I can’t remember when I last bought a decent car.

So is scratch, dent and gap insurance through a third party insurer a con or worth it?

A quick Google brought up https://www.directgap.co.uk/get-a-quote/scratch-dent-quote/

Your thoughts kind STWers.

Con… if you are buying it….

Have a read of the exclusions

https://www.directgap.co.uk/media/381306/E0900%20Direct%20GAP%20Cosmetic%20Repair%20Handbook%20June19%20v2.pdf

I was charged £26 for 2 scratches on last lease car

On a brand new car? Gap – yup, a colleague of my wife didn’t have it, and was left significantly out of pocket(to the tune of several thousand) in exactly the situation it’s there to protect against.
The others – nah, you’re alright thanks.

AB. Defo on a new car. A friend was looking at a £7k shortfall when a tree throw itself on his 4 month old car.

Thx all – con I reckon it is.

It never really made sense to me, if you’re fully comp, should your car be written off or stolen you’ll get a pay out for the value of the car anyway. This is no different to when you sell it so why do you suddenly need the difference in value paid out on top of it’s current value?

Because your insuring against the difference between what you owe and what the car is worth. A 30k car is £500 a month for 5 years say, at 2 months old you’ve got a car worth 25k you’ve paid a grand towards. So you’re insuring the ‘gap’ £4000 that the insurance wouldn’t cover for example, although some insurers would.

The rest is a con.

What’s to stop you taking the £25K you’ve got for the car and buy another one that’s a month old for £25K?

But in any case, many policies now include new for old in the first X months of the policy anyway

What’s to stop you taking the £25K you’ve got for the car and buy another one that’s a month old for £25K?

nothing, but it’s not your car. The finance co own it, and they want the extra 4K you owe them.

This is assuming op actually needs gap…

Some insurers do new for old for cars under 1 year old, check with yours before buying it separately.

I got a quote for £XXX for gap on a new car and my £210 standard car insurance had it already.