{"id":15377,"date":"2024-11-08T07:37:18","date_gmt":"2024-11-08T15:37:18","guid":{"rendered":"\/wp-site\/?p=15377"},"modified":"2024-11-09T01:21:24","modified_gmt":"2024-11-09T09:21:24","slug":"how-to-write-a-car-loan-surrender-letter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/car-loan\/how-to-write-a-car-loan-surrender-letter\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Car Loan Surrender Letter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you can\u2019t keep up with your loan payments, you can write a letter to your lender to voluntarily surrender your vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although surrendering your ride still ends with the car back in your lender\u2019s hands, your credit score won\u2019t take such a bad hit and you\u2019ll avoid the bad feelings a repossession creates. But signing a <a href=\"\/car-loan\/\">car loan <\/a>agreement always comes with a risk of repossession, so knowing how to surrender a financed car is important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Car loan expert and <a href=\"\/car-insurance\/\">car insurance<\/a> broker app <a href=\"\/signup\/\">Jerry<\/a> is here to walk you through everything you need to know about how to surrender your car to a lender. We&#8217;ll also show you how to lower your car expenses using our<a href=\"\/car-insurance\/is-jerry-legit\/\"> trusted insurance comparison app<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Car-loan-surrender-letter?\">What is a car loan surrender letter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A car loan surrender letter notifies a lender that you can&#8217;t keep up with payments and will return the vehicle. By notifying the lender and initiating a voluntary surrender, you can prevent defaulting on the loan and repossession of your vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because even a voluntary surrender can hurt your credit score, you should think of a car loan surrender letter as a last resort if you\u2019re unable to keep up with payments. Consider all your other options, first:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Arrange an alternative payment agreement with your lender that takes some pressure off your finances<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Refinance your car loan<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trade in the car if your balance is less than the car\u2019s value<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Write-a-car-loan-surrender-letter\">How to write a car loan surrender letter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Because a car loan surrender letter will negatively impact your credit score, it\u2019s a serious decision. But if it\u2019s your only option, it\u2019s a smart move to prevent forceful repossession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how to surrender your car to the bank with a car loan surrender letter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Identify yourself and your vehicle. Be sure to include an account number so that your lender can match your letter to your records.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Explain that you\u2019re unable to make payments and intend to surrender the car.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provide contact information so that your lender can reach you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Request signature confirmation of delivery if you\u2019re sending the letter by mail.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep a copy of the letter for your records.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Once you\u2019ve submitted a surrender letter, call your lender to arrange a safe time and location to drop off your vehicle. If you don\u2019t want to send the letter by mail, you can also drop the letter off along with your vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A voluntary repossession won\u2019t wipe away your debt\u2014you\u2019ll still be responsible for payments after you surrender your car. Your lender will try to sell the car on your behalf and you\u2019ll be responsible for your outstanding balance minus the sale price. This lower balance is known as the deficiency balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-jerry-key-takeaway border-primary flex flex-col rounded bg-gray-50 p-6 border-l-4\"><div class=\"flex flex-col md:block md:space-x-1\"><span class=\"has-primary-color text-lg font-semibold\">Key Takeaway<\/span><span class=\"text-gray-900 text-base\">Writing a car loan surrender letter won\u2019t erase your debt, but you\u2019ll likely pay a reduced balance if your lender can sell the vehicle.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"jerry-block-content\" contentclassname=\"text-gray-900 text-base\"><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jerry-cta\"><div class=\"flex flex-col items-start gap-4 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 px-12 py-8 md:flex-row md:items-center md:gap-14\"><div class=\"flex-1\"><span class=\"text-xl font-black text-gray-900\">Find affordable car insurance in minutes.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"flex-1\"><a href=\"\/signup\" class=\"bg-primary block w-full rounded-full px-14 py-2 text-center font-black text-white hover:no-underline\">COMPARE QUOTES<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Difference-between-voluntary-surrender-and-repossession\">What\u2019s the difference between voluntary surrender and repossession?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The main difference between voluntary surrender and repossession is that voluntary surrender allows you to avoid the chaos and humiliation of a forceful repossession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you surrender a financed car, you\u2019ll still be responsible for a deficiency balance\u2014and voluntary repossession will still affect your credit score. But writing a car loan surrender letter shows future lenders that you took responsibility for your debt rather than forcing the lender to take drastic action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bottom line: even though it\u2019s not ideal, it\u2019s easier to repair your credit after voluntary surrender than a repossession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-jerry-key-takeaway border-primary flex flex-col rounded bg-gray-50 p-6 border-l-4\"><div class=\"flex flex-col md:block md:space-x-1\"><span class=\"has-primary-color text-lg font-semibold\">Key Takeaway<\/span><span class=\"text-gray-900 text-base\">Voluntary surrender will impact your credit score, but it shows future lenders that you\u2019re responsible and won\u2019t force them to repossess your car.