It is vital that you are aware of all Insurance policies you’re into to create awareness and alertness and to give you a chance to maximize all available opportunities. While most insurance policies are usually visible through paperwork, the case of Gap Insurance is quite complicated, and it takes technical understanding to know if you have it in your insurance budget. Now, this article is designed to walk you down the proper way to know if you have Gap Insurance, what it means, and other helpful details that would be necessary.
It is very certain that when you got your first car, you went through a lot of paperwork – documenting the details and features of the vehicle. However, with many figures on the paperwork, you must have mixed things up and only care to pay attention to the very few ones you could grab knowledge. This is one of the reasons why you will not be aware whether you have gap insurance at the time of the dealership. It is vital to contact your car dealer or insurer to get the full gist of the whole process.
What Is Gap Insurance?
Gap insurance is a form of insurance documentation that can be very helpful for drivers who got their car on loan funding. If you sign up for Gap insurance for such a vehicle it means if the car is stolen or had an accident while you are still paying off a loan it is the responsibility of the insurance company to help them cover up a certain percentage of the payment. However, there is something called depreciated value in gap insurance which plays a significant role. Immediately you get your vehicle and drive it off the garage the worth of the car has begun to depreciate. This means that the margin between its selling price and current value will be massively detected even if it is stolen in the second or third week of purchase.
How Does Gap Insurance Work
Let’s say you get your first car for the sum of $45,000 and you’re still owing the loan company about $40,000 when the car gets involved in an accident or gets stolen. If the stolen car’s depreciated value is $35,000, you will have to pay $3000 by yourself. However, if you have Gap Insurance, it is the duty of your insurance company to support you with a sum of $3000 to balance the depreciated value of the vehicle.
How Do I Know If I Have Gap Insurance?
As a driver who has an insurance plan, it is very important that you are aware of you have gap insurance even if you are not told. Now here’s how you get to know if you have gap insurance. One of the ways you can get to know if you have gap insurance is by checking your car insurance policy and the terms of your loan. There should be a portion where it is boldly stated if you’re already engaged with a gap insurance policy. However, if it is, you may need to pay this insurance until the total loan amount you obtained is now reduced compared to the value of your car. The gap insurance has numerous benefits attached when you opt for it. However, if it is discovered that you did not have gap insurance you can still go for it by following the process below.
How To Buy Gap Insurance
The good news is, it is never too late to purchase gap insurance if you want to. In fact, it is advised that most car holders in the United States get gap insurance for the available cars. In a situation whereby your vehicle gets stolen or an auto crash occurs you can be assured that getting insurance will minimize your spending. There are two ways in which you can purchase gap insurance and they are;
The first way and reasonably easiest way to purchase gap insurance is to inform your auto insurance company to manually add that insurance to your car insurance policy. This means they will have to add it to the existing policy you have with the car insurance company. However, it is mandatory that you do extensive research to pick the cheapest and most comfortable plan that suits your budget.
The other option allows you to directly purchase a gap insurance policy from the car dealership agency you got your vehicle from. But you should know that this option is only available if you cannot get gap insurance from your auto insurance company. It has been known that it is quite expensive to purchase a car policy from a dealership agency but it can be used as a last resort if your auto insurance company fails you.
What To Look For In Gap Insurance
Right now, we are unable to distinguish between good and bad gap insurance covers. Since each cover and finance deal is different and features a distinct insurer and automobile price, several covers will be required. However, these are the key points we will offer:
Always review the documented policies. Ensure you verify that the policy meets your demands and has a reasonable benefit on the amount it will pay out in the event of a loss. Any reputable, good broker or gap provider should go over every detail of the gap insurance with you so you know you’re getting the proper coverage.
Make sure whomever you choose to do business with is FCA-regulated or an authorized representative of a compliance firm. Make sure anybody you choose to do business with is licensed by the FCA or is an authorized agent of a compliance firm; this verifies their credibility. You may read our post on how to determine if your car broker is reliable here.
What Does Gap Insurance Cover?
The gap insurance can be beneficial in covering the gaps of a depreciated value between what you own and what is truly yours. While a gap insurance policy applies to car insurance, it slightly goes beyond payment of depreciated value when a car gets stolen or totalled. Note that gap insurance can help in three dimensions and they are;
Car Property: This is applicable when your car is damaged either in an accident or it gets stolen. In such a scenario, the auto insurance on the ground helps to cover part of the expenses needed to repair parts or all the vehicles needed to start functioning again.
Liability: This is the payment made on your behalf when your insurance vehicle collides with another car causing bodily damages or injury. However, the policy only covers part of the third-party repair expenses.
Medical: When you cause an accident, gap insurance helps you to pay for parts of the medical bills. It also goes as far as covering funeral expenses if it happens that a person dies after a car collision.
How Much Does Gap Insurance Cost?
Very similar to auto insurance, the Gap insurance coverage usually runs on a monthly premium plan. And the estimated expenses of the Gap insurance usually depend on the following factors. The manufacturer, brand, and year of your vehicle.The depreciation rate of your vehicle. The financial balance of your auto insurance loan.
You may have to consult your insurance company or car dealership to know the monthly cost of GAP insurance since it differs depending on the insurance policies. For example, the drivers who lease or loan a vehicle from Hiley Buick GMC Of Fort Worth in Fort Worth can easily add this insurance before they leave the dealership because they offer GAP coverage for those who do so. Their team of professionals can help you do the math whether you’re purchasing a used automobile or are thinking about a new car. To help you appreciate the advantages of investing in additional vehicle insurance, you need to be aware of all the costs associated with acquiring a car.
How Long Does Gap Insurance Last?
GAP insurance can be entirely adjusted to your conditions. Typically, they will have benefit payout caps that change depending on the car value and range from 2 to 5 years of coverage. Like with any insurance, the bigger the risk to the insurer and the higher the policy, the more expensive the product is. However, the more expensive the item, the worse it may be in the event of an accident or loss, and the more cost-effective it will be to purchase insurance.
Conclusion
The Gap insurance policy can be regarded as a branch of auto insurance. While it is important for drivers to get this insurance policy, it is vital that they also get a keen understanding of what they are opting for. This can be achievable when they visit their auto insurance company, or dealership to know if they are automatically signed into the gap insurance policy, if not, they can achieve that manually.