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802 Credit score: What You Need to Know in 2025
July 1, 2025

TL;DR
An 802 credit score isn't just good; it's considered excellent. This places you firmly in the "Exceptional" FICO score range, opening the door to the most favorable interest rates and loan terms available.
What Does a 802 Credit Score Mean?
An 802 credit score places you firmly in the "exceptional" category, the highest tier of the FICO scoring model which ranges from 300 to 850. Lenders view a score like this as a sign of outstanding credit management. It tells them you're a very low-risk borrower, having demonstrated a consistent and responsible history of handling your financial obligations.
Financially, this score unlocks the best possible terms on loans and credit cards, including the lowest available interest rates. This can save you thousands over the life of a mortgage or auto loan. While your score is already excellent, maintaining this strong financial standing opens doors to continued financial flexibility and opportunities for growth.
Who Has a 802 Credit Score?
According to Experian data from the third quarter of 2023, average credit scores show a clear trend of increasing with age. Here is the breakdown by generation:
- Generation Z (ages 18-26): 680
- Millennials (ages 27-42): 690
- Generation X (ages 43-58): 709
- Baby Boomers (ages 59-77): 745
- Silent Generation (ages 78+): 760
Credit Cards With a 802 Credit Score
An 802 credit score places you in the top tier of applicants, making you a highly attractive candidate to credit card issuers. This exceptional score significantly increases your chances of approval for premium credit cards, which often come with the best rewards, lowest interest rates, and most valuable perks. Lenders view you as a very low-risk borrower, meaning you'll likely qualify for high credit limits and the most favorable terms available.
Kudos simplifies the search with its Explore Tool, which uses a personalized quiz to match your financial preferences with cards from a database of nearly 3,000 options. This allows you to easily compare up to three cards side-by-side, helping you find the ideal choice for your financial situation without any pressure to apply.
Auto Loans and a 802 Credit Score
An 802 credit score is considered excellent, placing you in the top-tier "super-prime" category for lenders. This high score signals financial reliability, granting you access to the lowest interest rates and most favorable loan terms available.
According to a 2025 market analysis, here is how average auto loan rates break down by credit score:
- Super-prime (781-850): 5.25% for new cars, 7.13% for used cars
- Prime (661-780): 6.87% for new cars, 9.36% for used cars
- Non-prime (601-660): 9.83% for new cars, 13.92% for used cars
- Subprime (501-600): 13.18% for new cars, 18.86% for used cars
- Deep subprime (300-500): 15.77% for new cars, 21.55% for used cars
Mortgages at a 802 Credit Score
An 802 credit score places you in the top tier for mortgage qualification, opening the door to virtually any home loan. You will comfortably meet the credit requirements for all mainstream mortgage types, including conventional, jumbo, FHA, VA, and USDA loans. Lenders view borrowers with scores of 760 and above as low-risk, granting you access to the broadest possible range of financing products.
Your excellent credit has a highly positive impact on loan approval and terms. You can expect to be offered the lowest interest rates on the market, potentially saving you thousands over the life of the loan. Benefits also include lower private mortgage insurance (PMI) costs, a smoother underwriting process, and even leverage to negotiate perks like closing cost credits from lenders.
What's in a Credit Score?
Figuring out what goes into your credit score can feel like trying to solve a complex puzzle, but it generally boils down to a handful of key factors.
Your payment history tracks whether you've paid past credit accounts on time.
Credit utilization is the percentage of your available credit that you're currently using.
The length of your credit history considers the age of your oldest account, newest account, and the average age of all your accounts.
Credit mix refers to the variety of credit products you have, such as credit cards, retail accounts, installment loans, and mortgages.
New credit accounts for how many new accounts you've recently opened and the number of hard inquiries on your report.
How to Improve Your 802 Credit Score
No matter your starting point, improving your credit score is always possible. Even with an excellent 802 score, you can take steps to protect your financial standing and inch even closer to perfection.
- Monitor your credit reports regularly. With a high score, your main goal is maintenance, and errors or fraudulent activity can cause unexpected damage. Regularly reviewing your reports helps you catch any issues before they can negatively impact your excellent score.
- Keep your credit utilization low. Maintaining a low credit utilization ratio is crucial for keeping a top-tier score. To further polish your credit profile, consider paying down balances before your statement date to report an even lower utilization.
- Diversify your credit mix. Lenders like to see a history of responsibly managing different types of credit, like revolving credit and installment loans. If your history is concentrated in one area, adding a different type of account can strengthen your profile.
- Limit hard inquiries. Each application for new credit can cause a small, temporary dip in your score, which you want to avoid when protecting a high score. Be strategic about new applications and use prequalification tools to shop for rates without affecting your credit.
Using a tool like Kudos can help you manage your cards and monitor your score to sustain your excellent credit.
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