GAP Insurance will cover you if your vehicle is totaled while you still owe more than the vehicle is worth in the current market.

Each day, thousands of vehicles are reported stolen or declared a total loss by insurance companies. Imagine the vehicle you have been driving and making payments on becomes one of these vehicles. And, what if the lease or loan balance is higher than the market value of your vehicle? Instead of looking for a new vehicle, you might be looking for a way to pay off your old loan. GAP is designed specifically to avoid that type of situation. GAP provides security against the difference in payment from your physical damage insurance company and the lease or loan balance when your vehicle is declared a total loss.

The reason for the potential difference in market value and amount owed is that, generally, lease or loan balances decrease at a steady rate following your monthly payment schedule. Market value, on the other hand, is influenced by many factors beyond your control. Unfortunately, market value is often lower than your outstanding balance - especially in the first few years of your lease or loan contract. This problem can be very expensive to you in the event of a total loss.

HOW DOES GAP WORK?

You probably assume that your physical damage auto insurance is sufficient to cover the loss of your vehicle. What you may not know is that insurance companies are only required to make a settlement equal to the vehicle's Actual Cash Value (ACV) or "market value". The market value may be lower than your lease or loan balance. When you purchase GAP, you avoid having to "pay off" a contract on a vehicle that is no longer yours to drive. GAP will assist by helping to pay your lease or loan balance in the event of a total loss, plus it pays your collision insurance deductible.

WHO SHOULD BUY GAP INSURANCE?

Most experts recommend when you borrow more than 75% of the vehicles value when you purchase it AND/OR you finance for 60 months or longer.