National Association of Real Estate Editors member
Bylines include Forbes, Bankrate, and CBS News
Aly is a reporter specializing in real estate, mortgages, and personal finance. You can find her work in Hearst newspapers and numerous financial publications.
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7+ years in content creation and management
5+ years in insurance and personal finance content
Ashley is a seasoned personal finance editor who’s produced a variety of digital content, including insurance, credit cards, mortgages, and consumer lending products.
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Updated October 30, 2024
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Table of contents
Gap coverage is a type of car insurance you might consider if you finance or lease your vehicle. In the event of an accident, it covers the difference between the car’s value and the amount you still owe on the vehicle.
Gap insurance isn’t part of standard insurance policies; you’ll need to purchase it separately — either from the car dealership or your insurance company. Here’s what you should know about gap insurance in Nevada.
If you made a small down payment or have a new vehicle that depreciates quickly, gap insurance is a type of additional car insurance coverage you may want to invest in.
While not required in Nevada, lenders or dealerships sometimes require gap insurance. For many drivers, it’s an optional add-on coverage.
Gap insurance covers the difference between your car’s worth and what you still owe on it if someone steals it or you total it in an accident.
How gap insurance works
Gap insurance — which stands for guaranteed asset protection or guaranteed auto protection — covers the “gap” between what you owe on a vehicle and what it’s worth.
Gap insurance is helpful because cars depreciate quickly in value. The Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) estimates that cars drop about 20% of their value in just the first year.[1]
Gap insurance ensures you’re not on the hook for tons of cash should you total your car before you can pay off your auto loan or lease.
What gap insurance covers in Nevada
Gap insurance in Nevada works the same as in any other state. It covers the difference between what you owe on the car and its worth if you total the car or someone steals it.
For example, if you total your car and it’s currently worth $10,000, but you still owe $12,000 on your loan, gap insurance would pay the $2,000 difference. Sometimes — but not always — gap insurance also covers the deductible you owe to your insurer.[2] You’ll want to check with your insurer to be sure.
You might think gap insurance will cover repairs if you’re in a wreck, but that’s not the case. It also won’t cover injuries that you or your passengers sustain in an accident. Gap insurance is only for cases when there’s a complete loss, meaning you’ve totaled your car or someone stole it and it needs a full replacement.
Best gap insurance companies in Nevada
If you’re looking for gap insurance in Nevada, you have many companies to choose from. Here are the three best insurers that offer gap insurance and have low rates.
Allstate
User Reviews | 3.1 |
---|---|
IQ Score The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores. | 8.9/10 |
Liability Only Liability-only insurance, sometimes called minimum-coverage insurance, pays for bodily injury and property damage to others in an accident the policyholder causes. It does not pay for the insured’s own damages. | $90/mo |
Full Coverage Full-coverage car insurance generally includes liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, and may include other optional coverages such as uninsured motorist coverage. Collision covers a policyholder’s repair or replacement costs in case of an accident. Comprehensive covers damages caused by non-accident events. The average quote displayed here reflects policies with the following coverage limits: $50,000 bodily injury liability per person; $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident; $50,00 property damage liability per accident; $1,000 collision deductible; and a $1,000 comprehensive deductible. | $144/mo |
Allstate is a smart choice if you’re interested in gap insurance. The company offers coverage on both new and used cars, and it covers up to $1,000 of your primary auto insurance’s deductible. Cars with loans of up to 96 months are eligible, and you can get up to $50,000 of your loan balance waived if you total your vehicle.
A (Excellent) financial strength rating from AM Best
Pay-per-mile option available
Some policyholders have complained about poor customer service
Not the cheapest rates available
They Have You By The Short Hairs
Actual Crash Damages vs. Damages Quoted Over the Phone
Best Overall
Nationwide
User Reviews | 3.3 |
---|---|
IQ Score The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores. | 8.7/10 |
Liability Only Liability-only insurance, sometimes called minimum-coverage insurance, pays for bodily injury and property damage to others in an accident the policyholder causes. It does not pay for the insured’s own damages. | $145/mo |
Full Coverage Full-coverage car insurance generally includes liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, and may include other optional coverages such as uninsured motorist coverage. Collision covers a policyholder’s repair or replacement costs in case of an accident. Comprehensive covers damages caused by non-accident events. The average quote displayed here reflects policies with the following coverage limits: $50,000 bodily injury liability per person; $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident; $50,00 property damage liability per accident; $1,000 collision deductible; and a $1,000 comprehensive deductible. | $233/mo |
Nationwide is another highly rated insurance company that offers gap insurance in Nevada. The company is one of the 10 most affordable car insurers in the state, according to Insurify data.
Numerous discount and savings opportunities
SmartRide (for safe drivers) and SmartMiles (for low-mileage drivers)
Not available in every state
Some discounts and programs not available in all states
Great company
Unsatisfactory Service
I was upset that I received a non-renewal letter over two issues that were resolved a year prior. My local representative resolved the issue quickly.
USAA
User Reviews | 3.6 |
---|---|
IQ Score The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores. | 9.4/10 |
Liability Only Liability-only insurance, sometimes called minimum-coverage insurance, pays for bodily injury and property damage to others in an accident the policyholder causes. It does not pay for the insured’s own damages. | $70/mo |
Full Coverage Full-coverage car insurance generally includes liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, and may include other optional coverages such as uninsured motorist coverage. Collision covers a policyholder’s repair or replacement costs in case of an accident. Comprehensive covers damages caused by non-accident events. The average quote displayed here reflects policies with the following coverage limits: $50,000 bodily injury liability per person; $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident; $50,00 property damage liability per accident; $1,000 collision deductible; and a $1,000 comprehensive deductible. | $113/mo |
While USAA doesn’t technically have gap insurance coverage, it does offer a very similar “car replacement assistance” coverage. With its car replacement assistance, USAA will pay you 20% more than your vehicle’s actual cash value if someone steals it or you total it. The company is also one of the more affordable insurers in the state of Nevada and comes highly rated.
