Tresl Auto Refinance and Lease Buyout Loans: 2024 Review

Tresl offers auto loan refinancing and lease buyout loans from a network of lenders. Each customer works with a dedicated Tresl advisor throughout the financing process.
Last updated on June 27, 2024
Written by 
Shannon Bradley
Lead Writer
Julie Myhre-Nunes
Edited by 
Julie Myhre-Nunes
Assigning Editor
Fact Checked
Shannon Bradley
Written by 
Lead Writer
Julie Myhre-Nunes
Edited by 
Julie Myhre-Nunes
Assigning Editor
Fact Checked

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NerdWallet's auto loans content, including articles, reviews and recommendations, is produced by a team of writers and editors who specialize in consumer lending. Their work has appeared in Nasdaq, MSN, MarketWatch, Yahoo! Finance and other national and regional media outlets. They have also appeared on NerdWallet's "Smart Money" podcast.

Auto loan reviews

Tresl
Auto loan refinancing
The Nerdy headline:

Best for applicants wanting step-by-step guidance through the auto refinancing or lease buyout process.

Auto loan refinancing review

Tresl
Tresl - Refinance loan

3.5
NerdWallet rating
Est. APR
4.67-21.00%
Loan amount
$8,000 - $150,000
Min. credit score
580
on Tresl's website

Pros

  • Works with a network of lenders to show multiple refinance offers.

  • Majority of lending partners offer a rate discount with automatic payment.

  • Pre-qualification with a soft credit check is available to all applicants.

  • A Social Security number is not required to see pre-qualified offers.

Cons

  • The majority of borrowers will pay an origination fee of up to $450.

  • Seeing pre-qualified offers can take up to two hours.

Best for applicants looking for hands-on help with the refinancing process from beginning to end, including the title transfer.

Compare auto loans lenders
Lender
Est. APR
Loan amount
Min. credit score
LightStream
4.5
Visit Lenderon LightStream's website
on LightStream's website
7.99- 15.94%
$5,000- $100,000
660
Visit Lenderon LightStream's website
on LightStream's website
4.99- 17.99%
$3,000- $250,000
500
Visit Lenderon Gravity Lending's website
on Gravity Lending's website
5.29- 24.99%
$10,000- $150,000
620
Visit Lenderon Auto Approve's website
on Auto Approve's website
5.74- 28.55%
$10,000- $125,000
580
5.29- 21.99%
$5,000- $150,000
500
View more

Auto lease buyout loan review

Tresl

3.5
NerdWallet rating
Est. APR
4.67-21.00%
Loan amount
No min.-No max.
Min. credit score
580
on Tresl's website

Pros

  • Works with a network of lenders to show multiple offers.

  • Majority of lending partners offer a rate discount with automatic payment.

  • Pre-qualification with a soft credit check is available to all applicants.

  • A Social Security number is not required to see pre-qualified offers.

Cons

  • The majority of borrowers will pay an origination fee of up to $450.

  • Seeing pre-qualified offers can take up to two hours.

Best for applicants looking for hands-on help with lease buyout financing from beginning to end, including the title transfer.

Full Review of Tresl

Tresl is an aggregator that partners with a network of approximately 220 lenders to provide auto loan refinancing and lease buyout loans. It also offers cash-out auto refinancing, so borrowers may be able to receive cash with a new refinance loan if they have enough vehicle equity.

Tresl also offers loans for the purchase of company cars but not for vehicles bought through dealerships. Purchase loans are not covered in this review because of their limited availability through Tresl.

When you submit a loan application to Tresl, the company will attempt to match you to lenders within its network. This is done as a pre-qualification with a soft credit inquiry, so it will not affect your credit scores. Any pre-qualified offers — showing estimated interest rates, monthly payments, loan terms and total interest — will be presented to you, so you can select the one that best fits your needs.

After you select a pre-qualified offer, you will meet with a dedicated Tresl finance advisor to secure full loan approval, which includes a hard credit inquiry. A hard credit inquiry will slightly and temporarily lower your credit scores.

🤓

Nerdy Tip

Tresl is an auto loan aggregator, meaning it works with a network of lenders to match borrowers to loans. Aggregators can connect you to several lenders with one application. However, you should be aware that aspects of your loan — such as fees, customer service and how your personal information is used — will depend on the lender.

