# NextGear vs. AFC vs. Westlake — choosing a floor plan provider in 2026 > NextGear floor plan runs 6.99–9.99% APR; AFC 6.5–10%; Westlake 7.99–12.99%. Real fee schedules, curtailment terms, and which fits your buying pattern. - Source: https://www.dealervlo.com/blog/nextgear-vs-afc-vs-westlake - Published: 2026-07-04 - Updated: 2026-07-04 - Author: Chris Abouraad - Tags: floor plan, nextgear, afc, westlake --- Every independent dealer eventually sits across from this choice: NextGear, AFC, Westlake, or one of the auction-house plans. The rate sheets look similar until you're sixty days into a slow month and discover what the fee schedule actually does to a unit's carry cost. Here's the honest comparison, with the caveat that matters: *your* terms depend on your credit, time in business, and volume — treat published ranges as the starting point, not the quote. *Figures are published/commonly-cited 2026 ranges. Confirm current terms with each provider before signing.* NextGear vs AFC vs Westlake floor plan comparison chart: 2026 dealer floor plan APR ranges from 6.5% to 12.99% across five providers ## The short version ![Comparison of floor plan provider APR ranges showing NextGear, AFC, Westlake, and auction-based floor plan rates for independent dealers in 2026.](/images/post/nextgear-vs-afc-vs-westlake/1) - **NextGear Capital** (Cox Automotive) — ~6.99–9.99% APR. The biggest independent-dealer floor plan in the country. Deep Manheim integration, solid tech, broad auction acceptance. The default choice if you buy a lot at Manheim. - **AFC** (OPENLANE/KAR) — ~6.5–10% APR. NextGear's closest rival, tied to the OPENLANE/ADESA ecosystem. Often competitive on fees; branch-based relationships some dealers prefer. - **Westlake Floor Plan** — ~7.99–12.99% APR. The most accessible approval of the three — newer dealers and thinner files get lines here when the others say no. You pay for that access in rate. - **Manheim Floorplan / OPENLANE lines** — ~6.5–9.5%. Auction-attached convenience; strongest when most of your buying happens inside that auction family. ## What actually differentiates them (it's not the APR) ![Key factors that differentiate floor plan providers beyond APR, including auction integration, fees, and curtailment schedules for used car dealers.](/images/post/nextgear-vs-afc-vs-westlake/2) **1. Where you buy.** The practical decider. If you buy mostly at Manheim lanes and Manheim digital, NextGear's integration means titles, payoffs, and floorings move automatically. Heavy ADESA/OPENLANE buyers get the same gravity toward AFC. Fighting your buying pattern to save half a point of APR usually costs more in friction than it saves in interest. **2. The fee schedule.** A $95 floor fee per unit on a 30-day turn is the equivalent of adding roughly 3.5 points of APR on a $10,000 car. Ask every provider for the *complete* fee list — floor fee, lot audit fee, title handling, extension fees, NSF — and model a real unit through it. The [floor plan calculator](/tools/floor-plan-calculator) does exactly this. **3. Curtailment schedules.** The difference between 10% at day 45 versus day 30 is real cash-flow room. Newer dealers with slower turns should weight this above rate. **4. Approval friction.** Westlake exists in this list because it approves dealers the other two decline — newer licenses, rebuilding credit, low unit history. Starting there, running clean for a year, and refinancing to a cheaper line is a legitimate and common path. **5. Treatment when something goes wrong.** Every dealer eventually has a car that won't sell or a payoff that's a day late. Providers differ enormously in whether that's a phone call or a default letter. Ask other dealers in your market — this reputation is local and it's the thing rate sheets never show. ## Who should pick what - **Established dealer, Manheim-heavy buying:** NextGear, and negotiate — volume moves both rate and fees. - **ADESA/OPENLANE-heavy buying:** AFC first, same negotiation. - **New dealer or thin file:** Westlake to get operating, with a calendar reminder to re-shop the line in 12 months. - **Low volume (a few floored units at a time):** consider whether a floor plan is worth it at all — a local bank line of credit or buying with cash on a smaller floor often beats paying fees on convenience you're not using. ## The questions to get answered in writing ![Checklist of essential questions to ask floor plan providers including fee schedules, curtailment terms, and audit policies before choosing a floor plan.](/images/post/nextgear-vs-afc-vs-westlake/3) 1. Complete fee schedule, not the highlights 2. Exact curtailment schedule and payoff-after-sale window 3. Audit frequency and what triggers extra audits 4. Extension terms when a unit ages past the final curtailment 5. What happens to your rate at renewal — intro pricing is common Then model your real average unit — your price band, your actual days-to-turn — through each provider's numbers before signing. That math, not the APR headline, is the decision. ([How floor plans work](/blog/how-dealer-floor-plans-work) walks the full mechanics if you're newer to this.)