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Contract Hire & Lease GAP Insurance

 

Contract Hire & Lease GAP Insurance covers the difference between your motor insurer’s payout and the amount you still owe to the leasing company if your vehicle is written off through accident, theft, fire, or flood.

 

If you take out a lease without it, your motor insurer will usually only pay the car’s market value, which can leave you with a large outstanding balance.

 


Get GAP Insurance

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Please note that the details below are for new Lease & Contract Hire GAP Insurance policies supplied by Total Loss GAP since 17th October 2025. For policies purchased before that date, please check your policy terms and conditions for the details of cover. 


 

What this policy covers

 

 

  • Covers the shortfall - pays the difference between your motor insurer’s settlement and the outstanding early termination figure owed to your leasing company, up to the claim limit on your policy schedule.

  • Initial rental protection - covers your upfront rental payment (advance lease payment) up to £3,000.

  • Excess cover - reimburses your motor insurance excess following a total loss, up to £500.

  • Temporary replacement vehicle - contribution of up to £40 per day for 30 days towards a hire car while your claim is being settled.

  • Additional excess cover - reimburses your excess on successful motor insurance claims that don’t involve a total loss, up to £300 per year and £1,000 over 48 months.

 


Who and what is eligible?

 

  • You must be resident (or a registered company) in the UK, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man.

  • Your lease payments must not exceed £3,000 per month, and the lease term must not exceed 60 months.

  • The vehicle must:

    • Be under 10 years old and cost (or valued) at least £5,000 when delivered.

    • Be a car or light commercial vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes.

    • Be covered by comprehensive motor insurance throughout.

    • Be listed on the lease/contract hire agreement and purchased from a supplying dealer.

 


What is not covered

 

This policy does not cover:

  • Negative equity from a previous agreement, or any arrears or fines on your lease.

  • If the driver was uninsured, unlicensed, disqualified or under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of loss.

  • Vehicles insured under motor trade policies.

  • When your motor insurer provides (or offers) a brand new replacement vehicle instead of a payout (this may be rare on a lease, in any case). 

  • Vehicles such as taxis, couriers, daily rentals, driving school cars, emergency vehicles, modified cars, or grey imports.

  • Salvage value if you retain the written-off vehicle.

  • Additional hire car costs beyond the daily/30-day limit (e.g. fuel, deposits, excesses, mileage).

  • Losses arising from war, terrorism, nuclear risks, cyber attacks, solar weather or pollution.

  • VAT if you are VAT-registered and can reclaim it.

 


 

Key information

 

  • Insurer: Hiscox Insurance Company Ltd (A-rated) (Find out more about our Insurers and Plan providers). 

  • Claims administered by: Spectrum Insurance Services Ltd.

  • You must report claims within 90 days of the loss and before accepting your motor insurer’s offer.

  • Policy is non-renewable but can transfer in limited cases (e.g. to a family member or replacement vehicle).

  • Cancellation:

    • Within 30 days - full refund (if no claim).

    • After 30 days - pro-rata refund minus £30 fee (if no claim).


 

Common Questions about Contract and Lease Hire GAP Insurance

 

1. How can I buy Contract Hire GAP Insurance?

As always, we try to keep things simple. We ask you to run through some simple eligibility questions. Once this is completed, we only ask you two things:

  1. The purchase value of your lease vehicle (you can use the P11d value for this). 
  2. The number of years of cover you need.

That is it. Pop those details in, and you will receive a premium price for the entire term. 

 

2. Do I need GAP Insurance on a lease or contract-hire vehicle?

 

When you take a lease or contract hire deal on a vehicle, you are committing to the terms of that agreement. You will have a settlement to pay if the vehicle is written off part-way through. If the motor insurer's settlement does not cover this, you can have a shortfall to pay. 

Whether you need GAP Insurance on a lease is a matter for you. It is neither a legal nor contractual need to have GAP. But, if you would like any potential shortfall protected, it can be a great idea.

 

3. Can you buy Lease and Contract Hire GAP Insurance by itself?

 

GAP Insurance can only be used with a fully comprehensive motor insurance policy. In the event of a claim, the motor insurer must pay out the market value settlement on your vehicle. If so, then you can claim your GAP cover. If you buy GAP Insurance alone, without motor insurance, you cannot legally drive on the road.

