Documentation

RouteFi Drive is a vehicle finance platform that connects car buyers with dealerships offering hire-purchase financing. Whether you are a customer looking to finance a vehicle or a dealer offering finance to your customers, this guide will help you get started.

For Customers

Your journey begins on a dealer's branded portal or at my.routefidrive.com. Here's what to expect.

Creating Your Account

Visit the dealer's portal or my.routefidrive.com and click "Sign Up". You will need a valid email address to create your account. Once registered, you can access your dashboard, submit applications, manage loans, and communicate with dealers.

Your Dashboard

Your dashboard gives you an overview of your activity on the Platform, including the number of active loans, total amount paid, your next upcoming payment, and any pending applications. A recent activity feed shows the latest updates across your applications and loans.

The finance application process has five steps. You can save your progress at any point and return later to complete your application.

Step 1 — Personal Information

Enter your full name, email address, phone number, date of birth, and residential address (street, city, and state).

You will also need to verify your identity by providing your 11-digit Bank Verification Number (BVN) and 11-digit National Identification Number (NIN). Click the "Verify" button next to each field to confirm your identity. Both must be verified before you can proceed.

Step 2 — Select a Vehicle

Browse the dealer's available vehicles and select the one you wish to finance. Each vehicle listing shows the make, model, year, and price.

Once you select a vehicle, the loan calculator displays your estimated monthly payment based on the vehicle price, deposit amount, loan term, and applicable interest rate. The calculator also shows the total interest, platform fee, and any dealer-specific charges, so you can see the full cost of finance before committing.

Step 3 — Upload Documents

Upload the following supporting documents:

• Passport photograph — A clear, recent photo (JPEG or PNG, max 5 MB).
• National ID — A copy of your national identification card (JPEG, PNG, or PDF, max 10 MB).
• Proof of address — A utility bill, bank statement, or similar document showing your current address (JPEG, PNG, or PDF, max 10 MB).
• Proof of employment — An employment letter, pay slip, or contract (JPEG, PNG, or PDF, max 10 MB).
• Bank statement — Your most recent bank statement (JPEG, PNG, or PDF, max 20 MB).

All documents are stored securely and are accessible only to you, the dealer, and platform administrators.

Step 4 — Employment Information

Provide details about your current employment, including your employer's name, your job title or role, your monthly income, and how long you have been employed.

Step 5 — Review and Submit

Review all the information you have entered across the previous steps. If everything looks correct, submit your application. You will receive a confirmation email with your application reference number (format: DF-XXXX-XXXX).

After submitting, you can track the progress of your application on the My Applications page. Each application shows its current status:

• Draft — You have started an application but not yet submitted it.
• Submitted — Your application has been received and is awaiting review.
• Under Review — The dealer is reviewing your application and documents.
• Documents Requested — The dealer has requested additional documentation.
• Approved — Your application has been approved and a loan agreement has been created.
• Rejected — Your application was not approved. You will receive an email explaining the reason.

You can click on any application to view its full detail page, which includes a visual progress timeline, vehicle information, document verification status, and a message thread with the dealer.

Once your application is approved, a loan agreement appears on your My Loans page.

Loan Overview

Each loan card shows the vehicle name, loan reference (format: DF-AGR-XXXXXX), monthly payment amount, next payment date, and a progress bar showing how much of the loan you have paid.

Agreement Summary

Click on a loan to view the full agreement summary, which includes:

• The loan amount, interest rate, term, and monthly payment.
• Total amount payable and total interest.
• A breakdown of payments made and remaining balance.
• Quick action links for making a payment, viewing payment history, requesting early settlement, viewing upcoming payments, and contacting the dealer.

Making a Payment

To make a payment:

1. Navigate to your loan and click "Make a Payment".
2. Enter the payment amount. Your regular monthly payment amount is pre-filled.
3. Choose your payment method — Card Payment, Bank Transfer, or USSD.
4. Click "Pay" to proceed. You will be redirected to Paystack to complete the transaction securely.
5. Once payment is confirmed, you will receive a receipt by email and your loan balance will be updated automatically.

All payments are processed securely through Paystack.

Payment History

View a complete record of all payments made against your loan, including the date, amount, payment method, and status of each transaction.

Upcoming Payments

See a chronological list of your remaining payment instalments, so you can plan ahead.

