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GAP Insurance Explained: Does GAP Insurance cover accidents?
If you are new to GAP Insurance, then there could be a multitude of questions you are looking to find the answer. Some can be complex, some simple, but the key starting point is to understand exactly how GAP Insurance works and what it covers you for.
One of the most commonly asked questions is: Does GAP Insurance cover you if you are in an accident?
We will provide a clear answer for you in this article.
Does GAP Insurance protect you in an accident?
So does GAP Insurance cover accidents?
Does GAP Insurance protect you in an accident?
The simple answer is yes, provided a few criteria are met.
For a GAP Insurance claim to work, it requires a few elements to be in place. 
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You have a fully comprehensive car insurance policy in place
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You have to suffer an incident that sees the standard car insurance policy write off the vehicle as a total loss
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Your car insurance provider does not repair or replace your vehicle. Instead, they make a settlement to you for the market value of your car at that time.
If this happens, you can proceed to make a claim on your GAP Insurance policy.
So, if you are involved in an accident, and the motor insurer declares the vehicle a total loss, then you can claim on your GAP Insurance policy.
However, if the accident leads to the motor insurer repairing or replacing the vehicle, then you have not suffered a financial loss due to a write-off. In this case, no GAP Insurance claim can be made.
So does GAP Insurance cover accidents?
Yes, as long as the accident leads to the car insurance company declaring the vehicle a total loss and paying you a market value settlement.
What happens if the accident was your fault?
It should not make any difference if the accident you have been involved in was your fault or not. As long as your motor insurer covers the situation and pays out the market value of your car in the settlement, you can make a claim on your GAP Insurance policy.
So when would you not be covered in an accident?
Really this would be where your own motor insurer would not cover you. So it could be if you are driving illegally (drink driving or when you have lost your licence) or you have been negligent (you are driving at 70 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone.
If your motor insurer does not cover you for the accident you have been in, your GAP Insurance will not cover you either.
Case Studies
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You have bought a brand new car for £25,000.
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You have fully comprehensive motor insurance in place
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You purchase GAP Insurance for four years. This is Return to Invoice GAP designed to cover you back to the price you originally paid.
Two years later, the car is in an accident where you are at fault. The motor insurer decides that the repair cost is uneconomic compared with the vehicle's value. The motor insurer writes off the vehicle as a total loss. They provide a market value settlement to you of £15,000.
Following the accident, the write-off declaration and the payment of the car insurance settlement, you can now claim on your GAP Insurance policy.
You have a Return to Invoice cover, which can cover the difference between the settlement from your car insurer (£15,000) and the price you paid for the car when you bought it (£25,000).
The GAP Insurance pays the £10,000 difference to you. This gives you your original £25,000 back in full.
Key Takeaways
GAP Insurance is an additional financial protection that can be triggered only when a motor insurer declares a vehicle a total loss following a write-off or theft.
As one type of incident that can lead a motor insurer to write off a car is an accident, GAP Insurance can cover you for this.
Only accidents that are covered by the motor insurer, where they write off the car and pay out the market value, can allow a GAP Insurance claim to follow. If the main motor insurer does not cover the accident, then you cannot claim on the GAP Insurance policy.
GAP Insurance Resources
If you want more details on the different types of GAP Insurance, then you may like the following articles: 
What is Return to Invoice GAP Insurance?
What is Vehicle Replacement GAP Insurance?
What is Lease GAP Insurance?
What is the Difference between Return to Invoice and Vehicle Replacement GAP Insurance?
Does GAP Insurance cover scratches?
Does GAP Insurance cover mechanical breakdown?
FAQs
What is GAP Insurance?
Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP) insurance is a specific type of coverage designed to bridge the "gap" between the market value of your car when it is stolen or written off and the amount you paid to buy it or owe on it.
Does GAP Insurance always cover accidents?
GAP Insurance typically covers accidents where the car is declared a total loss by the primary car insurance provider.
What is 'Combined' GAP Insurance?
When a GAP Insurance policy is described as 'combined' or 'combi' it simply means it is more than one type of GAP Insurance cover rolled into one.
The most popular, or common, 'combined' level of cover is Combined Return to Invoice GAP. This combines Return to Invoice and Finance GAP Insurance in one policy.
This means that, in the event of a claim, the policy will cover the difference between the standard car insurance settlement and the higher of:
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the outstanding finance settlement (what Finance GAP Insurance covers)
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the original invoice paid (what Return to Invoice GAP Insurance covers)
About GAPInsurance123
GAPInsurance123 is one of the longer-established GAP Insurance brands in the UK. The brand started selling GAP Insurance products in 2011 and has provided GAP Insurance policies to tens of thousands of UK car buyers since then.
More than that, GAP123 is one of a number of online brands operated by Aequitas Automotive Ltd, which provides a range of products from a number of insurers.
The information we provide has been drawn from our years of experience in the market.
Published 14/7/23, written by Mark Griffiths
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Easy straight forward and good value.
Really easy to understand, good value, simple to set up
Very impressed with the help I received over the phone from **** explained my options very clearly and guided me through the process of applying for cover. I've used GapInsurance123 before and am very happy to do so again!
Nice and easy
Amazing & easy
Always easy to do business with and staff are very helpful and efficient
Thank you Jackie for your help. Highly appreciated for great service...!
Quick simple process, appreciate note about 12 month vehicle replacement may be covered on my insurance already, it was.
I called to clarify a couple of things before purchasing and spoke to a lady called Jackie, very pleasant and extremely helpful. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend GAP 123.
Great service, very friendly call handler
easy site to used very pleased with price
VERY EASY TO USE AND COMPLETE. EXCELLANT PRICE HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Very quick an easy, but the only slight disappointment is that is no where to get your existing customer discount on the web site. You have to phone for that and if you need the cover to start at the weekend you miss out. Shame.
good
Really easy to understand and follow.
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