Evidently keeping up with monthly car payments isn’t the highest priority nowadays.

And experts from VantageScore see the delinquency landscape for auto finance potentially deteriorating further when some consumers again must navigate payments of student loans.

Auto-loan delinquencies increased across each days-past-due category for the second straight month, according to the February edition of CreditGauge from VantageScore.

The credit scoring company noted that overall late-stage delinquencies grew by 0.25% on a month-to-month basis, reflecting the impact that renewed student loan reporting had on consumer credit files.

The average VantageScore dropped to 701 over the same period stemming from the same factors, according to analysts.

“Borrowers are making tough choices to prioritize their debt obligations, and auto loans are decreasing in priority. Nationwide, the average VantageScore dropped by one point,” VantageScore executive vice president and chief digital officer Susan Fahy said in a news release. “It’s unusual to see a decline of this size, and we attribute the change to the increased demands of car loan balances and student debt repayment.”

Other key insights from the February edition of CreditGauge included:

—Auto Loan delinquencies increased across all days past due categories in February, both year-over-year and from pre-pandemic levels.

In addition, VantageScore noticed auto loan balances increased year-over-year by $413, or 1.7%, while originations remained unchanged year-over-year at 1.36%.

“Consumers struggled to stay current on their auto loans and reduce their account balances,” analysts said. “Lenders have also slowed down the issuance of new loans. Potential economic and geopolitical headwinds, including tariffs, could continue to challenge the sector in the coming months.”

—The average VantageScore 4.0 credit score dropped by 1 point to 701 in February, after remaining at 702 for the past 11 months.

“This decline was driven by the resumption of student loan reporting, which led to an increase in overall late-stage delinquencies,” analysts said.

—Early- and late-stage credit delinquencies rose overall in February compared to the prior month, and all stages remained elevated over the prior year.

Late-stage (90-119 days past due) delinquencies rose sharply month-over-month, from 0.20% to 0.45% in February, as missed student loan payments over 90 days late began to appear on consumer credit files in February.

Consumers now face the added demand of catching up to missed student loan payments that have been reported as delinquent, as predicted by a recent quantitative analysis issued by VantageScore.

After a five-year hiatus, the resumption of reporting on educational debt will have both positive and negative impacts on many credit scores, according to that analysis by VantageScore.

Analysts said borrowers who continue to make student loan payments after forbearance will likely see their VantageScore credit scores go up, a silver lining for those who are able to keep up with these obligations.

Conversely, VantageScore said some of the more than 9 million Americans who are behind on federal student loans could see credit score declines of up to 129 points.

Currently, 22 million student loan borrowers are out of forbearance, according to the U.S. Department of Education. VantageScore said approximately 9.2 million of these borrowers are expected to be reported as delinquent by June.

Analysts also mentioned a recent court ruling blocking the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan will likely impact an additional 8 million borrowers also in forbearance, resulting in growing potential delinquencies by the end of the.

“For the first time in five years, federal student loan delinquencies will start to reappear on credit files,” said Rikard Bandebo, executive vice president, chief strategy officer and chief economist at VantageScore. “The majority of borrowers who continue to make student loan payments are already seeing positive impacts to their VantageScore credit scores.”