchase?

A common misconception is that CS and HP are the same. They both have fixed monthly repayments and usually don’t have mileage restrictions, like other types of finance.

Both CS and HP are secured loans. This means that the finance is secured against the vehicle, so if you are unable to make your repayments, the lender may repossess your vehicle. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, there is support available.

Conditional Sale (CS) and Hire Purchase (HP) are very similar, but there is one key difference. With CS, you automatically become the legal owner of the car once you’ve made your final repayment. With HP, you will need to pay the ‘Option to Purchase Fee’ to own the car at the end of the agreement.

If you decide to apply for an HP agreement, the lender will tell you what the ‘Option to Purchase Fee’ is before asking you to sign the agreement.

Is Conditional Sale the same as Leasing?

No, Leasing and Conditional Sale are quite different. Leasing, also known as Personal Contract Hire (PCH) allows you to drive a new car every few years. However, you will never legally own the car, and will have to return it to the dealership or leasing company at the end of the agreement.

With Conditional Sale, you essentially agree to buy the car at the end of the agreement. This is because you automatically own it once you make your final repayment.

If you want to own a new car and change it more often, then PCH might be better for you. On the other hand, if you want to own the vehicle once the agreement ends, you won’t be able to do that with PCH. This is because you will have to hand the vehicle back to the finance company or dealership.

For more information about the differences, check out our guide that compares leasing and buying a car on finance.

The difference between CS and other types of finance

We only offer a Conditional Sale agreement, but understanding the differences between the types of vehicle finance can help you make an informed decision.

Some of the most popular types of vehicle finance, aside from CS, include:

Hire Purchase (HP)
Personal Contract Purchase (PCP)
Personal Contract Hire (Leasing)
Personal Loan

Is Conditional Sale the same as Hire Purchase?

A common misconception is that CS and HP are the same. They both have fixed monthly repayments and usually don’t have mileage restrictions, like other types of finance.

If you decide to apply for an HP agreement, the lender will tell you what the ‘Option to Purchase Fee’ is before asking you to sign the agreement.

Is Conditional Sale the same as Leasing?

With Conditional Sale, you essentially agree to buy the car at the end of the agreement. This is because you automatically own it once you make your final repayment.

For more information about the differences, check out our guide that compares leasing and buying a car on finance.

What do you need to apply?

Our online application should only take 5 minutes to fill out. If you are approved, we might ask for some additional documents. Read this guide to see what you need when applying for car finance.

Our application process

Now you know how CS finance works, you might want to know how Moneybarn’s application process works. Find out more by clicking the button below.

Car finance when self-employed

You might think it’s impossible to get car finance if you’re self-employed. Our Conditional Sale agreement lets us consider applications from self-employed people.

For a better road ahead

Moneybarn is a member of the Finance and Leasing Association, the official trade organisation of the motor finance industry. The FLA promotes best practice in the motor finance industry for lending and leasing to consumers and businesses.

Moneybarn is the trading style of Moneybarn No. 1 Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 04496573, and Moneybarn Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 02766324. The registered address for these companies is: Athena House, Bedford Road, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3LJ.

Moneybarn’s VAT registration number is 180 5559 52.

Moneybarn Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services reference No. 702781)

Moneybarn No. 1 Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services reference No. 702780)

Representative example: Total amount of credit £10,448. Repayable over 58 months, 57 monthly payments of £326.58. Representative 30.5% APR (fixed). Deposit of £916.61. Total charge for credit £8,167.06. Total amount payable £19,531.67. Subject to status and affordability. You could risk losing your vehicle if you do not keep up payments.

What is CS finance?

What is CS finance?

Excellent

From start until my car was ...

Excellent communication thro...

Very efficient and professio...

Very good they helped me loa...

Great service

Very easy to set the finance...

Very profesional

Very quick

Excellent

From start until my car was ...

Excellent communication thro...

Very efficient and professio...

Very good they helped me loa...

Great service

Very easy to set the finance...

Very profesional

Very quick

How does Conditional Sale (CS) finance work?

How does Conditional Sale (CS) finance work?

Conditional Sale agreement illustration

Conditional Sale agreement illustration

CS car finance calculator

CS car finance calculator

Is CS finance right for me?

Is CS finance right for me?

Advantages of CS

Disadvantages of CS

Advantages of CS

Disadvantages of CS

Can you get CS finance with bad credit?

Can you get CS finance with bad credit?

How do I apply for Conditional Sale finance?

How do I apply for Conditional Sale finance?

Car criteria

Motorbike criteria

Van criteria

Car criteria

Motorbike criteria

Van criteria

The difference between CS and other types of finance

Is Conditional Sale the same as Hire Purchase?

Is Conditional Sale the same as Leasing?

The difference between CS and other types of finance

Is Conditional Sale the same as Hire Purchase?

Is Conditional Sale the same as Leasing?

What do you need to apply?

Our application process

Car finance when self-employed

For a better road ahead