Insurance World

Why is gap insurance considered as a financial safety belt? Simply put, it keeps you from being financially ruined when disaster hits your car. For example you are in this situation, you bought a late-model car three months ago using a car loan with a regular car insurance. The car costs $30,000 and you have already made three payments of $900 each month. Then, disaster strikes. An electric post falls and slams down on your car. The car was flattened to half its height.

Immediately, you reported it to the auto insurance company, which they in turn play with numbers, mileage, depreciation, market values, and other related stuff. After a couple of days, the adjustor informs you that the worth of your car at the time of the accident is $25,000. This is the amount that the auto insurance company will provide you. But the finance company that gave you the loan will still consider the car to be worth its original price. They also play with numbers, interest rates, taxes and license fees. Then they come up with the amount of $38,000. This is the amount that you need to pay them. If the auto insurance company releases the $25,000, where will you get the remaining $7,000? Your car is already a wreck but you still owe the finance company.

You need not face such a dilemma if you have a gap insurance. With the gap insurance, you can ignore the difference between the amount covered by the regular car insurance and the amount you owed the car loan company. This difference is called a “gap” and the gap insurance bridges it so that you need not rack your head for additional financial resources.

A car lease contract must also have a gap insurance. It is a feature that prevents you from draining all your finances. Some dealers who lease cars don’t offer a gap insurance. This is okay as long as they include a “gap waiver” in their lease contract. This waiver declares that you are no longer responsible for gap charges that may occur when your leased car is wrecked.

When you get a gap insurance, determine how much is offered in the gap policy. You should also know how much will be added to your monthly bill. A gap insurance, for it to be recognized, must be accompanied with comprehensive insurance policies that cover collision.

Sometimes, a gap insurance may no longer be needed if the terms in your regular auto insurance policy indicated that the company will pay off the full amount you owed from the car loan lender.

When someone tells you that they have very cheap car insurance then you need to be cautious. What kind of insurance profile does that individual have that would give them the benefit of very cheap car insurance? People will often complain about their car insurance rates to a friend or neighbor and too often that neighbor or friend will claim that their insurance is much cheaper. That may be true for a number of reasons. We don’t all drive the same cars. We don’t have the same driving records. We have different ages of drivers. There are a whole lot of variables in the criteria that make up the car insurance rate.

Rating Criteria

Credit Reports – Most of the insurance companies use credit as part of the equation when setting rates. Some people do not understand the relationship. Actuaries have come up with the statistics that prove credit to be a significant rating factor. There is a stability factor and relationship to accident frequency that coincides with the credit history.

Vehicle Types – This can be kind of tricky. Some newer vehicles actually have better rates than the older vehicles because of all the safety features. Some vehicles have high theft rates. Make sure that you get the vehicle identification number of any new vehicle purchase and give it to your insurance company to obtain your new rate.

Rating Territory – You are stuck with this one unless you move to another geographical area.

Driver Info – The driving records and ages of your drivers will play a significant part in your rate.

Discounts – There are several ways to discount your car insurance. Purchase the home policy with the auto policy to get a multi-policy discount. Good student and drivers training discounts are available to young drivers with some companies. Retirement discounts and discounts for taking a mature driving course are available for senior citizens.

The cheaper rate is really up to you. Do your home work and ask your insurance company a lot of questions.