Gap Insurance From Toyota

[welshstyles]

Hi i am taking delivery of my new yaris hybrid t-spirit next wednesday, and dealer keeps offering me gap insurance saying it is a must? is it worth it? whats peoples experiences? or could i perhaps get gap insurance else where cheaper? the car is through toyota fincance if that make a difference?

thanks

nathan

[Aceshigh84]

Go to ala.co.uk (or .com). A lot cheaper than the dealer. Same insurance.

I have personally got it for my Auris and Yaris as they are on finance, my insurance policy only offers market value in the event of a write off (even in the first year). So it is there just in case the worst should happen, that way I'm not left with no car and a debt.

You need to ask yourself what your appetite to risk is. I like knowing exactly where I am and budget for everything, so for me I like the safety net.

[welshstyles]

thanks i will take a look at the site now, the insurance is free for one year with toyota so not sure whether they will payout full price in first year..hmmm

[silly sausage]

Hi Nathan,

It's an absolute must in my opinion, we have a new Rav due next week and we will most certainly be taking out GAP, we have it on our current Rav and Yaris, for what it costs it gives great peace of mind. I know somebody who wrote a two year old Auris off and the matter was settled within three weeks and full purchase price paid. A member on the Rav Forum recently had a 2011 Rav SR stolen and again he was paid out in three weeks, had he not had GAP he would have lost circa 6k from the original price. Finally for the sake of £50.00 or so I would use Toyota GAP. Enjoy your new Yaris

Paul .

[welshstyles]

thanks for reply i am definatley going for it, think from toyota its £199 and about £100 if i use another company.

another question did any of you go for supaguard? because i have read alot of people saying it is not worth it, and polishing car yourself will just do the same job lol

[FROSTYBALLS]

Being a member of Toyota Owners Club, you can take advantage of a discount I negotiated with ALA - see http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/150128-gap-insurance-discount-for-toc-members/

Also you can choose to have the GAP insurance policy covering you for four years instead of three.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Paint treatments like Supagard, Diamondbrite, etc tend to provoke a fair bit of discussion as to their worth. We've had these treatments on some of our cars, and we think they are OK provided you get them at a discount. If you're paying full price they are expensive for what they offer.

Then again, as with GAP insurance, when you consider the cost as a percentage of the vehicle you're buying, one could say it is a relatively small cost: a £400 treatment represents approximately 3.33% of the purchase price of £12,000 vehicle.

[silly sausage]

You will get mixed reviews on Superguard, we always have it. From an interior perspective it's worth it, some years ago I managed to leave a sunroof open overnight and found the seats (cloth seats) had puddles on the following morning, a quick 'blot' with a towel and he seats were dry, no stains, no problems.

[Cyker]

IIRC some insurers will replace a brand new car like for like if it's written off in the first year which would make the GAP insurance redundant so it's worth checking the main insurance policy first.

Personally I think it's a disgusting highlight of insurance gouging that we would even need things like GAP insurance!

[FROSTYBALLS]

Some insurers have changed the clause where they replace a new car if damaged above a certain value percentage within the first 12 /24 months, with another like for like - some will only apply this clause if the insured is the first registered owner.

This is particularly relevant with pre-registered vehicles, which would now not qualify for replacement under this clause with these insurers.

LV are one insurer who have made this type of change.

In addition to this where a car has been replaced under such a clause, some GAP insurers will transfer the remaining balance of the GAP policy to the replacement car (I would expect for a small fee).

Again it is a matter of checking your insurance policy and being sure of where you stand.