You’ve just had your car delivered, or it’s arriving any day now. This is a shiny, new acquisition that’s the pride and joy of the whole family… and very likely your second biggest financial investment.
But think for a moment what might happen if your car’s stolen and not recovered, or if it’s damaged in an accident and beyond repair… what will the financial impact be?
What will most probably happen is that your motor insurer will declare it a total loss, and pay you out a settlement that reflects your car’s value on the date of the loss.
The big problem is, this will probably fall far short of what your car’s value was when you bought it. And, if you’ve financed your car, taken out a lease or contract hire agreement, and you’re forced to end your contract prematurely, it’s probably going to attract interest and early settlement charges on top of what you still owe.
Either way, you could find yourself facing a bill of thousands of pounds, and still have to find the funds for a replacement.
The good news is, if you take out APG Cover Gap Insurance, you’ll have this covered, subject to the terms of your policy.
We all know that cars generally depreciate the moment they drive off the showroom floor, and they continue to depreciate year after year.
Let’s take an example. If your car’s written off a year or two after you purchased it, you probably feel quite comfortable that you’ll be covered for this lost by your motor insurer. However, they’ll only pay you a settlement amount equivalent to the market value of your car on the day it was written off.
This means you could well be out of pocket by a significant amount… and if you financed your car, leased it or took it on a contract hire agreement, your outstanding finance could be even more, when you take early settlement costs and interest into account.
If you had Gap Insurance however, this amount would be covered, subject to the terms of your policy, and you’ll be free of this debt, and looking forward to finding a replacement.
Just take a look at the examples below to see how this could impact your finances.
Select the funding method below that best reflects your situation to see the illustrative examples of the financial impact if it’s written off or stolen, and declared a total loss.
Market value on the
date of loss, covered
by your motor insurer.
Estimated shortfall
amount, which your
Gap Insurance will cover.
If you paid £16,500 cash for your car and a year or two later it’s declared a total loss, your motor insurance pay-out could fall short of the purchase value by as much as £5,300. However, if you have Gap Insurance this shortfall will covered, subject to your policy terms, and you’d get an additional £250 towards the excess charged by your motor insurer.
Market value on the
date of loss, covered
by your motor insurer
Estimated shortfall
amount, which your
Gap Insurance will cover.
If your car was £21,500 when you bought it and you financed that amount, then a year or two later it’s written off, the outstanding balance on your finance account could be as much as £22,150. Your motor insurance will only cover the market value, which could be just £14,600. This means you’ll face a shortfall of as much as £7,550. However, with your Gap Insurance this would be covered, subject to your policy terms, and you’ll still get an additional £250 towards your motor insurance excess.
Market value at loss,
covered by your
motor insurer
Estimated shortfall amount,
which your Gap Insurance
will cover.
If you leased or contract hired your car with a purchase value of £21,500, and a year or so later when it’s written off the outstanding finance is £22,200. Your insurer will pay out the market value, which could be as little as £14,600, leaving you with a shortfall of as much as £7,600. If you have Gap Insurance, this will be covered in full, subject to your policy terms, plus you’ll get an additional £250 towards your motor insurance excess.
APG Cover Combined Gap Insurance Plus will cover the shortfall between what your motor insurer will pay, which is the market value at the time of loss, and your car’s value when you bought it if you paid cash, or the outstanding balance on your finance account if you took out a loan… up to a total of £50,000, subject to the policy terms.
APG Cover Lease/Contract Hire Gap Insurance will cover the shortfall between what your motor insurer will pay, which is the market value of the vehicle at the time of loss, and the outstanding balance on your finance account, plus up to £2,500 towards your first three monthly payments on your new agreement, subject to your policy terms.
Gap Insurance is a valuable addition to your motor insurance, covering the portion of loss that comprehensive cover won’t. It’s especially worth considering if you’re concerned about depreciation, particularly when you think about the impact on your finances if it were ever declared a total loss.
No matter if you’ve paid cash for your car, or you financed it, or you took out a lease or contract hire agreement to fund it, there’s a Gap Insurance solution designed for you.
If you’re fortunate and aren’t concerned about footing the bill for the shortfall if your car’s ever declared a total loss, then you might decide that you don’t need Gap Insurance.
Also, if your motor insurer offers you new-for-old cover during its first year from date of registration, then you wouldn’t need Gap protection during this period. However, this would also mean you won’t have any Gap cover for the remaining years you keep your car.
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You’ll get crucial financial protection against depreciation and its impact if your car’s stolen or damaged, can’t be economically repaired, and is declared a total loss by your motor insurer.
Your motor insurer will generally only pay-out an amount that reflects your car’s market value on the day of loss. This means you could be left facing a significant shortfall that you’ll need to cover yourself.
APG Cover’s Gap Insurance is designed to make sure this doesn’t happen to you, by covering this shortfall. For many policy holders this has been a life-saving financial decision they’re glad they made.
If you decide within 30 days that you don’t need to cover any shortfall from your motor insurer, we’ll return your premium to you in full as long as you haven’t made a claim.
Our professional, UK-based claims advisors will ensure you’ll have no hassles with your claim, and we’ll pay it out directly into your bank account within days!
We don’t put mileage limits in place once your cover has started, so you can drive as far as you need to and continue to benefit from our complete protection.
We don’t charge you for any amendments you need to make to your policy. Simply call our UK-based Customer Service team and they’ll happily help you out.
If you need to amend your policy at any stage during its lifetime, we don’t make any charge at all. Just give us a call with the details, and we’ll happily update it for you.
You can cancel more than 30 days after your cover’s started, with no questions asked. We’ll give you a pro-rata refund, less a small administration fee, as long as you haven’t claimed.
There are different types of Gap Insurance policies in the market. What’s important is to find the one that covers your particular financial situation. This will provide some indication of what type will fit your circumstances.
If you paid cash for your vehicle, even with a sizeable deposit, or if you financed it, Combined Gap Insurance Plus will cover you for the shortfall between the purchase value of your vehicle when you bought it, and the market value when you claim, if you paid cash, or for the outstanding balance on your finance agreement. This will cover you in a vehicle up to seven years old, no matter if you use it for private or business travel.
If you leased your vehicle, or took it on a contract hire agreement, APG Cover’s Lease/Contract Hire Gap Insurance will cover you for the shortfall between it’s market value, which is what your motor insurer will cover, and the outstanding balance on your lease or contract hire agreement. This could well be a substantial amount when you consider interest, early settlement penalties and other charges.
There are a few reasons a policy may not provide cover, or a vehicle might not be eligible for cover. Some of these include:
You’ll find answers to more questions by following the helpful links below
© 2022 APGCover
Future45 Limited, trading as APG Cover
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority . FRN 461102
Future 45, Warwick House, Roydon Road, Harlow, Essex CM19 5DY
Company Registered No. 5407413
© 2004 – 2023 APG Cover
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