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"jerry-block-content\" contentclassname=\"text-gray-900 text-base\"><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"Save-money-with-cheaper-car-insurance\">Save money with cheaper car insurance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need some extra cash to help with your car loan payments, try shopping for cheaper car insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"\/signup\/\">Jerry<\/a> is a<a href=\"\/car-insurance\/is-jerry-legit\/\"> trusted insurance comparison app <\/a>that helps you save time and money on all your car expenses, including insurance. Answer just a few easy questions and Jerry will compile quotes that meet your coverage needs from 50+ insurance companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pick the one that best suits you and Jerry will handle all the paperwork, phone calls, and even help you cancel your old policy. The average Jerry user saves $879 per year on car insurance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jerry-cta\"><div class=\"flex flex-col items-start gap-4 rounded-xl border border-zinc-200 px-12 py-8 md:flex-row md:items-center md:gap-14\"><div class=\"flex-1\"><span class=\"text-xl font-black text-gray-900\">Find affordable car insurance in minutes.<\/span><\/div><div class=\"flex-1\"><a href=\"\/signup\" class=\"bg-primary block w-full rounded-full px-14 py-2 text-center font-black text-white hover:no-underline\">COMPARE QUOTES<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-jerry-meet-experts\" data-wp-interactive=\"jerry\/meet-experts\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;modalVisible&quot;:false}\">\n  <div class=\"font-circular text-2xl font-extrabold text-slate-900\">Expert-driven. Built for you.<\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"my-3\">\n    <div class=\"flex justify-between items-center py-3 border-b border-neutral-200 cursor-pointer font-semibold text-gray-900\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.toggleModal\">\n  <button class=\"text-left text-base\" type=\"button\">\n    Why you can count on Jerry&#8217;s articles  <\/button>\n\n  <div class=\"transition data-[visible=true]:md:rotate-180 text-xs iconify i--chevron-down text-gray-500\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"modal-backdrop fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-50 overflow-hidden overscroll-contain bg-black\/70 font-body transition-transform delay-100 duration-0 md:relative md:z-auto [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:translate-y-full [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:bg-black\/0 [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:md:hidden\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onModalInit\" data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.hideModal\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\">\n  <div class=\"modal-view fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 flex max-h-[75%] w-full flex-col rounded-t-3xl bg-white pb-7 pl-7 pt-3.5 transition md:relative md:rounded-none md:pl-0 md:transition-none [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:translate-y-full [&amp;:not([data-visible=true])]:md:hidden\" data-wp-bind--data-visible=\"context.modalVisible\">\n    <div class=\"modal-header md:hidden flex justify-between items-center pb-1 mb-1 border-b border-zinc-200\">\n      <div class=\"modal-title text-base font-semibold\">Summary<\/div>\n\n      <div\n        class=\"modal-close-btn wp-block-group w-11 h-11 mr-2.5 content-center text-center\"\n        data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.hideModal\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"iconify i--close text-gray-500 cursor-pointer\"><\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"modal-body pr-7 overflow-y-auto\"><div class=\"wp-block-template-part\"><div class=\"flex flex-row items-center gap-2.5 rounded-lg bg-gray-pink px-4 py-5\">\n  <span class=\"iconify mt-0.5 shrink-0 self-start text-xs text-primary i--shield-check\"><\/span>\n\n  <div>\n    <div class=\"font-body text-xs font-bold text-primary\">Our goal is clear, trustworthy information.<\/div>\n    <div class=\"mt-1 font-body text-xs text-gray-600\">\n      Our content is created, edited and fact checked by a team of licensed insurance agents, automotive pros and\n      experienced journalists who know the industry inside and out. Facts are thoroughly researched, verified and kept\n      current, and our editorial team is separate from our business partners, so our opinions &#038; tips are unbiased. All\n      insights drawn from Jerry\u2019s proprietary, aggregated customer auto insurance quotes data provide unique, real-world\n      guidance.\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"text-base font-semibold text-gray-900\">Our experts<\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"my-8 flex flex-col gap-8 items-center justify-center\">\n          <div\n        class=\"meet-experts-item group relative flex h-auto w-full flex-none flex-col justify-between overflow-hidden rounded-3xl py-9 text-sm shadow-variant-card\"\n        data-expand=\"false\"\n        data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onItemInit\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"grid h-full w-full grid-cols-1 overflow-hidden px-8 md:grid-cols-4\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/R.E.-Fulton.png\" class=\"size-16 rounded-full md:size-32 col-span-1 md:ml-4\" alt=\"meet-experts-thumbnail\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/R.E.-Fulton.png 250w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/R.E.-Fulton-150x150.png 150w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/R.E.-Fulton-56x56.png 56w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/R.E.