Credit Score Basics > What is the Experian credit score range in the UK?

What is the Experian credit score range in the UK?

Wollit Team2 minute read · Updated 2nd July 2024

The Experian credit score range in the UK is 0-999, and it’s split between the following credit score bands:

Excellent: 961 - 999;
Good: 881 - 960;
Fair: 721 - 880;
Poor: 561 - 720;
And Very Poor: 0 - 560.

How is the Experian credit score range different from the TransUnion and Equifax ones?

The three main credit reference agencies in the UK—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—use different methods to calculate credit scores. This results in quite a bit of variation between the scores.

Here is how the credit score ranges used by each agency look like:

The Experian credit score ranges from 0 to 999. Its bands are Very Poor (0-560), Poor (561-720), Fair (721-880), Good (881-960), and Excellent (961-999).
The Equifax credit score bands in the UK range from 0-438 (Poor), 439-530 (Fair), 531-670 (Good), 671-810 (Very good), to 811-1,000 (Excellent)
Finally, the TransUnion credit score is between 0 to 710. Equifax used to have a similar range until recently as well. TransUnion’s bands are Very Poor (0-550), Poor (551-565), Fair (566-603), Good (604-627), and Excellent (628-710).

What is the average Experian credit score in the UK?

According to Experian, the overall average credit score in the UK is 797 out of 999.

However, the average credit score varies quite a bit across the UK. For example, the City of London has the highest average credit score of 893, followed closely by the Isle of Scilly (886) and Wokingham (880).

On the other hand, the lowest average credit scores are found in Kingston-upon-Hull (702), Blaenau Gwent (707), and Blackpool (713).

The same study found that the average credit score also changes with age.

Those aged 55 and above saw the highest average credit score of 863. This could be due to their longer credit history and more stable financial situation.

On the other hand, people in their twenties have lower scores than even teenagers. For example, 18-20 year-olds have an average score of 823, which falls to 792 for 21-25 year-olds.

The lowest average score is found among those aged 31-35, at 770. This could be because they are more likely to use credit for big purchases such as a mortgage, which means more credit applications and a sudden increase in debt.

The good news is that scores tend to rise again as people get older and their financial situations become more stable.

So there’s something to look forward to in your old age, after all.

How can I improve my Experian credit score?

There are many things you can do to improve your Experian credit score. Here are some of them:

Register to vote at your current address or update your registration if you move.
Stay under 25% of your credit card limit.
Make all payments on time and in full. If you’re struggling with credit card debt, consider a good 0% balance transfer credit card to get a breather and pay off your debt while stopping interest charges from adding up.
Register for a free Experian account, and use the free Experian Boost option. It can make your Council tax, ISA contributions, and even Netflix or Disney+ subscription count towards a “boosted” version of your Experian credit score.
Finally, consider investing in a credit builder credit card (but be careful as the APR can be very high) or a specialised credit-building app.

One such app is Wollit. Wollit works by reporting a fixed fee monthly subscription as a loan repayment to credit reference agencies (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion).

This helps you build or rebuild your credit history by showing that you can pay debt on time, which is the main factor that influences your credit score – including the Experian score.

Wollit can even report your monthly rent payment to Experian, adding another line in your Experian credit report that shows lenders you're responsible and pay your bills when they’re due.

Plus, Experian is looking into eventually making rent payments count towards your credit score as well. It’s not a bad idea to be ready for when that happens.