What is GAP insurance?

GAP insurance can provide valuable protection during the early years of your car's life if you have a loan or a lease.

If a loss occurs, GAP insurance will pay the difference between the actual cash value of the vehicle and the current outstanding balance on your loan or lease. Gap Insurance protects your vehicle lease or loan. Sometimes it will also pay your regular insurance deductible.

If your vehicle has been totaled by accident, theft, fire, flood, tornado, vandalism, or hurricanes your insurance company typically pays the actual cash value. That may be less than its actual retail value. It is often considerably less than the actual amount you still owe on your loan or the amount due for a lease payoff.

The amount between your insurance deductible and the loss from this financial shortfall is the “gap” you can be left owing.

When you purchase your policy online with CarInsurance.com, most of our carriers offer this coverage. It is labeled Loan/Lease Gap coverage. You can purchase it easily with your policy for very little premium. If you don't have a CarInsurance.com policy, CarInsurance.com offers GAP Insurance as a separate policy through this online partner.

This is how a "GAP" occurs (using fictitious numbers):

You choose a car that costs $25,000 and you drive it off the lot.
After paying the down payment you owe $24,000 in car payments over 5 years (0% interest loan = $400 car payments).
You purchase physical damage insurance (comprehensive and collision) with a $500 deductible to protect you against damages and loss.
You have an accident while you are still upside down on your loan or lease ("Upside down" means owing more on a car than it's worth) and your vehicle is totaled.
The insurance company determines that the actual cash value of the car is only $22,000, but at the time of the loss you still owe $23,500.
GAP insurance should pay the difference plus your deductible totalling $2000. (Not all GAP policies pay the deductible)
Here are the line items:

Loan Payoff at the time of accident: $23,500
Vehicles actual value at the time of accident: $22,000
Your deductible: $500
Physical Damage Insurance Company pays: $21,500 ($22,000 minus $500 deductible)
GAP insurance pays the difference between what is owed and what the Physical Damage Insurance Company pays (plus your deductible): $2000
Typically a new car is worth approximately 30 percent less in 3 months than the day it was purchased! In our example above, if you owned the car for 3 days, had physical damage coverage and the car was totaled, you could owe 20% to 30% of the $24,000 ($4,800 to $7,200 out of your pocket) even though you purchased "full coverage."

Car owners often assume that if their car is totaled, it will be replaced at the amount they paid, or at least the amount they owe. This is not so. Many car insurance companies offer a GAP option (Loan/Lease Gap Insurance) as an optional coverage that is available with physical damage coverage. If you carrier doesn't offer it, you can purchase it here: CarInsurance.com offers GAP Insurance.

Remember these possible exclusions/policy rules:

Maximum Limit of Loss: $50,000
A GAP claim settlement may not cover the entire gap due, when your loan's Original Amount Financed exceeds 120% of MSRP (new vehicle) or NADA Retail Value (used vehicles), plus 30% of Value allowable for Additional Financed Items like Credit Life or Service Contracts.
The claim settlement does not cover late charges or other penalties due to your lender.
Your loan amount financed must be less than or equal to $100,000.
Your loan term must not be greater than 84 months.
The loan must not have a balloon payment due at the end of the term.
The maximum APR is 12.5%

Comment Update: Your situation where you left the dealership and only have the car for 15 minutes is the perfect scenario where GAP insurance applies. The car isn't worth the value you paid for it, therefore your insurance company will only give the "cash value" of the car. The other person is likely responsible for all the damages, but if their company doesn't give you full value then GAP insurance

What is covered by a basic auto policy?

Your auto policy may include six coverages. Each coverage is priced separately.

1. Bodily Injury Liability

This coverage applies to injuries that you, the designated driver or policyholder, cause to someone else. You and family members listed on the policy are also covered when driving someone else’s car with their permission.

It’s very important to have enough liability insurance, because if you are involved in a serious accident, you may be sued for a large sum of money. Definitely consider buying more than the state-required minimum to protect assets such as your home and savings.

2. Medical Payments or Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

This coverage pays for the treatment of injuries to the driver and passengers of the policyholder's car. At its broadest, PIP can cover medical payments, lost wages and the cost of replacing services normally performed by someone injured in an auto accident. It may also cover funeral costs.

3. Property Damage Liability

This coverage pays for damage you (or someone driving the car with your permission) may cause to someone else's property. Usually, this means damage to someone else’s car, but it also includes damage to lamp posts, telephone poles, fences, buildings or other structures your car hit.