If you ask whether you can buy Contract Hire GAP Insurance away from the supplying motor dealer, leasing company or finance house, the answer is yes! You can buy Contract hire GAP Insurance from an independent provider, such as Total Loss GAP, to cover your lease. Your dealer or leasing company cannot impose a rule that you buy from them. The dealer should not tell you that you must buy from them or include it in the deal without your consent. If they do, then you can discuss that with the Financial Conduct Authority.

 

4. Is a GAP insurance policy worth the money?

 

Like all insurance, the answer comes down to your view on the risk. Around 500,000 vehicles are written off annually in the UK (between accidents, thefts, fire, etc). Thefts, in particular, are on the rise, with vehicles with keyless entry often targeted. If you have a vehicle on a lease, you are obligated to pay that lease back. If the vehicle is written off, then the amount provided by your motor insurer may not be able to pay the lease off for you.

You could be left in a position of having to pay off the shortfall on any lease if the vehicle is written off. Plus, you may have to find a large deposit 'advanced' rental to put down on a replacement vehicle. Lease/Contract Hire GAP, with the option of deposit protection, could cover these costs for you.

 

5. Do you need GAP insurance if you are covered by fully comprehensive motor insurance?

 

This is a good question. Your motor insurer should, in the event of a total loss, cover the vehicle's market value for you. This value will be at the time of your claim, not be the same as when your vehicle was new or at the time of vehicle purchase. Would this be enough to cover your lease settlement if you only get the market value in the settlement? If not, then this leaves a shortfall payable to you.

 

6. My motor insurer offers "new for old" in the first year. Do I need GAP insurance?

 

Many motor insurers offer to replace your vehicle in the first year with another new model. If so, do you also need GAP Insurance to cover your lease?

There is a good reason not to rely on 'new for old', particularly if you have a lease.

  • It is often a condition that you are the vehicle owner to get replacement cover from the motor insurer. With a contract hire agreement, the leasing company is the owner.

Check your motor insurer terms AND what your leasing company would allow. In our experience, 'new for old' coverage rarely applies to a contract hire or lease agreement.

 

7. Is Lease or Contract Hire GAP the same as Return to Invoice GAP Insurance?

 

The simple answer is NO.

Lease GAP is designed to cover a shortfall on a vehicle you do not, and never can own, as part of the lease agreement. Return to Invoice can cover you back to the price you paid for the vehicle, as shown on the purchase invoice in your name.

With a lease there is never a purchase invoice for the vehicle in your name, therefore you cannot claim the invoice price back, as you have never paid it.

For more information on other types of GAP Insurance, try our Complete Guide to GAP Cover.

 

8. Are Lease/Contract hire the same for personal and business contract hire agreements?

 

Pretty much so, yes. The policy is designed to pay off the shortfall payment on your lease. 

 

9. Does GAP Insurance Cover Early Termination?

 

It will only cover the 'early termination charge' if your motor insurer writes off the vehicle. That could be following a fire, theft, flood, accident, etc. If you choose to hand back the vehicle voluntarily, say after a redundancy, then this would not be covered by our lease GAP Insurance cover. You would probably need to find another product called Early Termination Insurance to cover those eventualities.

 

10. Can Total Loss GAP Insurance cover Commercial Vehicles?

 

Total Loss GAP lease and contract hire GAP can cover light commercial vehicles up to 3500kg. There are some restrictions on vehicle use (e.g. we do not cover 'hire and reward', courier, etc.). If you want to chat about your vehicle, please contact us for clarification.

 

11. Do I own a vehicle sourced using a contract-hire agreement?

 

No, you do not have the legal right to take full ownership at the end of your agreement.

In some cases, at the end of your contract, your lease provider may offer you the option to buy it; however, this is not guaranteed, and you would have to negotiate the price at the time. 

 

12. What happens to my GAP insurance at the end of my contract?

 

Your GAP insurance will expire at the end of your lease. If you hand your vehicle back early on the understanding that you have not made a claim you will be able to cancel and get a pro-rata refund.

