Photograph of the actual car.
MG 3
1.5 VTi-TECH Exclusive (Nav)
Manual · 2022 · 36,000 miles · Black
£275 per month
£825 to start, then 35 payments of £275 inc VAT
DISCHARGED BANKRUPTCY
Car leasing after bankruptcy
Once you have been discharged, leasing is possible. Your bankruptcy stays on your credit file for six years, which is why the mainstream companies keep saying no, and why we exist.
No credit check at this stage
£299 to £499
a month, inc VAT
3 months
rental up front
36 months
road tax included
10,000
miles a year
The short version
- You cannot lease a car while you are still bankrupt. That does not change, and anybody telling you otherwise is wrong.
- Discharge is normally automatic twelve months after the bankruptcy order.
- If you are close to discharge, you can be pre-approved now, so the car follows as soon as you can show it is over.
- The bankruptcy stays on your credit file for six years from the date of the order, which is why the mainstream companies keep saying no long after it has finished.
- We read your bank statements before any credit check, so finding out costs you nothing.
Written by Guy Prince, FCA-authorised credit broker, FRN 984955. Last updated 6 September 2026.
Where you are in the process decides everything
There are two very different situations here, and almost every page you will find online muddles them.
While you are bankrupt
You cannot take a car, and no legitimate company will set one up. That part is not negotiable. What you can do, if you are close to the end, is get the answer lined up in advance.
From discharge, normally twelve months after the order
Leasing becomes possible. Our lender prefers to see thirteen months rather than twelve, because that extra month makes it clear the discharge is settled. Three months after discharge you also come off the Individual Insolvency Register.
Six years from the date of the order
The bankruptcy drops off your credit file altogether. That is the date the mainstream companies are really waiting for, and it is why they keep declining you long after the bankruptcy itself has finished.
If you are not certain which side of that line you are on, check before you apply. The date of your discharge is the only date that matters here. The Insolvency Service guidance on GOV.UK covers the discharge process and what changes when it happens, if you want to read it from the source.
You do not have to wait until the day you are discharged
You cannot take a car while the bankruptcy is running. But you do not have to start from nothing the week after it ends either.
If you are within a couple of months of discharge, send us your statements now. The lender will look at them and pre-approve you, subject to the bankruptcy completing. Nothing is signed and no car moves at that point. What it means is that the moment you can evidence the discharge, the car follows within weeks rather than you beginning the whole process cold.
We have had people do exactly that. Approved in principle two months out, back with the discharge behind them, and driving shortly afterwards.
A recent example
We recently helped a sales rep who needed a car to do his job, and who came to us before his bankruptcy had finished rather than afterwards.
He was approved subject to the bankruptcy completing successfully. He came back about two months later with the discharge behind him and up to date bank statements, and the agreement went ahead.
Which is the useful part of this one. He did not wait until he was discharged and then start from scratch with no idea whether anyone would help. He had the answer ready and the car followed within weeks rather than months.
He drives an MG ZS.
Why you are still being turned down
Your bankruptcy is over. Your credit file has another five years to run.
Discharge does not wipe the record. Your bankruptcy stays on your credit file for six years from the date of the bankruptcy order, not from the date you were discharged. So for five years after you are free of it, the automatic scoring systems the big leasing companies use will still see it and still stop.
That is the frustrating bit. You have done everything you were supposed to do, the bankruptcy is over, and a computer is still holding it against you for another five years.
Nobody reads any further than that. Nobody looks at whether you have been working steadily since, or what is actually left in your account at the end of the month.
If a discharged bankruptcy is not the only thing on your file, our page on bad credit car leasing covers how we deal with the rest of it.
If you are wondering what a lease does to your file once you are discharged, our page on does leasing a car affect your credit score covers the credit check, whether the agreement shows up, and how the monthly payment affects anything else you apply for.
What we do differently
1
Your bank statements are read first
Three months of them, plus a copy of your driving licence. Someone at the lender reads them properly and works out whether the payments would sit comfortably alongside everything else you pay. Nothing touches your credit file at this stage, so if the answer is no you lose nothing.
2
Nothing touches your credit file yet
No search, no footprint, no record that you asked. If the answer is no, you lose nothing.
