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So I applied for several loans to buy a car, trying to take advantage of the low interest rates at the moment. All of them came back with higher interest rates than were advertised. I've subsequently bought the car using savings (and a small loan from family).

Because I haven't accepted any of the loans will it look (on my credit file) as though I haven't accepted the loans?

Will this type of activity have a, long term, detrimental effect on my credit worthiness?

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Unfortunately for you credit referencing agencies don't just record whether you take credit or not but also whether a "hard pull" has been performed on your credit details. A hard pull means that the details were pulled from the agency as part of an application for credit. Because lenders don't (have to) inform credit agencies whether they have accepted you for credit or not a hard pull that is not connected to a loan agreement could be because of a denial of credit or because you refused the offer; it is impossible to tell. A large number of hard pulls on your credit rating in a short period can look like you were desperate for credit and being turned down by a lot of lenders so looking further afield. The good news is that the effect of a hard pull on your credit rating is pretty much zero after six months, to quote Experian (paywalled site):

Having no recent searches (applications for credit) shows that you are not credit hungry and that your existing credit may be sufficient for your needs. The more searches that you have in a 6 month period, the more likely a lender will consider you to be higher risk.

note that it mentions "searches" and does not limit it to actually taking the loan.

Edit: (from comments for clarity) Remember that the ratings agencies know all of your loans and the respective dates and issuers so they can just match the hard pull to the loan. Your credit rating is a mixture of the number of hard pulls, your outstanding credit and a few other factors.

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    Welcome to Money.SE. The info I've seen at Credit Karma suggests the hard pulls stay on one's record for 2 years. Their info flows from Transunion.
    – JTP - Apologise to Monica ♦
    Commented Jan 29, 2015 at 10:51
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    I've been on Money.SE a while... The question is UK specific so the US may vary but Experian is both UK and US based so is probably a good measure. That a hard pull stays on your record that long does not mean that it has much, if any, effect on your credit rating. I work for a credit risk consultancy but am involved in total bank risk than per person risk so I will ask a colleague when he returns to his desk. Note that different companies generate credit ratings differently!
    – MD-Tech
    Commented Jan 29, 2015 at 11:30
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    Also it's best to remember that there will be no loan itself appearing on your credit report. So a couple of hard searches will filter off after 6 months - this is a temporary effect on your rating. A loan would have been a permanent feature until repaid. Lesser of two evils in my opinion for sure.
    – Chris
    Commented Jan 29, 2015 at 12:17
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    they know all of your loans and the respective dates and issuers so just match the hard pull to the loan. Your credit rating is a mixture of the number of hard pulls, your outstanding credit and a few other factors.
    – MD-Tech
    Commented Jan 29, 2015 at 12:22
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    Don't worry about hard pulls. I don't know about UK, but in USA, it falls off your credit report after about 18 months (or 2 years as @JoeTaxpayer stated). They look at the total count. Our family is big on applying for reward credit cards every two years. I'm about due for some free money. :) Credit scores can change every day, so you only need to prepare a "good score" at the time you're seeking a loan, insurance, job, or rental. Otherwise, do not worry about the day to day score.
    – Sun
    Commented Jan 29, 2015 at 17:26

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