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How long after buying a car can I take out GAP insurance?

 

Usually, you can buy gap insurance for a used vehicle for up to 180 days and, in some cases, for a new car up to 365 days after taking delivery of your vehicle. 

 

At Total Loss Gap Insurance, we want to offer you the best choice of policies. 

 

We all buy cars and vans for different reasons and at different times of the year. 

 

Equally, we all have access to varying levels of funding.

 

Our policies have been designed to offer cover during your ownership. The levels of protection may vary depending on the age of your vehicle; however, they can all provide additional peace of mind that should the worst ever happen, and you be involved in a write-off situation that you are financially supported. 

 

There are, however, exceptions.

 

If you had bought a brand new car and your name was first on the V5 log book, and you had new for old from your own motor insurance company, some gap insurance providers will allow you to buy gap insurance for anything up to 365 days after you took delivery of your car. 

 

Equally, although the standard levels of gap insurance, such as contract hire gap insurance, return to invoice gap insurance, and vehicle replacement, may not be available depending on what you use your car for, you may be eligible for other forms of cover. 

 

For example

  • Top-up gap insurance can be bought at any time of ownership. It will depend on what you use your car for, how old it is and what mileage it has travelled.
  • Top-up contract hire and lease hire gap insurance can be bought within 30 days of your old policy expiring. Please remember that it will not cover any deposit protection. 

There will be terms and conditions, and it is essential that you understand how your policy will perform in a total loss.

 

Also, please remember that no policy, no matter if it is a conventional return to invoice, vehicle replacement, top-up contract hire, or agreed value, will be able to protect you if you buy your policy after your vehicle has been involved in an incident that you believe will end in it being written off.