3
You hear back within two working days
Either way, with the reason if it is a no.
4
The credit check comes last
Only once affordability is established. By then the conversation is about what happened, not whether to bother.
Discharged, or nearly? Send us three months of statements and we will tell you within two working days where you stand.
If you are also trying to rebuild your file, our guide to whether leasing a car affects your credit score explains what actually helps and what is a waste of effort.
What you will need
- Discharge. You need to have been discharged from your bankruptcy. If you are unsure of the date, check it before you apply.
- From around £900 to start, and more on the dearer cars. That is the first three months' rental. There is no no-deposit version.
- Income from work. Employed or self-employed, £1,500 a month minimum after tax. Other regular income counts on top of that.
- Your recent statements holding up. Past trouble is fine, and that is who we are here for. What gets looked at is the pattern over three months, not whether every single payment on them is perfect.
- A full UK driving licence, and an address in mainland England or Wales.
- 21 or over, with a full UK driving licence. A provisional will not do.
For the full list of what you need, including how to get your bank statements right, see our guide.
What it costs
£299 to £499
a month, inc VAT
£900+
three months up front
36
months, road tax in
10,000
miles a year
Check if I can get this car
Photograph of the actual car.
BMW i3
125kW 42kWh
AUTO · 2020 · 55,000 miles · Mineral Grey/Black Roof
£320 per month
£960 to start, then 35 payments of £320 inc VAT
Photograph of the actual car.
Renault Zoe
100kW S Edition R135 50kWh Rapid Charge
AUTO · 2022 · 23,000 miles · Highland Grey
£320 per month
£960 to start, then 35 payments of £320 inc VAT
Most cars are between £299 and £499 a month, including VAT and road tax for the three years. Delivery and collection are free. Servicing, tyres, MOT and insurance are yours to arrange, and you will need fully comprehensive cover.
Agreements run for 36 months with 10,000 miles a year. Going over costs between 10p and 14p per mile plus VAT, depending on the car, and around 12p on most of them. The exact rate is written into your agreement before you sign. At the end you hand the car back. There is no option to buy it.
Ten thousand miles a year is the standard allowance. Higher mileage quotes are available up to twenty thousand a year, so ask if you need more.
Ordinary, practical cars. Hatchbacks and small SUVs, two to three years old, with mileage already on them.
Every car comes with at least twelve months' warranty, and each one is serviced, inspected and put right before it goes out. Delivery usually takes seven to ten days from order.
Delivery and collection are free anywhere in mainland England and Wales. Scotland is not something we can cover, so please get in touch before applying if that is where you are.
Servicing, tyres, MOT and insurance are not included. These are customer maintained agreements, so budget for those separately.
When we cannot help
- You have not been discharged yet. Come back when you have. We mean that.
- You cannot cover the first three months up front.
- Your income is from benefits or other sources only, with nothing earned alongside it.
- Important direct debits failing month after month. One or two that bounced and were sorted out is not the issue. A pattern is.
- If more than two or three direct debits have bounced in the last three months.
- You drive more than 20,000 miles a year.
- You are under 21, or hold a provisional rather than a full UK licence.
Questions people ask
Yes, once you have been discharged. Bankruptcy is normally discharged automatically after 12 months in England and Wales. Until then, no.
There is no set waiting period with us. What matters is what your bank statements look like now, not how many months have passed since the discharge date.
Yes. It stays on your credit file for six years from the date of the bankruptcy order. We will see it when the credit check is run, and it is not a surprise to us.
No. While you are undischarged you must tell a lender you are bankrupt if you borrow £500 or more, and a car lease is well above that. Nobody will set one up, and you should be wary of anyone saying they will.
Yes, but not first. Your bank statements are read before any search is run, so if the affordability does not work you find out with nothing recorded on your file.
Then it should have dropped off your credit file altogether. If you are still being turned down, something else is causing it, and our page on bad credit car leasing may be more useful to you.
No. We do not arrange guarantor agreements.
Find out where you stand
If you have been discharged, send us three months of bank statements and your driving licence. We will tell you within two working days whether this is likely to work, before any credit check is run.
Check if I qualify