Every driver is well aware of the need for car insurance; indeed, driving on UK roads is a legal requirement. You can generally find motor insurance for every type of vehicle going at a price.
However, only some people are as familiar with GAP insurance (also known as Guaranteed Asset Protection), a life-saver in those unexpected moments when your vehicle has been written off following a theft, accident, fire or flood, resulting in a total loss.
The issue that GAP Insurance can address is that your vehicle may have lost value, and your motor insurer's settlement can reflect this financial loss. GAP Insurance can top up that figure.
So, GAP Insurance may interest you, but does your vehicle qualify for cover?
Here we discuss, in detail, which types of vehicles may be excluded from GAP Insurance cover.
GAP Insurance - Excluded vehicles from cover 
The first point is thatall GAP Insurance products are different. Here we will give some general examples of what type of vehicles may be excluded from GAP insurance coverage. But you must check the terms and conditions of any policy you are considering.
However, there are several vehicle types that you may find are excluded from the GAP Insurance policy you are considering.
In no particular order.
Vehicles that have already been written off previously
Vehicles already subject to a write-off from a motor insurance company are almost universally excluded from GAP insurance products. Why? It can be challenging to assess the current market value of a vehicle that has been a write-off already.
Often, no matter how well a vehicle has been repaired, these vehicles are sold at a significant discount compared to other cars in the market that are not recorded as a write-off. The lower valuation also comes into account when one of these vehicles is written off again.
GAP Insurance underwriters also require a vehicle to appear in valuation services like Glass's Guide. Written-off vehicle values are absent from such guides.
Gap Insurance for Imported vehicles
Vehicles not manufactured for the UK market would be counted as import vehicles. Again, these are absent from the likes of Glass's Guide, and as such, they would be excluded from most GAP insurance policy terms and conditions.
Some GAP insurance products may cater for imported vehicles, but you need to check how a valuation is calculated for the insured vehicle.
Gap Insurance for Modified Vehicles
Often vehicles modified away from the manufactured standard specification are commonly excluded by Gap insurance products. Why? Again the difficulty in valuing modified cars will be part of the problem. Also, some modifications carry a hefty cost. Who would cover the cost of these modifications? Will the motor insurer? If so, how much will they pay?
Gap Insurance for High value and high-risk vehicles
Are you looking to get GAP insurance for some exotic supercar? Well, you may be disappointed. Getting GAP insurance for a high-value Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, or similar has always been difficult. The high initial costs, targeted thefts, high repair costs and the chance of such a high-powered vehicle being involved in a crash means that any subsequent Gap Insurance claim may be for a high value.
Another area of concern would be vehicles that thieves often target. Brands like Land Rover, Range Rover, Porsche, or even BMW can be excluded from some Gap cover.
Many Gap insurers, but not all, would avoid such high-risk situations.
Gap Insurance for Motorhomes or Campervans
Leisure vehicles like motorhomes and campervans are prevalent in the UK today. Some popular models include the Volkswagen California, Swift Escape, Auto-Trail Tribute F72, Elddis Autoquest and the Bailey Autograph.
Often these vehicles can range in value between tens to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Getting Motorhome GAP insurance is possible. However, specialist products are often available, rather than motorhomes or campers being an additional option to standard Gap insurance cover.
Gap Insurance for Commercial vehicles
Some Gap insurance providers only like covering cars. That said, finding cover for commercial vehicles, particularly Gap Insurance for vans or Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs), should be relatively easy.
Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) would need a specialist insurance provider of Gap Insurance. A Google search would be the order of the day for that.
Specific vehicle uses are also problematic for Gap Insurance. For example, the most challenging style of Gap insurance to find right now is where the commercial vehicle is used for courier or delivery services.
Gap Insurance for taxis
'Hire and Reward' use for the carriage of people is also a specialist type of vehicle gap insurance. Most standard products would not cover any form of 'taxi' use. However, an internet search should provide some options.
Private hire taxi use usually is easier to buy Gap Insurance for. Public hire, or Hackney, can be more difficult.
Chauffeurs and limousines can also be covered by 'hire and reward' Gap, but check the policy terms and conditions to be sure.
Gap Insurance for used vehicles
Finding Gap insurance for a new car should be relatively easy. However, the choice of cover for used cars may be less. In particular, if you wanted a Vehicle replacement gap insurance policy for a used car, you may find some insurance providers will not provide cover.
Choice of Gap Insurance Types for rare vehicles
Where you find Gap Insurance covers for a more unusual vehicle, you may find your choice of cover is more restricted. You may see that only Return to invoice gap insurance may be offered rather than Vehicle replacement gap insurance, for example.
This means you can cover back to the original invoice price or purchase price rather than the replacement cost.
Trying to work out a replacement vehicle cost on a rare vehicle could be difficult, so offering an RTI Gap cover only makes sense.
Rare types of Gap insurance policies like negative equity gap insurance, finance gap insurance for outstanding finance, or lease gap insurance may not be readily available on rare vehicles or vehicle uses.
In conclusion, being aware of the perplexing world of GAP insurance exclusions is essential. Vehicles previously written off, certain high-value cars, and those used for specific commercial purposes may be left out in the cold. However, make sure to seek coverage for your vehicle. By exploring your options and comparing policies, you might discover the perfect GAP insurance policy tailored to your unique circ*mstances.
If you find Gap Insurance for a more specialist car or use, you may find the Gap Insurance cost is higher than standard cover.
If in doubt, please get in touch with us, and we will happily point you in the right direction if we do not have a suitable product for you.