Table of contents

Tresl at a glance

Tresl works with many different lenders, so the information provided here is general and can reflect the high or low end available among its lending partners.

Minimum credit score

580.

Minimum credit history

At least one lending partner has no minimum length of credit history requirement. Among lenders that have a minimum, the shortest is three months.

Minimum annual gross income

$30,000.

Maximum debt-to-income ratio

60%.

Maximum loan-to-value ratio

150% for refinancing; 160% for lease buyout.

Loan terms

24-96 months. Shorter terms available for lease buyouts.

Co-applicants allowed?

Co-signers and co-borrowers allowed.

Pre-qualification or preapproval offered?

Offers pre-qualification with a soft credit check.

Origination/processing fee?

More than half of borrowers will have a fee of up to $450.

Rate discount offered?

More than half of lending partners offer an APR discount (ranging from 0.25% - 0.50%) when a borrower sets up autopay.

States covered

Available in all states.

    • Maximum vehicle age: 12 years for refinancing; No maximum for lease buyout.

    • Maximum vehicle mileage: 150,000 miles for refinancing; No maximum for lease buyout.

    • Other vehicle restrictions: None.

    • Loan amount minimum: $8,000 for refinancing; No minimum for lease buyout.

    • Loan amount maximum: $150,000 for refinancing; No maximum for lease buyout.

    • Maximum loan-to-value ratio: 150% for refinancing; 160% for lease buyout.

    • Refinance time restrictions: Will refinance as soon as the previous loan's paperwork is complete and the title can be transferred.

    • Bankruptcy restrictions: At least one lending partner has no bankruptcy restrictions.

    • Approval speed: Applicants will not see pre-qualified offers immediately. Pre-qualification usually takes from 10 minutes up to two hours.

    • Initial deferred payment: Up to 120 days.

    • Existing loan payoff: Funds are sent directly to the previous lender, electronically if possible. Otherwise by check.

    • Selected payment due date: Borrowers can select their payment due date, but only at a specific time when asked during the loan process.

    • Maximum debt-to-income ratio: 60%.

    • Hardship plans: Majority of lending partners offer hardship options, such as deferred payments and extended loan terms.

    • Contact options: Phone, email, text, live chat and website form. Spanish-speaking agents available by phone, email, text and chat.

    • Availability: Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m. CT.

    • Online resources: Offers a blog with educational articles about auto financing.

    • Related services: Offers guaranteed asset protection (gap insurance), vehicle service contracts and road hazard protection. If selected, these can be rolled into the auto loan for an additional price.

Tresl may be a good fit for those who:

  • Want assistance with the entire loan process. A Tresl finance advisor works with borrowers through each phase of the loan process, from application to transferring the vehicle title.

  • Need more flexible loan requirements. The Tresl network includes lenders that work with borrowers who have a low credit score, past bankruptcy or no credit history. However, applicants with bad or poor credit should expect a higher interest rate.

  • Could benefit from having a co-applicant. Tresl can match applicants to lenders that allow both co-signers and co-borrowers. Having a co-applicant can help borrowers who might not qualify alone.

Do you qualify for a Tresl auto loan?

Tresl basic eligibility requirements to apply for an auto refinance or lease buyout loan include the following:

  • Must be at least 18 years old.

Here are the minimum borrower requirements to qualify for an auto loan with Tresl. Note that meeting these requirements doesn’t guarantee approval. However, since aggregators work with a network of various lenders, some may be more flexible with minimum requirements when considering an applicant's total financial picture.

  • Minimum credit score: 580.

  • Minimum credit history: At least one lending partner has no minimum length of credit history requirement. Among lenders that have a minimum, the shortest is three months.

  • Maximum debt-to-income ratio: 60%.

  • Minimum annual income: $30,000.

Before you apply for auto refinancing or a lease buyout loan

Check your credit. You can get your free credit report on NerdWallet or at AnnualCreditReport.com. If you find errors, file a credit dispute to correct them before you apply for an auto loan.

