Why Your New Car Loan Dropped Your Score (And Why That's Normal)

You bought a new car, made your first payment on time, and your credit score dropped 20 to 30 points anyway. What went wrong? Nothing. Harry Jacobs explains the two-part reason every new auto loan temporarily drops your score — the hard inquiry and the new account impact on your average credit age — and more importantly, why the score almost always fully recovers and surpasses its starting point…