Best Cheap Gap Insurance Companies in Oregon: Quotes, Discounts (2023)

Drives through the Cascades, the Columbia River Gorge, or the pine desert of eastern Oregon—the Beaver State is home to some epic road trips, especially in a new car or lease. But if you’re driving on a loan, you might need gap insurance.

To find the best deals on gap insurance and any other insurance policy, use Insurify to compare quotes. It’s fast, free, and easy.

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Best Companies for Gap Insurance in Oregon

It’s cheapest to buy gap insurance as part of a full-coverage auto insurance policy. According to Insurify, these car insurance companies have the best quotes for full coverage on leased vehicles in the state of Oregon, so they’re a great starting point:

See More: Cheap Car Insurance in Oregon

What is gap insurance?

Let’s say you take out a car loan to buy a new car for $17,000 with a small down payment: only $1,000. Great! From the minute you hit the road for the first time, depreciation diminishes the car’s value. Six months later, your car gets stolen, and it’s a total loss. You have comprehensive coverage, so you get reimbursed, but it’s only for $12,000, and your loan balance is $14,500.

Gap insurance is for the “gap” between the loan balance and the car’s market value. In this case, gap insurance covers the $2,500 that is still owed to the lender after the insurance payout for the car’s value. When your car is worth less than the amount owed to your lender, you have what’s called “negative equity” in the car. This is why many lenders require gap insurance.

Who should buy gap insurance in Oregon?

Gap insurance is a very niche insurance policy that only applies to drivers who have a vehicle loan, and even then, only some loans, and only for a small amount of time—a few years or less. You should only buy gap insurance if you have negative equity on your car, meaning that its actual cash value isn’t enough to cover the loan balance on your new vehicle or lease.

Consider gap insurance if:

• Your lender requires it.

• You’re leasing your vehicle.

• You financed your vehicle loan over 60 months or more.

• You put less than 20 percent down on your car (or didn’t make a down payment at all).

• Your loan has a high interest rate.

• You rolled over negative equity from your last auto loan.

• You’re driving a luxury vehicle or other high-value vehicle that depreciates faster than a standard car.

Oregon Gap Insurance Laws

Oregon doesn’t require gap insurance—but many lenders do. Car dealerships often will require gap insurance and try to sell you their own policy, but those are two different things. You’re not required to buy their gap insurance (they’re also called gap waivers), and actually, you’ll most likely get a far better deal from a normal insurance company.

Insurance coverage requirements in Oregon include bodily injury liability, property damage liability, personal injury protection, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

How much gap insurance do I need in Oregon?

Gap insurance tends to have limits on the payout you can access based on the ratio between your car’s market value and your debt on the loan. If your car loan is way underwater—that is, if the value of your car is much lower than the amount you owe on the loan—you might need to pay extra for a gap insurance policy with high enough limits to insure your entire loan.

Lenders—banks, credit unions, dealerships, and other financial services institutions—will also offer a gap waiver, which is more or less the same as a gap insurance policy. Keep in mind: gap coverage insures the loan, but nothing else. It doesn’t pay for other damages or protect the warranty, either.

See More: How Much Car Insurance Do I Need?

How Gap Insurance Works in Oregon

The “gap” in gap insurance is also an acronym: GAP stands for “guaranteed asset protection.” When your new car ends up deemed a total loss and your gap waiver or gap insurance kicks in, the lender or insurance company that sold you your gap coverage pays off the rest of your loan after the insurance reimbursement—minus a deductible, of course.

How Much Gap Insurance Costs in Oregon

In Oregon, it costs on average $236 per month to buy full coverage (that’s comprehensive coverage and collision coverage along with standard liability) for a leased vehicle. That’s not bad! The national average is $289. If you’re rural, have great credit, and choose a higher deductible, you can do even better.

See More: Average Cost of Car Insurance in Oregon

How to Buy Gap Insurance in Oregon

Taking out an auto loan can be daunting. For many, a car is the most valuable thing they own, and the first time they’ve gone into serious debt. So buying auto insurance for your car is a very important way to protect your new loan, and gap insurance is just one aspect. To get the best deals in Oregon, use Insurify to access free quotes that will point you to the policy for you.

Frequently Asked Questions: Gap Insurance in Oregon