Figure what monthly payment you can afford. Use an auto refinance calculator or lease buyout calculator to determine what APR and repayment term you need to get monthly car payments that fit your budget. An auto refinance calculator also shows how much you can save by refinancing.

Gather your documents and information. Tresl requires the following to submit an initial auto loan refinancing application: address, time at address, phone, email, birthdate, employment status, employer name, income, housing status, housing payment amount and basic vehicle information.

How to apply for a Tresl auto refinance or lease buyout loan

  1. Pre-qualify on the Tresl website. Use the “Apply Now” button to pre-qualify with a soft credit inquiry, which will not affect your credit scores. You’ll be asked for information like employment status, income, housing information and basic details about your current car. The Tresl application lets you easily select a vehicle make, model and year, but it does not enable you to provide your VIN or license plate number to automatically pull information about your specific vehicle. Tresl also has the option to apply by phone at 866-504-3748.

  2. Choose a loan offer. If you pre-qualify and are matched to one or more lenders, you will see offers with estimated interest rate, monthly payment and loan term. After you select an offer and move forward with the loan application, a hard credit inquiry will be done to determine final loan approval and a Tresl representative will contact you. A hard credit inquiry may cause a slight, temporary drop in your credit scores.

  3. Stay on top of your loan payments. According to Tresl, all of its lending partners report loan payments to the three major credit bureaus, so on-time payments will help build your credit score, but missed payments will hurt it. Setting up automatic payments if available is a good way to make sure your payments arrive by the due date.

How auto loan rates work and how we collect them

The auto loan APR range NerdWallet displays is provided by the aggregator. We make every attempt to keep rates updated, by sending out bimonthly rate surveys and encouraging aggregators to send us updates when rates change. We also compare these rates to APRs on the aggregator's website, if available. The accuracy of our rates depends on the information aggregators provide to us. It’s always a good idea to check average auto loan interest rates, and compare to similar aggregators or lenders, to determine if the provided rate seems realistic.

We ask aggregators to provide the lowest rate among their lending partners without including any potential rate discounts. We also ask that the provided rate be one that at least 10% of applicants applying for the lowest rate have qualified for in the previous three months. The lowest rates shown are typically available only to borrowers with good or excellent credit (a FICO score of 690 and above).

We also ask aggregators for the highest rate among their lending partners, which typically reflects rates available to borrowers with fair or bad credit (a FICO score in the mid-600s or below). The highest interest rates result in higher monthly payments and more total interest paid.

Actual rates received by this aggregator’s auto loan borrowers may be different from the rates shown in this review.

How do we review auto loan aggregators?

NerdWallet's review process surveys companies that offer any combination of new car purchase loans, used car purchase loans, auto refinance loans (traditional and/or cash-out) and lease buyout loans. These companies include direct lenders and aggregators; the latter group doesn't have in-house loan products but matches borrowers to third-party lenders within a network. Our aim is to provide an independent assessment of providers to help arm you with information to make sound, informed judgements on which ones will best meet your needs. We adhere to strict guidelines for editorial integrity.

Because aggregators are not the actual lender and servicing of the loan passes to the lender in most cases, NerdWallet focuses most heavily on the front end of the loan process. This includes level of service/support and transparency, with less focus on the actual loan product. In all, our survey for aggregators includes more than 60 data points. NerdWallet independently confirms product details and, when necessary, follows up with company representatives. At least two writers and an editor verify the facts for every lender review to ensure data are accurate.

To receive a star rating, an aggregator must respond to NerdWallet’s annual auto loans survey. Star ratings are then assessed from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars).

For more details about the categories considered when rating aggregators and our process, read our full methodology.

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Frequently asked questions

  • Tresl was founded in 2007 and is part of The Savings Group, Inc. (TSG) which also includes aggregators RateGenius and AutoPay. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas and Denver, Colorado. According to a legal notice on the Tresl website, TSG “operates pursuant to licenses in jurisdictions where its activities require licensing. All lenders in the TSG network are FDIC-insured banks, credit unions or licensed lenders.” Online reviews are mainly positive.

  • Tresl may use personal information for it or its subsidiaries to market auto-related products to you. To opt out of having your personal information used for marketing purposes, you can contact Tresl after submitting your loan application. More information can be found in the Tresl privacy policy.

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