Low premiums
SafePilot program rewards good driving with a discount of up to 30%
Only available to active-duty military, veterans, military spouses, or children of service members or veterans
No 24/7 live customer phone support
Excellent
Significant Increase in Policy Payment
My Opinion
Data scientists at Insurify analyzed more than 40 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partner providers across the United States to compile the car insurance quotes, statistics, and data visualizations displayed on this page.
The car insurance data includes coverage analysis and details on drivers’ vehicles, driving records, and demographic information. Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.
With these insights, Insurify is able to offer drivers insight into how companies price their car insurance premiums. The data included on this page represent averages across driver ages, genders, credit scores, and driver profiles for Nevada drivers.
Gap insurance vs. full coverage
Nevada auto insurance laws require you to have a minimum amount of liability insurance coverage: at least $25,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 in bodily injury coverage per accident, and $20,000 in property damage coverage.[3]
This is just the bare minimum, though. If you want complete coverage in the event of an accident, you’ll also want collision and comprehensive insurance. Insurers include collision and comprehensive insurance in a full-coverage policy, and the coverages pay for types of physical damage your car may suffer.
Nevada is an at-fault state, so you may also want to consider uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UIM coverage), which protects you if you’re in a wreck with an uninsured driver or in a hit-and-run. An additional coverage to consider is medical payments coverage, or MedPay, which helps pay any medical bills if you or a passenger injures themselves in an accident.
Unfortunately, even with these coverages, if someone steals your car or you total it, you may owe a lot if you have an outstanding balance on your loan or lease. Adding gap insurance would help protect you financially in this scenario.
Cheapest recent rates in Nevada
Recent Nevada car insurance prices for Chevrolet, GMC, KIA , and more.
*Quotes generated for Insurify users within the last 10 days. Last updated on October 30, 2024
*Quotes generated for Insurify users within the last 10 days. Last updated on October 30, 2024
Who needs gap insurance in Nevada?
Gap insurance isn’t a legal requirement in Nevada, but you may still benefit from buying it.
You might want to consider investing in gap insurance if you:
Made a small down payment (less than 20%)
Have loan terms of 60 months or longer
Leased your car (some dealerships will require it)
Have a car model that depreciates quickly
Rolled negative equity from an old car into your new car loan
“Gap insurance is recommended as long as you have a loan or lease to cover the difference between what is owed and the depreciated value of the vehicle,” says Mark Friedlander, director of corporate communications at Triple-I. “Once your loan is paid off or you no longer have a lease, you should drop the coverage from your policy.”
If you bought your car outright or took out only a very small loan for it, gap insurance may not be worth it. In these cases, you wouldn’t owe a large amount to a lender, financial institution, or dealership if you total your car.
How to buy gap insurance in Nevada
You can purchase gap insurance policies through the dealership where you buy your car or through an insurance company or agent. Car insurers typically charge less than dealerships.
If you purchase gap insurance at the dealership, it’ll be a stand-alone policy, and your dealer may allow you to roll it into your loan amount. If you purchase it through your insurance company, it’s an add-on coverage to your existing auto insurance policy.
“We always recommend that you add gap insurance to your current auto insurance policy versus purchasing stand-alone coverage from an auto dealer or leasing company, where coverage will cost substantially more,” Friedlander says.
Gap insurance in Nevada FAQs
Gap insurance is an add-on coverage you might consider if you’ve financed or leased your vehicle. Here’s some additional information about gap insurance.
Does Nevada require gap insurance?
Not legally. The state of Nevada doesn’t require gap insurance, though your lender or the dealership where you lease your vehicle may require it.
For many drivers, gap insurance is an optional auto insurance coverage, offering additional protection if someone steals your car or you total it.
How much is gap insurance in Nevada?
The cost of gap insurance depends on the insurer or dealership you get it from. Gap coverage typically costs about $20 per year if you go through your auto insurance company, according to Triple-I.
What does gap insurance cover?
Gap insurance covers the difference between your loan or lease balance and the value of your car if someone steals your car or you total it in a wreck. For example, if your totaled car was worth $10,000, but you still owed $12,000 on your car loan, gap insurance would cover that $2,000 “gap.”
Is gap insurance a good idea?
It depends. Gap insurance is a good idea if you financed your vehicle and only made a small down payment or if you have a vehicle that depreciates quickly. It can also be a smart investment if you have a long-term loan or you’ve rolled negative equity from a past car into your new loan.
Methodology
Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 90 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 50+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.
Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).
Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:
- Bodily injury limits between state-minimum rates and $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
- Property damage limits between $10,000 and $50,000
- No additional coverage
- Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible
- Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible
Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.
Related articles
More cities in Nevada
Sources
- III. "What is gap insurance?."
- Nevada Division of Insurance. "GAP Insurance."
- Nevada Division of Insurance. "Understanding Auto Insurance."
Aly J. Yale is a freelance writer and reporter covering real estate, mortgages, and personal finance. Her work has been published in Forbes, Business Insider, Money, CBS News, US News & World Report, and The Miami Herald. She has a bachelor’s degree in radio-TV-film and news-editorial journalism from the Bob Schieffer College of Communication at TCU and is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Editors.
7+ years in content creation and management
5+ years in insurance and personal finance content
Ashley is a seasoned personal finance editor who’s produced a variety of digital content, including insurance, credit cards, mortgages, and consumer lending products.
Featured in