With cars getting ever pricier, this begs the question: what is a good credit score to buy a car in 2026? A stalled economy and stagnant wages demand careful, responsible spending, especially with how expensive it is to buy a car these days. Your credit score is a handy indicator of how much you should responsibly spend on buying a new or used car. It’ll guide you on how much money you could borrow when applying for an auto loan, and a good credit score also means higher loan application approval rates, lower interest rate payments, and lower down payments. But first, what is a credit score anyway?