I reluctantly agreed to some gap insurance when I picked up my New Freelander last weekend.
Price was reduced from £475 to £400 for £20k worth of cover. I was pretty sure this was a bad deal but given I have 2 weeks to cancel I went ahead.

Now shopping around it looks like it is available for as little as £120 elsewhere so am going to cancel and change.

I am on Landrover Insurance and am not sure if first year cover is new replacement or not as I have not received the policy documents yet. This obviously influences the gap insurance cost so need to find out.

Other than that - open to any advice, suggestions or experiences  (Coming) 2016 RR Evoque td4 180 HSE Dynamc
(Going) 2013 TD4 GS Auto - Santorini Black with black leather. Cold Climate, UK Lighting & Armrest Packs. Privacy Glass. LR Rubber Mats. Full size spare.
60 000 miles averaging 35mpg

(Gone) 2010 TD4 Manual GS - Stornoway Grey. Sold at 3yrs old & 64k miles. Final average consumption 39.2mpg.

Yeah, read the small print of some of the GAP insurance on the Internet. I had a dealer GAP on a Jaguar and at 18 Months old it was written off ! The gap sorted it all out through the jaguar dealer and just walked in to collect another Brand new one !

It wasn't without it difficulties along the way but my brother had similar situation and his was a cheap Internet bought policy and it was a nightmare from start to Finnish and took 9 months to resolve the claim and it didn't cover the total cost as there was a get out clause for wear and tear !

Be very carefull

I always use ALA. A lot cheaper then dealer!
You have 14 days under law to cancel the LR gap product.
End of the day it's your choice  * GONE. GS TD4 Manual MY2013. Orkney Grey with privacy, cold and clearview packs, armrests (a must!) and a spoiler.
* 2011 4.4 TDV8 Full Fat. Amazing piece of kit.
* GONE.2012 RR Sport HSE SDV6 Orkney Grey. Rocket ship. 33mpg.
* Range Rover Classic '93 200Tdi Factory fit
* 1949 80" in family since 1975

I took out GAP from my dealer £399 3 years cover for £32k car, it's worth having, granted there are cheaper options available.

I personally don't trust the cheap internet companies, will they payout should the st hit the fan?

If its a big difference in price and the company looks reputable, then I would cancel  21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

Last edited by j77 on 12th May 2013 5:45 pm. Edited 1 time in total

I always turn it down. With my current car, the dealer tried it on, I said I'd take it if what he earned in commission came out of the price. We had a discussion which ended with me saying 'do you want to sell me this car or not?'. He gave in when I got up to leave.

Its all about judging risk and working out how likely the possible threat is. In the scheme of things, you are really unlikely to suffer the kind of disaster GAP sets out to cover you for; sure it happens to some people, but only a very few. Car dealers make a mint out of selling it and always give you a story about a mate of theirs who lost his new car in a no fault accident and insurance didn't pay up full amount blah blah. You just have to work out what the difference is between what the insurance payout might be and the amount you value the car at (usually the finance sum). That's not a difficult calculation (you just need a decent price guide like parkers) and the sum you are pondering is usually not very much - perhaps about 4 times the premium. In other words, shocking value for the risk exposure.

For me its a waste of money, but my job involves working out risks and probabilities, so perhaps I have a different view.

GAPs the only one I take, true I may never need it and there is cheaper out there, but I like to know I'm covered should the worst happen. 21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

I got mine from MHC Finance, a sponsor on Disco4, username Kam100, approx £120 iirc for 3 years cover and payable over 12 months so haven't missed the cash.
As with anything it's reassuring to have and one of those things you hope to never have to put to the test.

Having not bought a car from a main dealer for quite some years, I was amazed at all the extra insurance policies that were sold to me quite hard, to the extent that you had to sign a form confirming that they had all been offered to you and you had declined

Gap insurance, Alloy wheel insurance, dent and chip insurance, protective coating etc if I had taken it all it came to nearly £2k for 3 years. Now I can't claim to know, but my guess is that about 3/4 of that £2k is paid to various people in commission and only 25% gets to an insurance company.

Don't forget that it is "gap" insurance so it is not £32k's worth of cover. It is the difference between what your main insurer will pay and the £32k.

If you regularly prang your car, damage the wheels and get lots of minor damage, it is probably a good deal!! I will take my chances, as I don't want to be subsidising all the people who fall into that bracket.

This is a subject I have been known to get a bit aerated about. I can't afford insurance for everything. Put what you would have spent on premiums into a savings account and see how you are after a couple of years.

I guess the exception to this rule is if you absolutely cannot afford to stand whatever the loss may be

Rant over Steve

I took a policy online for less than 1/3rd the price of the dealer.

Of course there are some dodgy companies out there, but you can check them out with "Which' and other agencies. It is important to make sure you get all the cover you need (for example to ensure finance costs are covered as well as the car) but that can be true of dealer-sold policies too.

Not sure I would sleep well with no Gap, as Andy S suggests, but I'm sure there are lots of over-sold policies out there.

just insure your car with the nfu, 2 years free gap . I like the nfu as they actually pay out when called on ,quite important part of insurance.


careful with gap, you need the enhanced policy 'return to invoice' to ensure you get a new car when claiming not just your valuation. At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

I went for ALA RTI gap insurance...

Only took it for 2 years as i never keep my cars longer than that... It covers me for £10,000. That is the difference between the invoice price and what the insurance company pays out in the event of a loss. Worthed out at £78. Dealer wanted £399 for a £10,000 3 year deal...

ALA came highly rated in the Which report...

Alloy wheel insurance - I never take it
Scratch repair thing - that's why I pay insurance

It's all worked into the price of the car so I don't miss the cash.

As has been said make sure the cheaper companies are offering 'return to invoice' I think there is two kinds of GAP.

At the end of the day You do what suits you  21MY Defender 90 S 3.0 D200

£179 - 3 years, £25k clim limit, deferred for 1st year, replacement vehicle GAP.

Flyer - if you are insured with LR insurance then yes your first year is full replacement vehicle. I've brought my gap insurance from easy gap, less than half of the dealers lowest quote and deferred it for a year as I'm also insured with LR insurance too.

Try Kam100 gap insurance, his well regarded on RRSport

http://www.gapinsuranceuk.net/

edit No Longer do GAP insurance  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Last edited by npinks on 7th Nov 2014 10:22 am. Edited 1 time in total