The best personal loans for excellent credit have low rates, affordable monthly payments and generous perks. Pre-qualify with multiple lenders to compare offers.
Checking rates is free and won't impact your credit score.
Best for excellent-credit loans overall
2025 NerdWallet award winner
8.74 - 35.49%
$5K - $100K
None
2 to 7 years
Best for debt consolidation
2025 NerdWallet award winner
7.99 - 24.99%
$2.5K - $40K
660
3 to 7 years
Best for a wide range of loan amounts
7.99 - 17.99%
$600 - $50K
None
1 to 5 years
Best for home improvement projects
2025 NerdWallet award winner
6.49 - 24.89%
$5K - $100K
660
2 to 7 years
Best for no fees
9.99 - 19.49%
$2K - $30K
Undisclosed
1 to 5 years
Our team of consumer lending experts follows an objective and robust methodology to rate lenders and pick the best.
30+
Lenders reviewed
We review over 35 lenders, including major banks, top credit unions, leading digital platforms, and high interest installment lenders operating across multiple states.
25+
Categories assessed
Each lender is evaluated across five weighted categories and 27 subcategories, covering affordability, eligibility, consumer experience, flexibility, and application process.
60+
Data points analyzed
Our team tracks and reassesses hundreds of data points annually, including APR ranges, fees, credit requirements, and borrower tools, ensuring up to date, accurate comparisons.
We evaluate more categories than competitors and carefully weigh how each factor impacts your experience.
NerdWallet’s review process evaluates and rates personal loan products from more than 30 financial technology companies and financial institutions. We collect over 60 data points and cross-check company websites, earnings reports and other public documents to confirm product details. We may also go through a lender’s pre-qualification flow and follow up with company representatives. NerdWallet writers and editors conduct a full fact check and update annually, but also make updates throughout the year as necessary.
Our star ratings award points to lenders that offer consumer-friendly features, including: soft credit checks to pre-qualify, competitive interest rates and no fees, transparency of rates and terms, flexible payment options, fast funding times, accessible customer service, reporting of payments to credit bureaus and financial education. Our ratings award fewer points to lenders with practices that may make a loan difficult to repay on time, such as charging high annual percentage rates (above 36%), underwriting that does not adequately assess consumers’ ability to repay and lack of credit-building help. We also consider regulatory actions filed by agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. We weigh these factors based on our assessment of which are the most important to consumers and how meaningfully they impact consumers’ experiences.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for our star ratings. Read more about our ratings methodologies for personal loans and our editorial guidelines.
Personal loan applicants with excellent credit (a score in the high 700s and above) typically have better chances of loan approval compared to applicants with lower credit scores.
Our recommendations for the best personal loans for excellent credit have low rates, fast funding and a wide selection of loan sizes and terms.
Here’s what makes our picks for the best excellent-credit loans stand out.
According to a recent NerdWallet lender survey, SoFi seeks borrowers with good or excellent credit for its personal loans. This lender offers a wide range of loan amounts and repayment terms, plus rate discounts and fast funding.
Discover says its average borrower has a 750 credit score, which falls within the excellent-credit range. This lender will send your loan funds straight to your creditors the day after you’re approved, simplifying the debt consolidation process.
PenFed Credit Union offers personal loans from $600 to $50,000 — making it suitable for a wide variety of borrowing needs. This lender doesn’t have a credit score minimum but says its loans are for excellent-credit borrowers.
LightStream offers home improvement loans up to $100,000 with repayment terms up to 20 years. This is unique among personal loan lenders. Borrowers must have a credit score of at least 660.
Citi personal loans cater to good- and excellent-credit borrowers and don’t come with fees that add to the cost of borrowing money. Other lenders may charge origination fees that range from 1% to 10% of the loan amount.
As with most credit products, the annual percentage rate you receive on a personal loan depends a lot on your credit score. Borrowers with excellent credit tend to get the lowest rates. This means they'll pay less interest over the life of the loan.
The average personal loan APR for excellent-credit borrowers in 2024 was 11.81%, according to data from users who pre-qualified through NerdWallet.
Use our personal loan calculator to see your estimated monthly payments and total interest cost for a personal loan based on your desired loan amount, repayment term and estimated APR.
Estimated monthly payment
$309.92
Total interest over 3 years
$1,156.95
Total loan payment
$11,156.95
Loan amount
$10,000
Interest rate
7.25%
Loan term (years)
3
Most lenders perform a soft credit inquiry when you pre-qualify. This doesn’t impact your credit score.
If you continue along the process of getting a personal loan, the lender will likely conduct a hard check after you submit a formal application. That hard check can cause your credit score to dip, but it’s often by only a few points.
You can build up your score by making on-time loan payments. Check that your lender reports repayment activity to all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).
Additionally, a personal loan could benefit your score if you don’t have any other installment loans. According to FICO, having a diversified credit mix contributes 10% toward the calculation of your total credit score.
» MORE: How personal loans affect credit scores
Having excellent credit is an advantage, but deciding between multiple loan offers can be challenging.
Here are several considerations to keep in mind:
» MORE: Personal loan features to compare
Pre-qualifying for a personal loan allows you to see personalized terms, including the loan’s interest rate and monthly payments, before committing to the loan.
You can pre-qualify with multiple lenders on NerdWallet to compare offers and find the lowest rate.
Having excellent credit means you may qualify for many credit options. Here are a few others you might consider.
Zero-interest credit card: 0% interest credit cards let you borrow at no cost as long as you pay off your balance within the card’s 0% interest introductory period — typically 15 to 21 months. A credit card with rewards, like travel points or cash back, can be beneficial for future expenses.
Personal line of credit: A personal line of credit functions like a mix between a credit card and a personal loan. It’s a good option for expenses with unpredictable timelines and costs, such as large home improvement projects.
Home equity financing: Homeowners with excellent credit and equity in their homes may qualify for a home equity loan or home equity line of credit. These financing options usually have lower rates and longer repayment terms than personal loans or personal lines of credit. The risk, however, is potentially losing your home if you fail to repay the debt.
With excellent credit, you'll likely have many options. Pre-qualifying with multiple lenders allows you to compare rates, terms and loan features to choose the best personal loan for you.
The rate you receive depends on your credit score as well as your income and debt. Personal loan lenders usually reserve their lowest rates for excellent-credit borrowers. Rates typically start around 7%, with an average APR around 12% for excellent-credit loans.
There could be multiple reasons why you can't get a personal loan, even if you have excellent credit. Your income may be too low for the amount you want to borrow, or your debt-to-income ratio may be too high. Having irregular income can impact your ability to get a personal loan, too.
