 TITLE: Does Getting Preapproved for a Car Loan Hurt Your Credit? CONTENT: How Do Car Loan Preapprovals Affect Your Credit?\n------------------------------------------------\nCar loan preapprovals trigger a hard credit inquiry when the lender checks your credit, which could knock your credit score a few points temporarily. The good news is most credit scoring models allow consumers to shop around for auto loan rates without seriously damaging their credit scores. Multiple hard inquiries for auto loan preapprovals are generally treated as a single inquiry by scoring models if they occur within a 14-day window.\nHaving a preapproval letter does not guarantee you'll get approved for a loan. If there are changes in your finances between when you are preapproved and when you apply for the loan, you could ultimately be declined. One instance where this could occur is if you were to lose your job during the application process. END