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Don’t fall into the insurance gap

Don’t be tempted to skimp on GAP insurance for your 62 plate car
AVOID a shortfall in the value of your new car by making sure it is correctly insured for loss of value
Story: Ralph Morton
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Don't drive through the GAP with your new 62 plate purchase – make sure you have the correct insurance cover

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4 September 2012

Story: RALPH MORTON

 

Peugeot 208 on a 62 plate
Don't drive through the GAP with your new 62 plate purchase – make sure you have the correct insurance cover

Those small business owners thinking of taking advantage of the new September registration change – the new 62 plate – have been warned not to scrimp on insurance.

GAP insurance covers the cost of the car new against its depreciation and market value.

But due to financial pressures, it’s a cost many new car owners are ditching – but it could be at a cost, particularly if you have purchased your car through a personal contract purchase (PCP) scheme or on hire purchase (HP).

So what is GAP insurance?

To give its full title GAP is Guaranteed Asset Protection. GAP protects car buyers against any shortfall between insurance pay outs and the outstanding finance, invoice price or the cost of a like-for-like replacement.

And the reason it’s important to have GAP insurance, says insurance broker ALA, is that:

  • In the event of a write off or theft, insurance companies will only pay out the current market value of the vehicle.
  • The market value of a new car can depreciate up to 50% after the first year, depending on the model.
  • 77 per cent of UK motorists do not take out GAP insurance

 

In other words, if you don’t have business car insurance for your car – GAP – you can end up paying for the cost of a new vehicle without being able to replace it should it be written off.

“Research shows that over half of all motorists are not even aware of what GAP insurance is,” warns Simon England, managing director of ALA.

So if you buy a 62 plate business car, make sure you don’t fall through the GAP.

GAP insurance cover costs from around £70 for a one-off payment that covers the car for a three-year period when the vehicle is most at risk from the business car finance owing on it.

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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