The world of insurance is full of traps for the unwary. When you set off to buy your first policy, whether it’s for your vehicle, home, health or life, never assume you know anything. Always do some basic research to find out exactly what different types of cover are on offer, what they cost and whether they represent good value for money. Yes, it’s a real pain to go back to school but, if you walk blindly into a "standard" policy without reading it first, the odds are you will regret it later when it comes to making a claim. Unfortunately, insurance companies are for-profit and that means they want your money and the smallest possible risk of having to give you any of it back again. Protect yourself by getting the best value-for-money coverage you can.

As an example, let’s think about gap insurance. When most people are buying a new vehicle, they need finance. The cheapest deal is a bank overdraft, but they are hard to find these days. This forces you into a commercial loan. Read any loan agreement and there’s always a clause requiring you to buy comprehensive and collision coverage. Obviously, your shiny new vehicle is collateral for the loan. If you default, the lender will repossess and sell it to pay off a part of your debt. Should you damage it, the lender wants it repaired so it still has some resale value. Everything is alright unless you total the vehicle.

The reason for the total loss does not matter. It can be a collision or theft. The key question is when it happens. As an example, assume you borrow $25,000 at commercial interest rates and buy a new vehicle with that cash. Ask anyone in the motor trade and they will tell you the same truth. A new vehicle loses about 30% of its value in the first year. The conventional comprehensive or collision policy pays out the current cash value of the vehicle. If your state has sales tax on a vehicle, you lose that amount from cash sale value the moment you drive it off the lot. Seconds later, you total the vehicle. You still owe the lender $25,000 plus interest but there is a gap between that liability and the amount you will receive from the insurer. Go six months and you will do well to collect $20,000. Six to twelve months will see your pay-out reduced to $18,000. In other words, the gap widens fast.

Do not buy gap insurance from your dealer. This is always too expensive. Get car insurance quotes including gap insurance and you should find it adds no more than $30 or so to the premium. This $30 could save you several thousand dollars if you total your vehicle in the first three years of ownership. Obviously, you do not need gap insurance if you paid cash for the vehicle or there’s a significant equity in it. But if you lease or borrow a significant amount to buy a vehicle that depreciates fast, it really important is to get car insurance quotes with gap insurance included. Similarly, driving a high mileage increases the rate of depreciation and the risk of an accident involving total loss. It may never be needed but, if you are unlucky in losing your vehicle, that small premium increase just saved your finances from meltdown.