GAP Insurance Explained

What is GAP insurance?

Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) insurance is a financial product often sold when you buy or lease a car. It is designed to protect you against financial loss if your car is declared a total loss by your motor insurance company following a fire, theft or accident.

If your vehicle is written off (damaged beyond repair) by your motor insurer, there may be a ‘gap’ between what your insurer pays out and what you still owe on the car. A GAP insurance policy covers the monetary difference between the motor insurer pay out and the amount needed to pay the outstanding balance on your finance settlement.

How does GAP insurance work?

If your vehicle is stolen or written off in an accident during your leasing period, your insurer will usually pay out what it's worth based on its market value at the time of the theft or accident. For brand new cars, this is likely to be less than what you owe on the finance agreement meaning there may be a 'gap' between the amount your insurer pays and the amount outstanding on the finance settlement.

How does GAP insurance differ from my regular motor insurance?

GAP insurance is a financial product designed to work alongside your motor insurance. Even if your car insurance is fully comprehensive, you can still lose money if your brand new car is declared a total loss by your motor insurer. This is because most brand new cars lose their value very quickly from the point of purchase.

When you lease or buy a new car or van, it is an accepted fact that the value of it drops as soon as you start driving it and continues to depreciate over the years. How much a vehicle depreciates depends on lots of things such as the model of car, how old it is, how many miles it's covered and the condition. The AA estimate that the average car value falls by 40% in the first year and up to 60% in the first three years of ownership. This means that if your new car cost £20,000, it might only be worth £8,000 after three years. This may result in a shortfall between the price you paid at the outset (or took out on finance) and the amount you receive from your insurer.

Why is GAP insurance important?

To consider whether GAP insurance is right for you, you need to think about the types of scenarios that could happen during the period of your lease contract, such as:

Car Theft:

Each year in the UK over 150,000 cars are stolen making car crime a huge and profitable business, costing billions of pounds a year and representing around a third of all reported crime. It is also estimated that 70% of stolen cars are broken up and sold for spares, while the rest are given a false identity and sold or exported to other countries, making it more difficult than ever for the authorities to recover a stolen vehicle.

Accident Beyond Repair:

Analysis by HPI reveals that around 500,000 vehicles are written off a year. Further research by Churchill Car Insurance estimates that nearly 34,000 of claims made in 2016 were made on vehicles less than five years old, with the average claim value standing at over £9,000.

Fire:

Vehicle fire is often forgotten about but statistics show that there were 50,800 vehicle fires in the UK in 2007. While most assume car fires are the results of crashes or collisions, many occur actually while the car is in normal use. Statistics from the Home Office show at least 28% of fires are electrical and 39% are suspected to be caused deliberately.

What are the benefits of GAP insurance?

While GAP insurance is not compulsory, it is a popular product for customers on a finance agreement like contract hire because they usually have little, no or negative equity in their vehicle. This means they may end up owing more than the value of the car if the vehicle is declared a total loss by their motor insurer. 

Key benefits include:

1. Protects you from financial detriment
2. Protects your savings
3. Enables you to be able to set up a new lease immediately and get back on the road

Which sort of GAP Insurance policy do Nationwide Vehicle Contracts offer?

Our GAP Insurance policy is called Hire and Lease GAP insurance (also known as Finance GAP) and is specifically designed for vehicles on  Contract Hire and Personal Contract Hire agreements.

A Hire and Lease GAP policy pays the monetary difference between the amount owed on a finance agreement (i.e. the lease) and the market value at the time of the claim. This leaves you with no liability to your old vehicle.

Hire and Lease GAP offers many advantages including:

• Up to £250 towards your own motor insurance excess
• Up to £2000 in advance rentals
• Fully insured temporary replacement vehicle for up to 30 days while your claim is settled 
• Cover for dealer fitted accessories
• Cover for all named drivers comprehensively insured to drive the vehicle

NB: Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is unable to provide GAP insurance quotations to new customers at the current time.  

Is GAP insurance compulsory when leasing a vehicle with Nationwide Vehicle Contracts?

GAP insurance is an optional product and is not legally required when you lease a vehicle with Nationwide Vehicle Contracts. Whether you choose to take out a GAP insurance policy is up to you however it is worth noting that you only have a limited amount of time to take out the policy. Please get in touch if you have any questions. 

As with every type of finance product, it is important that you fully research the benefits and features and exclusions before taking it out to ensure it is right for you.

NB: Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is unable to provide GAP insurance quotations to new customers at the current time.  

What should I consider before taking out GAP insurance?

A GAP insurance policy may not be suitable for everyone, therefore, it worth considering a few factors that may influence your decision.

Hire and Lease GAP insurance may not be suitable if:

• You took delivery of your lease vehicle more than 60 days ago
• You can afford to make up for any shortfall

What does GAP not include?

As with every type of finance product, it is important that you fully research the benefits, features and exclusions before taking it out to ensure it is right for you. It is also important that you ask questions on anything you do not understand or need any clarification on.

GAP insurance might not cover you for as much as you’re expecting:

• It won’t cover any amount deducted by your main car insurance company. This can include any unpaid premiums, salvage value or contributory negligence that may be deducted from your payout.
• GAP insurance will only cover excesses up to £250 of your claim.
• It will not cover any dealer fitted accessories unless specified on the relevant manufacturer's price list
• Any contribution towards a temporary replacement vehicle where you are entitled to a replacement vehicle under any other policy you hold or where you can recover the cost from a third party.
• It also does not cover road fund licence, new vehicle registration fee, delivery charge, administration fee, fuel, paintwork, and/or upholstery protection kits, insurance premiums (including this premium), warranty premiums, service plans and any previous negative equity.
• Any other deductions that may be made by the main car insurance company on payout that you accept, will not be covered.

How much does GAP insurance cost?

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is unable to provide GAP insurance quotations to new customers at the current time.  

More details about Gap Insurance can be found on our GAP Insurance FAQ Page.

Looking to lease a vehicle? Nationwide Vehicle Contracts offer various car leasing services to suit your every need, such as our fast car lease service which comes with a delivery time of three to four weeks (times may vary).