Guide · Texas
Car title loans in Texas
A title loan lends against a car you own outright. You hand over the title — and sometimes a spare key or a tracker — and keep driving while you repay. If you cannot pay, the lender can take the car. Ask for the total repayment in dollars and what repossession would cost you before you sign.
- You need
- a paid-off car
- You risk
- You risk your car.
- Typical speed
- same day
What stores charge, by metro area
Stores report every car title loan to the OCCC. Across Texas the fee on a single-payment car title loan averaged $18.91 per $100 borrowed (Q2 2026). “Refinanced” is the share of loans that were renewed instead of paid off, and each renewal costs the fee again.
| Metro area | Fee per $100 | Average loan | Refinanced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown | $18.58 | $2,178 | 53% |
| Dallas-Plano-Irving (Metropolitan Division) | $18.97 | $1,873 | 53% |
| Rest of Texas (outside these metro areas) | $20.21 | $1,683 | 50% |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $18.23 | $2,144 | 44% |
| Fort Worth-Arlington (Metropolitan Division) | $18.55 | $1,951 | 53% |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $18.94 | $1,770 | 35% |
| El Paso | $18.23 | $3,019 | 48% |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission | $18.96 | $1,963 | 48% |
| Laredo | $19.47 | $1,696 | 51% |
| Brownsville-Harlingen | $19.30 | $1,892 | 51% |
| Corpus Christi | $18.81 | $1,998 | 50% |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur | $19.02 | $1,603 | 44% |
Source: OCCC credit access business report by metro area, Q2 2026.
Before you sign
- Ask for the total you will repay, in dollars, and the due date — in writing.
- Ask what happens if you pay late or cannot pay on the due date.
- Ask whether they will call your employer or your references.
- Never pay a fee before you receive the loan.
- Ask whether they keep a key or install a tracker on your car.
- Ask what repossession would cost you, in dollars.
What Texas law says
Checked against the statute on 23 September 2026.
Payday and title loans: no state cap on the fee
- At a Texas storefront, a payday or car title loan is usually arranged by a credit access business. It must hold an OCCC licence for each location. Tex. Fin. Code §393.601, §393.603
- The lender charges interest, and the credit access business charges its own fee on top. The law lets the business set that fee “as agreed to between the parties” — Texas sets no cap on it. Tex. Fin. Code §393.602(b)
- The store must post every fee it charges, in the store and on its website, next to the OCCC's name and helpline. Tex. Fin. Code §393.222
- Before the loan, you must get a disclosure comparing its cost with other kinds of credit and showing what renewing it for two weeks, one month, two months and three months would add in fees. Tex. Fin. Code §393.223(a)
- Your contract must say there is no penalty for paying early, name the lender, and list the interest and the business's fees separately. Nobody may threaten criminal charges over a check you gave as security unless there was fraud or another crime. Tex. Fin. Code §393.201(c)
- For a title loan, the store must warn you in writing that if you default you may have to hand over the car. Tex. Fin. Code §393.223(b)
- Loans to active-duty service members and their dependents must follow the federal Military Lending Act. Tex. Fin. Code §393.625
Many cities add their own limits
- At least 45 Texas cities have adopted a “unified” payday and auto title ordinance, starting with Dallas and Austin in 2011. Stores must register with the city; a payday loan is limited to 20% of your gross monthly income; a title loan to the lesser of 3% of your gross annual income or 70% of the car's value; and a loan can have at most four installments or three renewals, each cutting the principal by 25%. Texas Appleseed, The Impact of the Unified Payday and Auto Title Loan Ordinance
If you can’t pay
If you cannot pay on the due date, talk to the lender before the date, not after — ask for an extension or a payment plan in writing, and what it costs in dollars. If a lender breaks the rules, you can complain to the Texas Office of Consumer Credit Commissioner (OCCC). Call the OCCC on 800-538-1579 or contact them online.
Signs it isn’t a real lender
- Asks for a fee before paying you.
- Wants payment by gift card or wire transfer.
- Threatens you with arrest.
- Cannot give a state licence number.
- Promises “guaranteed approval”.
- Has no office at its listed address.