The one-sentence difference
A soft search is an eligibility check that leaves no visible footprint on your credit file. A hard search is a formal application check that leaves a footprint visible to other lenders for 12 months.
What a soft search actually does
When you request a car finance quote from us (or any modern broker), our system runs a soft search across our lender panel. Each lender's scoring model reads your file, works out whether you'd qualify and at what rate — then sends the answer back within seconds.
You see the deal you'd get if you accepted. But because it's a soft search, no other lender ever sees that you looked.
When a hard search happens
A hard search is only performed once you accept a specific finance offer and formally proceed. It's the lender saying: "we're committing to fund this — record the check on their file". Each hard search typically knocks 5-10 points off your credit score for 3-6 months, then fades until it drops off entirely at 12 months.
Why this matters when you're shopping
Because soft searches are invisible to other lenders, you can compare 15+ lenders through a single broker without harming your score. Running three or four direct applications, in contrast, would leave three or four hard-search footprints — which mainstream lenders read as a warning signal.
If a car finance broker tells you their initial quote is a hard search, walk away. Every reputable UK broker now uses soft-search technology by default.
