What a 590 credit score gets you
Mortgage
Possible
FHA with 3.5% down is open. Being above 580 also matters if the file is underwritten by hand: with compensating factors HUD allows debt-to-income ratios of 37/47 or 40/50, while below 580 the cap is 31/43. Conventional is up to the lender, since Fannie Mae's automated system dropped its minimum score in November 2025 but lenders may keep their own.
Car loan
Limited
Car financing may be available, subject to lender requirements. If your VantageScore 4.0 is in the 501-600 tier, Experian’s Q2 2026 averages were 13.52% new and 19.1% used. A FICO 590 does not establish that VantageScore; compare actual APR, amount and term.
Credit cards
Limited
A secured card is the dependable route; unsecured cards for fair credit come with small limits. The Federal Reserve's 22.15% average on cards that charge interest includes borrowers far above 590, so expect to be offered more.
Renting
Possible
No official minimum score exists for renting. A landlord who screens may ask for a larger deposit or a co-signer at this level, and pay stubs plus a clean rent history are the best counterweight.
These are broad credit-score categories, not approval odds. Lenders also assess income, debt, credit history and their own requirements.
What 590 costs you in interest
Neither myFICO staircase reaches 590: published mortgage rates by FICO band start at 620, and car-loan rates at 640. For a car, the usable yardstick is Experian's quarterly averages by VantageScore 4.0 tier, where 590 lands in Subprime, the second-most expensive of the five tiers.
If your VantageScore 4.0 is 590
Subprime · 501–600. A FICO 590 does not establish this VantageScore.
$460.40/mo · $7,624 total interest
$519.91/mo · $11,195 total interest
Illustration: $20,000 financed over 60 months at the quarterly average APR. Experian averages cover different loan terms; these are payment scenarios, not quotes for a 60-month loan. Compare your amount and another VantageScore →
$35,000 new car, 60 months, by VantageScore tier
| Score band | Rate | Monthly | Total interest | vs. best |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 781–850 | 4.41% | $651 | $4,064 | – |
| 661–780 | 6.15% | $679 | $5,746 | +$1,681 |
| 601–660 | 9.71% | $739 | $9,320 | +$5,255 |
| 501–600 | 13.52% | $806 | $13,342 | +$9,278 |
| 300–500 | 16.11% | $853 | $16,191 | +$12,126 |
The bar that matters is the next one down. Nonprime starts at 601, and the drop from Subprime to Nonprime (13.52% to 9.71% on a new car, 19.1% to 13.93% on a used one) is the largest on the chart. These tiers are VantageScore, though, and your VantageScore and your FICO score are calculated differently, so a 590 on one does not mean a 590 on the other.
For a home, FHA is the realistic route at 590. There is no FHA rate table by score, so the rate depends on the lender, but the down payment rule is fixed: 3.5% from 580 up. That is the number to protect between now and closing.
Your FHA down payment, in dollars
Compare the FHA minimum at 590 with 620 using the same home price.
3.5% minimum down payment
3.5% minimum down payment
The FHA minimum does not change at this step.
The minimum down payment is only one part of the loan decision. Closing costs, mortgage insurance and lender requirements are additional. These examples assume the price equals the FHA adjusted value; a lower appraisal can change the cash needed.
Source: HUD FHA credit-score and LTV rules →What would a different score cost?
Same loan. Two scores. See the difference.
VantageScore 4.0 scenarios · Experian Q2 2026. A FICO 590 does not establish a VantageScore of 590.
At 601 compared with 590
| Score | Reference rate | Monthly payment | Total interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 590 | 13.52% | $460.40 | $7,624.18 |
| 601 | 9.71% | $422.09 | $5,325.56 |
At 601, the estimate is $38.31 less per month and $2,298.62 less interest over the full term.
Car APR averages by VantageScore 4.0 tier, Experian Q2 2026. Both scores use the same quarterly dataset. Terms and amounts are illustrative; the averages are not specific to a 60-month loan. Methodology.
What this estimate includes
Estimates use national average bands, not an offer or approval prediction. Your lender may use a different score. Mortgage payments exclude taxes, insurance, mortgage insurance and fees. Full-term interest assumes no refinancing, early payoff or extra payments.
How to get from 590 to 620
At 590 the first job is not climbing, it is not slipping. If a mortgage is on the horizon, a dip below 580 at the wrong moment costs you an FHA down payment of 10% instead of 3.5%. Then come the thirty points.
- Stop applying for new credit. A store card or a car loan opened now puts an inquiry and a brand-new account on your file right before a lender pulls it. If you are shopping for the mortgage itself, keep it to a short window: the FTC notes that several mortgage inquiries close together often count as one.
- Cut the card balances that get reported. Amounts owed are 30% of a FICO score, second only to payment history. Paying before the statement closes, rather than by the due date, lowers the balance the issuer sends to the bureaus.
- Read all three reports, free at AnnualCreditReport.com. At this level one collection that is not yours or a payment wrongly marked late can account for much of the gap to 620. Disputes cost nothing.
- Put every account on autopay for at least the minimum. Payment history is 35% of the score. A fresh late payment is the one thing that can undo all of the above in a single month.
What not to do: close old cards to look tidier, or pay someone to remove accurate negatives. Closing a card shrinks the limit your balances are measured against, and accurate information can stay on your report for up to seven years whoever you pay.
What a Fair score means (580 to 669)
The doors open: FHA mortgages, most car lenders, starter cards. The prices are the problem. 14.9% of Americans with a FICO score are in this range, according to Experian's 2025 data. What the fair range means in practice.
Questions about a 590 score
Can I get an FHA loan with a 590 credit score?
Yes. HUD allows maximum financing, 3.5% down, from a score of 580, so 590 qualifies with ten points to spare. The score that counts is the one the lender pulls when you apply, so keep new credit and card balances quiet until then.
Is 590 a bad credit score?
FICO does not call it bad: 590 is in the Fair range, which runs from 580 to 669. VantageScore's Subprime tier covers everything up to 600, though, so a lender using that model sees a subprime borrower.
Sources (14)
- HUD Handbook 4000.1 (FHA minimum credit scores) and Mortgagee Letter 2026-11, October 8, 2026
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-5.1-01, General Requirements for Credit Scores
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide Announcement SEL-2025-09 (minimum score removed for DU loans), November 5, 2025
- Fannie Mae Loan-Level Price Adjustment Matrix, September 30, 2026
- Experian: State of the Automotive Finance Market, Q2 2026, August 2026
- VantageScore: The complete guide to your VantageScore, June 2025
- Federal Reserve G.19 Consumer Credit (credit card interest rates), October 7, 2026
- CFPB: Tenant background checks market report, November 2022
- CFPB: What is a credit score?
- myFICO: What is a FICO Score? (score ranges and what goes into them)
- FTC: Credit scores
- AnnualCreditReport.com (free reports from all three bureaus)
- CFPB: How do I dispute an error on my credit report?
- Experian: What is the average credit score in the U.S.? (share of consumers in each FICO range), 2025 data, published March 2026
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