4. Collision

This coverage pays for damage to your car resulting from a collision with another car, object or as a result of flipping over. It also covers damage caused by potholes. Collision coverage is generally sold with a deductible of $250 to $1,000—the higher your deductible, the lower your premium. Even if you are at fault for the accident, your collision coverage will reimburse you for the costs of repairing your car, minus the deductible. If you're not at fault, your insurance company may try to recover the amount they paid you from the other driver’s insurance company. If they are successful, you'll also be reimbursed for the deductible.

5. Comprehensive

This coverage reimburses you for loss due to theft or damage caused by something other than a collision with another car or object, such as fire, falling objects, missiles, explosion, earthquake, windstorm, hail, flood, vandalism, riot, or contact with animals such as birds or deer.

Comprehensive insurance is usually sold with a $100 to $300 deductible, though you may want to opt for a higher deductible as a way of lowering your premium.

Comprehensive insurance will also reimburse you if your windshield is cracked or shattered. Some companies offer glass coverage with or without a deductible.

6. Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage

This coverage will reimburse you, a member of your family, or a designated driver if one of you is hit by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver.

Underinsured motorist coverage comes into play when an at-fault driver has insufficient insurance to pay for your total loss. This coverage will also protect you if you are hit as a pedestrian.

9 ways to lower your Auto Insurance from the AIT

1. Shop Around

Prices vary from company to company, so it pays to shop around. Get at least three price quotes. You can call companies directly or access information on the Internet. Your state insurance department may also provide comparisons of prices charged by major insurers. (State insurance department phone numbers and Web sites can be found here.)

You buy insurance to protect you financially and provide peace of mind. It's important to pick a company that is financially stable. Check the financial health of insurance companies with rating companies such as A.M. Best (http://www.ambest.com) and Standard & Poor’s (http://www.standardandpoors.com/) and consult consumer magazines.

Get quotes from different types of insurance companies. Some sell through their own agents. These agencies have the same name as the insurance company. Some sell through independent agents who offer policies from several insurance companies. Others do not use agents. They sell directly to consumers over the phone or via the Internet.

Don't shop price alone. Ask friends and relatives for their recommendations. Contact your state insurance department to find out whether they provide information on consumer complaints by company. Pick an agent or company representative that takes the time to answer your questions. You can use the checklist on the back of this brochure to help you compare quotes from insurers and on the same coverage.

2. Before You Buy a Car, Compare Insurance Costs

Before you buy a new or used car, check into insurance costs. Car insurance premiums are based in part on the car’s sticker price, the cost to repair it, its overall safety record, and the likelihood of theft. Many insurers offer discounts for features that reduce the risk of injuries or theft. These include daytime running lights and anti-theft devices. To help you decide what car to buy, you can get information from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (www.iihs.org).

3. Ask for Higher Deductibles

Deductibles are what you pay before your insurance policy kicks in. By requesting higher deductibles, you can lower your costs substantially. For example, increasing your deductible from $200 to $500 could reduce your collision and comprehensive coverage cost by 15 to 30 percent. Going to a $1,000 deductible can save you 40 percent or more. Before choosing a higher deductible, be sure you have enough money set aside to pay it if you have a claim.

4. Reduce Coverage on Older Cars

Consider dropping collision and/or comprehensive coverages on older cars. If your car is worth less than 10 times the premium, purchasing the coverage may not be cost effective. Auto dealers and banks can tell you the worth of cars. Or you can look it up online at Kelley’s Blue Book (http://www.kbb.com). Review your coverage at renewal time to make sure your insurance needs haven’t changed.

5. Buy your Homeowners and Auto Coverage from the Same Insurer

Many insurers will give you a break if you buy two or more types of insurance. You may also get a reduction if you have more than one vehicle insured with the same company. Some insurers reduce the rates for long-time customers. But it still makes sense to shop around! You may save money buying from different insurance companies, compared with a multi-policy discount.

6. Maintain a Good Credit Record

Establishing a solid credit history can cut your insurance costs. Insurers are increasingly using credit information to price auto insurance policies. To protect your credit standing, pay your bills on time, don't obtain more credit than you need and keep your credit balances as low as possible. Check your credit record on a regular basis and have any errors corrected promptly so that your record remains accurate.

7. Take Advantage of Low Mileage Discounts

Some companies offer discounts to motorists who drive a lower than average number of miles a year. Low mileage discounts can also apply to drivers who car pool to work.

8. Ask about Group Insurance

Some companies offer reductions to drivers who get insurance through a group plan from their employers, through professional, business and alumni groups, or other associations. Ask your employer and inquire with groups or clubs you are a member of to see if this is possible.

9. Seek Out Other Discounts

Companies offer discounts to policyholders who have not had any accidents or moving violations for a number of years. You may also get a discount if you take a defensive driving course. If there is a young driver on the policy who is a good student, has taken a drivers education course or is at a college out of the area without a car, you may also qualify for a lower rate.


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