Buying a new car can be a daunting prospect. From determining your needs to finding the perfect fit and getting your finances sorted, there’s a lot to consider and tick off before you can hit the road in your new ride.
Below, we test out a platform designed to make the car buying experience easier, from beginning your search to finding the best make and model for your needs and working through your finances.
Taking the Buy & Own a Car platform for a spin
A Brighter editor road-tests the Cars for CommBank platform, which offers deals, finance options and information.
1. Start the car search
An online search takes me to Cars for CommBank, which is stacked with special offers, loan options and information on popular car models. While here, I browse the available deals, from manufacturer discounts on eligible vehicles, savings on electric or hybrid car loans and the EV Access Program, in which eligible essential workers or individuals earning $100,000 or less can get a special discounted rate on EV-specific Secured Car Loans.
2. Go window shopping
Thinking about which options best suit my lifestyle, I head to the “Explore cars” page and type in the make, model, year, budget, condition and keywords that best describe the car I want. I settle on a new 2025 model BYD and am shown a list of nine cars. The platform offers me options to organise finance through CommBank, select a salary-packaged EV subscription or to simply buy the car outright.
3. Run the numbers
I choose the car that fits my needs: a 2025 BYD Dolphin Essential, a hatchback in Ski White with an AC70kW electric motor and a driving range of approximately 340 kilometres (WLTP). Suddenly I feel like someone who deeply cares about the difference in whites that car companies offer and electric motor capacity—who even am I? The burning question now: can I afford this car? I take a look at the repayments calculator and pop the car value in to estimate my repayments. It boils down to a weekly repayment of around $110 per week.
4. Put it to the test
To see how it would feel to commit to a secured car loan, I went into the CommBank app and set up an automatic transfer to my GoalSaver account called “car fund”. For 30 days, I set aside $110 per week, imagining that going towards my new (Ski White!) Dolphin. In the first two weeks, I feel it. With a little less disposable money, I’m making small lifestyle changes like bringing lunch from home, buying fewer coffees and opting for a walk with girlfriends instead of dinner. Still, this starts to feel normal by week three and I find I’m able to tuck away $110 quite easily. It’s a surprisingly simple adjustment to make to secure a new car—or, at least, pretend to.
