Only 40% financing on a new car now — did CBSL just lock out the middle class?

Since 25 May 2026, the Central Bank tightened loan-to-value limits on vehicle financing by 10 points: new personal vehicles (cars, SUVs, vans, bikes, tuks under a year old) are capped at 40% LTV, new commercial vehicles at 60%, and anything registered over a year at 60%. In plain terms, if you want a brand-new car on lease now, you're expected to find 60% of the price upfront instead of the old 50%. One side says this is overdue discipline — CBSL flagged finance companies over inflated valuations and runaway vehicle-backed lending, and nearly a quarter of all bank and finance-company loans are now sitting on vehicles or gold as collateral. If prices ever correct, lenders holding thin margins get burned first. The other side says this just locks out anyone without serious savings, pushing buyers toward older used stock, grey channels, or informal 'pay the balance later' arrangements with dealers that are harder to regulate anyway. If you've applied for a lease since May, what down payment were you actually quoted, and did it change your plans — smaller car, used instead of new, or shelved it altogether? අලුත් කාරයක් ගන්න ඔයාලා දැන් 60%ක් අත පේසි දාගන්න ඕන කියලද බැංකුව කිව්වේ?