Your credit score is a number you can check in seconds, but it's much harder to know whether it's normal. Here's what the data shows about a typical UK credit score, and where yours sits.

Key takeaways

• There is no single average credit score in the UK, because Experian, Equifax and TransUnion each score on a different scale, so the same credit file produces three different numbers.

• ClearScore data shows the typical score rises steadily with age, from a median of 470 for under-20s to a peak of 751 for people aged 70-74.

• That pattern reflects the length of someone's credit history rather than their age, so a lower number early on is normal rather than a warning sign.

• Comparing your score to someone else's is only meaningful if both numbers come from the same agency on the same scale.

• A score is a snapshot of your credit history at one point in time, and it can change as your file changes.

What is the average credit score in the UK?

There is no single average credit score in the UK. The three main credit reference agencies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, each use their own scoring scale, so a headline "UK average" only means something once you know which agency produced it.

What we can show is how a typical score varies across the population. ClearScore data covering more than 14 million UK users with a recent credit score puts the median at 470 for people under 20, rising to 751 for those aged 70-74, on ClearScore's 0-1,000 scale.

Those figures are medians rather than averages in the everyday sense. A median is the midpoint, the score where half of people sit above and half sit below. It's a better guide to what's typical than a mean, which a small number of very high or very low scores can pull off centre.

Why isn't there one average credit score in the UK?

Because each agency runs its own scale, and none of them is the official one. Lenders choose which agency's data they use, and some use more than one.

Experian expanded its scale from 0-999 to 0-1,250 in a change that began rolling out in November 2025, so if you remember a score out of 999, that's why the number looks different now. Equifax scores out of 1,000, and TransUnion's scale runs to 710.

ClearScore shows you your Equifax credit score and report. A score of 600 with one agency does not mean the same thing as 600 with another, which is why comparing your number with a friend's is rarely useful unless you're both looking at the same agency.

Each agency also groups its scale into its own bands, and those bands are guidance rather than a rule. Lenders set their own criteria and don't have to follow them. If you want the detail on where the boundaries sit, we've covered what counts as a good credit score separately, and how each credit reference agency builds its picture of you.

Read next: what a statutory credit report is, and what each agency holds on you.

What is the average credit score by age in the UK?

The typical score rises steadily with age. ClearScore data shows a median of 470 for users under 20, climbing through every age band to a peak of 751 for those aged 70-74, before dipping slightly to 730 for people aged 75 and over.

Source: ClearScore data, more than 14 million UK users with a recent credit score, July 2026. Association only - many factors affect your score, and individual results will vary.

The important part is what sits behind that curve. The pattern reflects longer credit histories rather than age itself. Older people have generally had accounts open for longer, which gives lenders more evidence to look at. Getting older doesn't earn you points.

That distinction matters if you're at the younger end of the chart, because it means a lower number isn't a judgement on how you've handled money. It usually just means there isn't much on your file yet.

Why is your score lower when you're new to credit?

A shorter credit history scores lower by design. Credit scoring works by looking at how you've managed borrowing over time, so if there's little history to look at, there's little for the calculation to work with.

That's a structural feature of the system, not a reflection of your financial habits. Someone who has never missed a payment in their life can still have a modest score simply because they opened their first account eighteen months ago.

At ClearScore, we don't treat a lower number as a verdict on anyone. Your score is a snapshot of your credit history right now, not a permanent label, and it moves as your file changes. Where you're starting from matters far less than the direction you're heading in.

Read next: what to expect if you have no credit history yet.

What can you do if your score is below average?

None of the below guarantees a particular score or a particular outcome, and how much difference any of it makes will depend on your own circumstances. But these are the things that feed into how your file is read.

Check you're on the electoral roll - being registered helps confirm your identity and address, and it feeds directly into how your score is calculated. You can check your registration and register to vote on GOV.UK.

Keep your credit utilisation low - this is how much of your available credit you're using across your cards and accounts. We've written about the ideal level of credit utilisation in more detail.

Give your file time - length of history is one of the things scoring looks at, and it isn't something you can shortcut. Closing an older account shortens the history on your file.

Check your report for errors - a wrong address or an account that isn't yours can affect how lenders read your file, and you can ask the agency to correct genuine credit report mistakes.

Space out applications - several applications in a short period leave several hard searches on your file, which lenders may read as a sign of pressure.

If you're starting from scratch, we've set out how to build your credit score from the beginning. If you already have a file and want to work on it, there's a fuller guide to how to improve your credit score.

Read next: the factors that affect your credit score, and how much weight each one carries.

Track your credit score for free with ClearScore

ClearScore gives you access to your Equifax credit score and credit report, for free, forever. You can see the score itself, the accounts and search history on your file, and what's shaping the number, so you're not left guessing at why it looks the way it does.

Because you're looking at your own report rather than a lender's search, checking it doesn't affect your score. You can also see how often your score updates and what causes it to move.

Check your credit score for free

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Frequently asked questions

What is the average credit score in the UK by age?

ClearScore data shows the median score rising with every age band, from 470 for under-20s to 751 for people aged 70-74, then easing to 730 for those aged 75 and over. The pattern reflects the length of people's credit histories rather than their age.

Is 500 a good credit score in the UK?

It depends entirely on which agency produced it, because each one scores on a different scale. For context, ClearScore data puts the median score for under-20s at 470, so 500 is not unusual for someone early in their credit history. The same number would read differently for someone with twenty years of accounts behind them.

What is the average credit score for an 18 year old in the UK?

ClearScore data groups everyone under 20 together, and the median for that group is 470. If you're 18 and your score sits near or below that, it's likely to reflect how little history is on your file rather than anything you've done.

What is the average Experian credit score in the UK?

ClearScore shows you your Equifax score rather than your Experian one, so we don't publish an Experian average. Experian now scores out of 1,250 after moving up from 0-999, while Equifax scores out of 1,000, so the two numbers aren't directly comparable.

Why is my ClearScore score different from my Experian score?

Because they come from different agencies. ClearScore shows your Equifax score, and Equifax and Experian hold slightly different information about you and calculate scores in different ways. Neither number is more correct than the other, and lenders may look at either.

Is a below-average credit score a problem?

Not necessarily. A score below the typical figure for your age group often reflects a shorter credit history rather than missed payments or anything else on your file. It's a snapshot of where things stand now, and it can change as your credit history builds.

Important information

This article provides general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Individual circumstances vary, and you may wish to seek independent advice before making financial decisions. Information is accurate at the time of writing and may change.