Bankwest Car and Personal Loans: Status and Options

Bankwest car loans aren’t open to new applications, and neither are Bankwest unsecured personal loans, as checked on 3 October 2026. Existing borrowers can still manage their loans through Bankwest. For a client buying a car, compare another lender’s secured car loan with an unsecured personal loan that permits the purchase.

Confirm Bankwest’s New-Loan Status

Bankwest accepts neither new unsecured personal loan applications nor new car loan applications, as at 3 October 2026. Each product is closed to new lending.

• Unsecured personal loans: closed to new applications.
• Car loans fall within the closure of personal lending. Bankwest’s vehicle-secured lending was a personal loan product.

Bankwest’s personal loan support page says it no longer accepts new personal loan applications. Its payments support page also says personal loans are no longer available.

The retained loan checklist describes both a Basic Secured Personal Loan backed by a vehicle and a Basic Unsecured Personal Loan. Those descriptions explain older accounts. They don’t reopen applications or provide a current lodgement route.

For a new car purchase, move to other lenders’ current products. For an existing loan, use Bankwest’s servicing channels below.

Secured Car Loan or Unsecured Personal Loan

A secured car loan gives the lender security over the vehicle. An unsecured personal loan used to buy a car leaves the vehicle unpledged.

Moneysmart explains that the lender can take and sell the secured asset if the borrower doesn’t repay. Unsecured borrowers still owe the debt and face legal recovery if they don’t repay.

A secured loan requires the car to meet the lender’s vehicle criteria. Assess its age when purchased and, where required, at the end of the proposed term. Establish whether the seller is a dealer or private owner, whether finance is already owing and which purchase documents the lender requires.

For an unsecured loan, establish that buying this vehicle is an accepted purpose. The car isn’t pledged as security, but the lender still assesses the borrower and the amount requested. A cheaper or older vehicle can make this route worth comparing when it falls outside a secured lender’s vehicle rules.

Start with the client’s purchase price, deposit and any purchase costs to be financed. Agree an affordable repayment budget after allowing for insurance and running costs. Keep the same amount and term when comparing products so a longer repayment period doesn’t disguise a higher total cost.

Clients With an Existing Bankwest Loan

Existing Bankwest personal-loan borrowers can manage their accounts in the Bankwest App and message Bankwest for help, as at October 2026. The personal loan support page specifically directs payout and closure requests to app messaging.

For statements or transaction history, ask the client to access their records through the app or online banking. If the required record isn’t available, request it through Bankwest’s official support. Ask Bankwest about repayment changes through the same channel, including any conditions attached to the client’s existing contract.

If app access fails, Bankwest’s contact page lists 13 17 19 for general enquiries, available 24 hours a day. Have the client identify the loan before discussing account-specific changes.

Before comparing a replacement loan, obtain a payout figure valid for the intended payment date. A statement records the balance at a particular point. The closing amount can also include interest accrued since that date and any applicable contract charges, adjusted for subsequent payments.

Retain the payout’s expiry date and payment instructions. If the payment date moves, request an updated figure. The car loan refinancing guide covers the replacement process in more detail.

For repayment difficulty, use Bankwest’s financial hardship support. The client can ask for a Financial Assist Specialist through app or online-banking chat, or call 1300 769 173. The team is available from 6am to 6pm Australian Western Standard Time, Monday to Friday.

Bankwest’s hardship page also provides a Third Party Request form for nominating a representative. Obtain the required authority if you help with that process. Hardship assistance addresses repayment difficulty without requiring the client to qualify for another loan.

Finding Car Finance Elsewhere

Compare lenders that accept the client’s vehicle and borrower profile, then obtain dated quotes for the same loan amount and term. CommBank is one option within the group Bankwest belongs to. A Bankwest account doesn’t establish eligibility or preferential treatment on a CommBank application.

As at October 2026, CommBank’s personal lending range includes unsecured fixed and variable personal loans and a Secured Fixed Rate Car Loan. Its public application route is online, with NetBank available for existing CommBank customers.

CommBank’s secured car loan page, checked on 3 October 2026, requires the car to be ten years old or below. The car must have no existing finance owing and must be comprehensively insured. These are CommBank’s rules, not a market-wide vehicle-age limit.

National Australia Bank (NAB) has secured car lending and unsecured personal lending, as at October 2026. Its secured route requires an existing personal NAB customer registered for internet banking and the app, aged at least 21. Only sole borrowers can apply.

For NAB’s secured loan, a used vehicle can be no more than 12 years old at application and 15 at the end of the term. A ten-year-old car with a seven-year term would exceed that end-of-term limit. That same car with a five-year term reaches 15, although the borrower and vehicle must still meet NAB’s other requirements.

NAB’s unsecured route accepts applications from people aged at least 18 who meet its income and residency criteria. It also requires a sole applicant. Consider this route separately from the secured product’s existing-customer requirement.

For a hypothetical client financing $25,000 over five years, request each eligible lender’s quote on that exact basis. Compare the repayment frequency and total amount payable, including establishment and ongoing fees. Record early-payout costs and any final balloon payment separately.

A headline rate doesn’t establish the client’s offered rate. Use the dated quote’s conditions and expiry, then select the route that meets the client’s budget and vehicle requirements. The personal loan lender guide helps broaden the shortlist where these options don’t fit.

Note the Outcome in the File

Record Bankwest’s closed new-loan status with the source URL and your check date, then record why the alternative meets the client’s purpose. Keep the vehicle details and seller type with the requested loan amount. Retain the client’s budget and the term used across the comparison.

Attach the alternatives considered, the criteria that ruled any out and each dated quote. Where an existing loan is being replaced, retain the payout figure and the date it covers. Explain the chosen product’s security risk and any cost or flexibility trade-off that affected the decision.

If the client’s next question concerns a mortgage, treat that as a separate assessment using Bankwest’s home loan policy. For the car purchase, finish the file with the selected lender’s conditions and the documents still required before funding.