-Fulton-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 346px) 260px, (max-width: 576px) 432px, (max-width: 720px) 540px, (min-width: 720px) 250px, 100vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>\n          <div class=\"col-span-3\">\n            <div class=\"my-4 flex-1 content-center font-circular text-lg font-medium text-slate-900 md:mt-0\">\n              R.E. Fulton            <\/div>\n\n                          <ul class=\"font-circular text-slate-700 mb-3 jerry-meet-experts flex flex-col md:flex-row\">\n                                  <li class=\"flex items-center mb-2 md:mr-2\">\n                    <span class=\"iconify i--shield-check text-base text-primary mr-2 min-w-4\"><\/span>\n                    <div class=\"jerry-block-content truncate\"><p>Licensed Insurance Agent<\/p><\/div>\n                  <\/li>\n                              <\/ul>\n            \n            <div class=\"text-slate-500 mt-2 leading-6\">\n              <p>R.E. Fulton is an expert insurance writer specializing in car ownership topics from car shopping and loan advice to insurance and repair guides. R.E.\u2019s mission is to create unique and accessible content that helps readers to become more successful and independent car owners. R.E. has written and edited over 900 high-performing articles for Jerry, with an average of 1 million+ views. As a senior writer on Jerry\u2019s editorial team, R.E. draws on over 10 years of experience as a professional writer and digital publishing specialist. Prior to joining Jerry\u2019s editorial team in 2021, R.E. worked as a writing coach at Columbia University, the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and the University of Rochester. They serve as a managing editor for peer-reviewed history publication Nursing Clio, where their work has appeared regularly since 2015.<\/p>            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"absolute hidden group-data-[expand=true]:flex bottom-0 w-full h-24 bg-gradient-to-t from-white from-30% to-transparent to-100% items-end justify-center\">\n          <div\n            class=\"flex cursor-pointer flex-row items-center gap-2 my-4 font-circular text-primary\"\n            data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.onItemExpandClick\"\n          >\n            <span class=\"text-sm\">See more<\/span>\n            <span class=\"iconify i--chevron-down text-xs\"><\/span>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n          <div\n        class=\"meet-experts-item group relative flex h-auto w-full flex-none flex-col justify-between overflow-hidden rounded-3xl py-9 text-sm shadow-variant-card\"\n        data-expand=\"false\"\n        data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onItemInit\"\n      >\n        <div class=\"grid h-full w-full grid-cols-1 overflow-hidden px-8 md:grid-cols-4\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Jessica-Barrett.png\" class=\"size-16 rounded-full md:size-32 col-span-1 md:ml-4\" alt=\"meet-experts-thumbnail\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Jessica-Barrett.png 250w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Jessica-Barrett-150x150.png 150w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Jessica-Barrett-56x56.png 56w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Jessica-Barrett-120x120.png 120w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 346px) 260px, (max-width: 576px) 432px, (max-width: 720px) 540px, (min-width: 720px) 250px, 100vw\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/>\n          <div class=\"col-span-3\">\n            <div class=\"my-4 flex-1 content-center font-circular text-lg font-medium text-slate-900 md:mt-0\">\n              Jessica Barrett            <\/div>\n\n            \n            <div class=\"text-slate-500 mt-2 leading-6\">\n              <p>Jessica Barrett is a senior insurance writer and editor with 10 years of experience in the automotive and travel industries. A specialist in car insurance, car loans, and car ownership, Jessica\u2019s mission is to create comprehensive content that car owners can use to manage their costs and improve their lives. As a managing editor for a team of writers and insurance specialists, Jessica has edited over 2,000 articles for Jerry on topics ranging from local insurance shopping tips to refinancing car loans with bad credit. Before joining Jerry as a senior content editor in 2021, Jessica created visual content for clients such as Expedia, Vivid Seats, Budget Direct Car Insurance, Angie\u2019s List, and HomeAdvisor. Her content was published in Business Insider, Forbes, Apartment Therapy, and the BBC.<\/p>            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"absolute hidden group-data-[expand=true]:flex bottom-0 w-full h-24 bg-gradient-to-t from-white from-30% to-transparent to-100% items-end justify-center\">\n          <div\n            class=\"flex cursor-pointer flex-row items-center gap-2 my-4 font-circular text-primary\"\n            data-wp-on-async--click=\"actions.onItemExpandClick\"\n          >\n            <span class=\"text-sm\">See more<\/span>\n            <span class=\"iconify i--chevron-down text-xs\"><\/span>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you can\u2019t keep up with your loan payments, you can write a car loan surrender letter to your lender to voluntarily surrender your vehicle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":64594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jerry_authors":"[{\"id\":\"258\",\"type\":\"main-author\"},{\"id\":\"158\",\"type\":\"editor\"}]","jerry_author_ids":[258],"jerry_idx_page_label":"","jerry_meta_desc":"If you can\u2019t keep up with your loan payments, you can write a car loan surrender letter to your lender to voluntarily surrender your vehicle.","jerry_related_posts":"[29855,22980,32106,37347,28757]","jerry_summary":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[100,111,625],"class_list":["post-15377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-car-loan","tag-car-financing","tag-car-loans","tag-resource_car_loan"],"modified_by":"harveen.sran@getjerry.com","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15377"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64593,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15377\/revisions\/64593"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jerry.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}