Early Settlement

If you wish to pay off your loan before the end of the agreed term:

1. Navigate to your loan and click "Early Settlement".
2. Review your current outstanding balance.
3. Click "Request Quote" to receive a settlement figure. The settlement amount is your remaining balance plus a 1.5% settlement fee.
4. Your quote is valid for 14 days. You are under no obligation to proceed.
5. To settle, make a payment for the quoted amount. Once cleared, your agreement will be marked as settled and you will receive a confirmation email.

The Platform includes a built-in messaging system for communicating with your dealer.

Messages can be sent from within an application or loan detail page, or from the standalone Messages section. You can attach files to your messages. When a dealer sends you a message, you will receive an email notification.

The Messages page uses a split-panel layout: your conversations are listed on the left, and the selected conversation thread appears on the right. On mobile devices, this collapses to a single-panel view with a back button.

If you need help, you can submit a support ticket from the Support section of the Platform.

When creating a ticket, provide a subject, description, and select a category (Technical, Billing, Account, Integration, or Other) and priority level (Low, Medium, or High).

You can track the status of your tickets (Open, In Progress, Resolved, or Closed) and send follow-up messages with attachments. You will receive email notifications when the status of your ticket changes or when a response is received.

What is RouteFi Drive? RouteFi Drive is a vehicle finance platform that connects car buyers with dealerships offering hire-purchase financing. Customers apply for vehicle loans, and manage their repayments, through a single platform.

Is RouteFi Drive a lender? No. RouteFi Drive is a technology platform that facilitates the connection between customers and dealers. Lending decisions are made by the dealer or their finance partner.

What documents do I need to apply? You will need a passport photograph, national ID, proof of address, proof of employment, and a recent bank statement. You will also need your BVN and NIN for identity verification.

How are payments processed? Payments are processed securely through Paystack. You can pay by card, bank transfer, or USSD.

Can I settle my loan early? Yes. You can request an early settlement quote at any time from your loan dashboard. The settlement amount includes a 1.5% fee on the remaining balance. Quotes are valid for 14 days.

What happens if I miss a payment? Late or missed payments may incur additional charges as specified in your loan agreement. If you are having difficulty making payments, we encourage you to contact your dealer through the Platform's messaging system to discuss your options.

How is my data protected? Sensitive identity data is encrypted at rest. All Platform communication uses HTTPS encryption. Payments are handled by PCI DSS-compliant Paystack. Role-based access control ensures your data is only accessible to authorised parties. For full details, see our Privacy Policy.

How do I contact support? You can submit a support ticket from the Support section of the Platform, or email us at support@routefidrive.com.

Getting Set Up

To register as a dealer on RouteFi Drive, contact us at dealers@routefidrive.com. Once approved, you will receive access to your branded dealer instance at [yourname].routefidrive.com.

Dealer Dashboard

Your dealer dashboard provides an overview of your finance operation, including active applications, approved loans, and key metrics.

Managing Your Vehicle Inventory

Add vehicles individually through the Vehicles section, or use CSV bulk import for larger inventories. Each vehicle listing includes the make, model, year, trim, price, and optional images and external listing URL.

A CSV template is available for download from the import page.

Reviewing Applications

When a customer submits an application through your portal, it appears in your Applications section. You can review the customer's personal information, identity verification status, uploaded documents, employment details, and requested vehicle.

From the application detail page, you can approve or reject the application, request additional documents, and communicate with the customer through the message thread.

Branding Your Instance

Customise your dealer portal in the Settings section. You can upload your logo and set four colour values:

• Primary Background — Applied to the sidebar and section headers.
• Primary Text — Text colour on primary backgrounds.
• Secondary Background — Applied to buttons and accent elements.
• Secondary Text — Text colour on buttons.

A live preview shows your changes before you save. You can reset to the default RouteFi Drive colours at any time.

Team Management

Invite team members from the Team section. Assign roles:

• Dealer Admin — Full access to all dealer features, settings, and team management.
• Dealer Staff — View-only access to vehicles. Can manage applications, loans, and messages.

Managing Loans

View and manage all active loans originated through your dealership. Track payment progress, communicate with customers, and monitor your loan book from the Loans section.

All payments on RouteFi Drive are processed through Paystack, a PCI DSS-compliant payment processor. RouteFi Drive never sees, stores, or has access to your full card number or bank login credentials.

Payment webhooks are verified using cryptographic signatures to ensure that payment confirmations are authentic and have not been tampered with.

You can update your personal information — including your name, phone number, and address — from the Profile section at any time. BVN and NIN verification status is also displayed on your profile.