 

13. How much is a Contract or Lease hire GAP insurance?

 

This will depend on several things.

  1. The value of the vehicle
  2. How long do you want your policy to cover you?
  3. If the vehicle is a full electric or a combustion engine-powered vehicle.

The quickest way is to click for an instant quote. Our automated system will then adjust the prices depending on your chosen cover.

 

14. Is Contract and Lease Hire GAP insurance the same as finance GAP?

 

No, in most cases. Contract Hire & Lease GAP is specifically for lease agreements where you have no option to own the vehicle. 

Finance GAP is normally available where you may have a PCP or HP agreement, where you can own the vehicle. 

Both are designed to cover a shortfall between the motor insurer's settlement and the finance settlement, but the types of finance agreements covered can be different. 

 

15. Why choose a Total Loss Lease and Contract hire policy?

 

Our policy is the logical choice for many reasons. 

  1. We do not offer dual prices, discount codes or cashback. Instead, we believe that everyone, no matter who they are, should have access to our best price, first time, every time. You will never find one of our policies anywhere else at a better price.
  2. We provide a comprehensive policy with features often not found elsewhere. The policy is also underwritten by a secure, 'A' rated insurer in Hiscox's Insurance Company Ltd. 
  3. Our policies are backed by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme ( FSCS), we are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, and how your claim is calculated, handled, and settled in Trading Standards is approved. 
  4. We don't pay for affiliations, which are nice but cost money. Instead, we prefer to pass our savings on to you through lower premium prices.
  5. We have longevity. We have been doing this for a long time. Over a decade, so we are here for the long haul. Some providers come and go, so you will be pleased to know that we will be here to help and assist you when you need us.
  6. We don't sell, pass on, or give your data to anyone for marketing reasons. We have to give your details to the underwriters to ensure your policy is secure and in place, but no one else is ever given access.
  7. Our customer support team is not paid using a commission-based structure. Instead, any bonuses they get are based on customer service levels. So, it is in their interest to ensure you are looked after from quote to claim and not to offer a hard sell.
  8. We are proud to be independent, meaning we can cherry-pick policies that offer the best levels of contract and lease hire GAP insurance at the best prices. 
  9. But don't take our word for it. Why not look at our Feefo reviews? These are from real people, and each review is independently verified. Unlike other review systems, we can not add, delete, remove, suspend, or alter any review. We can respond to them, but that is as far as our control of them extends. 

 

16. Where is Total Loss Based?

 

Total Loss GAP is a trading style of Aequitas Automotive Ltd, who are based at Aequitas House, Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, Merseyside. Aequitas House is a beautiful, Grade 1 listed Edwardian townhouse converted into offices in 2015, and the head office base for our company. 

All claims are handled by Spectrum Insurance Services Ltd, who are based in Sheffield. 

As mentioned above, the policy is underwritten by Hiscox Insurance Company Ltd. 

All services are provided by UK-based companies and contact centres. 

 

17. When would my Contract and lease hire GAP insurance not pay out?

 

Every policy has terms and conditions, and ours does, too. We are proud of them, and over the years, listening to you, we have tried to ensure that they are as accessible and straightforward to understand as possible. However, there are important terms you need to understand.

Your Contract and Lease Hire GAP Insurance may not pay out if:

  • You are not fully comprehensively insured for the vehicle named on the lease.
  • The lease for the vehicle is not in your name. 
  • You are using your vehicle as a driving school
  • You use your vehicle for hire, reward, or delivery.
  • If your vehicle is used for any form of the motor trade, e.g. a body shop loan car.
  • If your motor insurance company decides that you do not have a valid claim and are not prepared to settle your claim.
  • If you are not over the age of 18.
  • If you do not have a full licence.
  • If you are using the vehicle for class 2 business purposes. e.g. a pool car.

Please see your contract and lease hire policy documents for a complete list of terms and conditions.


You may also like: 

Contract Hire GAP Insurance questions and queries

PCP vs Contract Hire - compare funding methods for your vehicle

New for Old replacement cover with you motor insurance? - Why it may may not work with a Contract Hire agreement

Lease & Contract Hire short guide and explanation


Instant Quote and Buy Contract Hire Gap Insurance