Pepper Money

Pepper writes fixed-rate secured and unsecured car loans from $5,000 to $150,000 over terms of 1 to 7 years, covering new, used and dealer-demo vehicles as well as private sales. Business borrowers can structure the purchase as a chattel mortgage under an ABN. Distribution runs through accredited asset finance brokers, dealer introducers and Stratton Finance, the online asset finance broker Pepper acquired.

Pricing is risk-tiered rather than one-size-fits-all. As at mid-2026 the strongest credit tier prices from around 9 percent per annum fixed, with comparison rates above 10 percent once fees are counted, and lower tiers price progressively higher to reflect credit history, security and vehicle age. Those figures are indicative only; verify the current range on Pepper's own car loan page or through a broker before relying on them.

The borrowers Pepper suits best are the ones a major bank's auto policy squeezes out: self-employed applicants without two full years of financials, borrowers with a paid default or a thin credit file, and older or private-sale vehicles that prime lenders decline as security. Clean-credit PAYG borrowers buying a new car should price a bank or prime auto lender first, because even the strongest Pepper tier carries a specialist margin.

Pepper is a broker-led lender. Most of its volume arrives through accredited mortgage and asset finance brokers, and the broker-facing side of the business runs through the Pepper Broker hub at pepperbroker.com.au, a separate site from the consumer-facing peppermoney.com.au.

Accreditation is open to brokers operating under a recognised aggregator: the application is a form on the Pepper Broker site, and Pepper's origination team (1800 737 737) handles questions. Once accredited, a broker gets portal access for lodgement and tracking, the current rate card, and a dedicated business development manager (BDM) who can workshop scenarios and price individual files.

Pepper also runs a scenario-submission tool for accredited brokers. That is the practical route for testing whether a non-standard file (a credit event, alt-doc income, unusual security) fits a Pepper tier before a formal application touches the borrower's credit file.

The "Pepper rate card" is the Rates and Fees guide Pepper publishes for accredited brokers, refreshed periodically as funding costs move; each edition carries an explicit effective date. It is a matrix rather than a single number: rates are quoted by credit tier (Prime, Near Prime, Specialist), documentation type (full doc or alt doc), loan-to-value ratio band and product, with the fee schedule alongside.

Consumers do not normally read the rate card directly, because it sits behind broker accreditation. The consumer-facing equivalents are the interest rate pages on peppermoney.com.au and, more usefully, a quote from an accredited broker, since the rate that actually applies depends on which cell of the matrix your file lands in.

If a broker walks you through the card, read it in this order: your credit tier first, then your documentation type, then your LVR band. Comparing your realistic cell against a big-bank advertised rate you would not be approved for is the classic mistake; compare it against the other specialist lenders quoting the same tier.

Pepper does not publish one headline rate, so the honest way to frame pricing is by tier. Indicative positioning as at mid-2026, all subject to verification against Pepper's current rate card: Prime home loans typically price around 0.3 to 0.8 percentage points above big-bank variable rates depending on LVR and documentation type; Near Prime sits above Prime; Specialist prices materially higher again to reflect credit risk.

Car loans start from around 9 percent per annum fixed for the strongest tier, with comparison rates above 10 percent, rising by tier. Personal loans are risk-tiered the same way, and the advertised "from" rate applies only to the cleanest files.

Every figure above is indicative, not an offer. Rates move with the cash rate and with Pepper's wholesale funding costs, and the rate you would actually be quoted depends on tier placement. Verify current figures on Pepper's own site or through an accredited broker before making any decision.