Branded Financial Services: commercial loans for work vehicles

If you’ve financed a work ute or van through a dealership, there’s a fair chance the paperwork mentioned a company you’d never heard of. Branded Financial Services, or BFS, began life in exactly that role: a financier sitting behind dealers and vehicle brands. Today it also takes applications directly and through brokers, and it runs a straightforward commercial loan for business vehicles.

This profile sets out what that loan covers, where its limits are, and what to try when it isn’t the right tool. All product details come from the BFS website as at October 2026.

Who is Branded Financial Services?

BFS says it started in 2011 as a captive vehicle financier, providing branded retail finance and wholesale floorplan facilities to dealers and distributors. In 2019 it was bought by Avanti Finance Group, which BFS describes as a New Zealand-owned and operated lending specialist.

It lists offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth and works through dealers, brokers, aggregators and manufacturer and distributor partners. For a business owner, that means three ways in: online, at the dealership, or through your finance broker.

What does the BFS commercial loan offer?

BFS has one published commercial product: a loan to buy a business vehicle. The vehicle is yours from settlement, and BFS holds a security interest over it (recorded on the PPSR) until the loan is paid off.

Feature	As published, October 2026
Loan amount	$5k to $250k
Term	1 to 7 years
Repayments	Fixed; weekly, fortnightly or monthly
Balloon	Available (amount not published)
Vehicles	Cars, utes, light commercials, motorcycles, caravans, motorhomes
Condition and seller	New or used, any brand, dealer or private sale
Business use	At least 50%
Borrower	ABN holders, any type of business

Two points stand out. First, private sales are allowed, which plenty of lenders restrict. If the right second-hand van is on a classifieds site, not a car yard, that matters. Second, the 50% business-use test is the line between this product and a consumer car loan. A vehicle that mostly does the school run won’t qualify.

BFS doesn’t publish a minimum ABN age, turnover threshold or GST requirement, and it doesn’t give a decision timeframe specifically for commercial loans. Ask before you apply.

Who is this loan built for?

The product fits owners who need a single vehicle, or a small number, and want it financed simply:

• Tradies and service businesses replacing a ute or van that’s become unreliable.
• Couriers and mobile businesses for whom the vehicle is the business.
• Owners buying second-hand privately, where many dealer-focused lenders are less flexible.
• Tourism and hospitality operators adding a caravan or motorhome used for work.

It’s not the right product for heavy trucks, prime movers, plant or general equipment, because none of those appear in its published asset list. Our pages on truck finance and equipment finance cover those purchases.

Thinking about a vehicle but unsure which lender type suits your trading history? Run it past us first and we’ll tell you where you’re likely to fit, without a credit enquiry.

How a balloon changes the numbers

BFS offers balloon payments on its commercial loan. Agreeing to one means a chunk of the loan is held back until the final payment, which lowers the regular instalments because less of the loan is repaid along the way.

Here’s an illustration with made-up figures. A plumber finances a $60k ute over five years. With no balloon, the full $60k is repaid through the instalments. With a 30% balloon, $18k is left owing at the end, so only $42k of principal is spread across the five years. The weekly repayment drops, but interest keeps running on that $18k for the whole term, so the total cost is higher, and the plumber needs a plan to pay or refinance the $18k in year five.

Before you choose a balloon, estimate a realistic resale figure for the vehicle when the contract finishes. If it’s likely to be worth less than the balloon, you’ll be topping up from your own pocket. Our glossary entry on the balloon payment and the equipment finance calculator let you test different end amounts.

What to ask BFS, your dealer or your broker

1. What will I pay in total, in dollars? Include the establishment fee, any ongoing fees and the balloon.
2. What’s the minimum time in business you’ll accept? It isn’t published.
3. How is GST on the purchase treated? Your accountant can confirm whether you can claim it, depending on structure and use.
4. Can I make extra repayments or pay out early? Get the terms in writing.
5. Who else is the dealer offering? If you’re applying at a dealership, ask whether BFS is the only option on the table.

If BFS declines, what are your options?

• Business too young or credit history patchy? Some vehicle lenders specialise in this. Finance One, profiled in this directory, publishes criteria for borrowers with past credit issues.
• Vehicle doesn’t fit the list? Heavier or specialised vehicles go to commercial vehicle finance lenders.
• Need more than the vehicle? When the ute is only one piece of a larger start-up bill, a secured business loan against property can cover the lot.
• Prefer not to own the vehicle? Leasing keeps it off your balance sheet in some cases. See chattel mortgage versus finance lease.

Other vehicle and asset financiers with profiles here include Metro Finance and Angle Finance. For a purpose-first view, read funding for buying vehicles.

New wheels for the business? Start with one quick form

The right vehicle loan depends on more than the vehicle. Your trading history, your credit and how you’d like to structure the repayments all shape which lender says yes and on what terms. That’s what we help sort out.

Our form takes roughly sixty seconds, and no credit enquiry is lodged because you sent it. Your details remain with us, not passed around a long chain of financiers. A member of our team reads your enquiry and phones you to go through it. Please give us the honest business-use split, the price and your ABN registration date: getting those right means our first suggestion should be one you can actually secure.

See which vehicle lenders fit →