Tyre tread - What is it and why is it so important to the safety of your vehicle?

Acasta European Insurance Company Limited is the underwriter of any policy purchased from Easy Gap Insurance from Feb 2020 until the 7th of February 2024. While they still continue to underwrite our tyre, alloy, scratch and dent and smart Care, they do not underwrite any Gap Insurance policy purchased from us.

Yes they are regulated by the FCA. Their official Title is Acasta European Insurance Company Limited and their FCA number is 456936.

Acasta underwrote all Gap Insurance policies purchased from us until the 7th of February 2024. Since then, Financial & Legal Insurance Company Limited has been the underwriter behind your Easy Gap Policy.

Spectrum are a specialized claims team who are nominated by Acasta to make sure that any claim you make is dealt with in accordance with your policy terms and conditions.

Spectrum are based in Sheffield.

Spectrum's telephone number is 01143219877.

Yes you can their email address is claims@spectrumcover.co.uk

We are the insurance broker who provides your policy.

Yes we are directly authorised by the FCA and our FRN is 821163

We are based in a beautiful grade 1 listed Georgian building. Aequitas House, 56 Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, Wirral CH41 5AS.

You can call us on either our freephone number 0800 195 4926 or our landline number 0151 647 7556.

We have been around since 2010 and this year is our 10th anniversary. ( current as of 2020 )

No none of our staff are paid commission when they provide a policy for you.

All of our staff are salaried and any bonuses they get are based on rates of customer service.

Yes we are proud to be member of BIBA and our BIBA number is 006652.

Yes we are regulated by the ICO and our number is Z2455374 you can verify this by calling them on 0303 123 1113

Yes we are and our company number is 7347606.

Return to invoice gap insurance is a policy that will pay the difference between your own insurance companies market value settlement of your vehicle on the day it was written off and the original amount that you paid for your vehicle or the amount outstanding on finance - Which ever is the higher.

We use differences in taxation, our buying power and the fact that no-one is commission based to make sure that our prices are some of if not the most inexpensive in the market. No hidden get out clauses or magic wands just real value for money.

IPT is a taxation which is charged on all gap insurance. It full name is Insurance Premium Tax. Don't worry all the prices we show on our system are inclusive of IPT so there is nothing more to pay.

Yes, as long as they are over 18 with a full UK licence and are named on your insurance policy as a named driver.

No sorry we don't and we would recommend that you check your own motor insurance as we would be doubtful that they would either.

Yes we would cover up to £250 of your own motor insurance companies excess in the event that you needed to make a gap insurance claim.

No sorry we don't. You must have fully comprehensive insurance that covers you back to the market value of your vehicle.

No sorry we will not pay any additional costs associated with you not having your vehicle.

No sorry we do not cover any negative equity which you have bought forward from your old vehicle.

Yes, if you are buying gap insurance, you are covered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland as well as any other European Community Member country for a maximum of 90 days in any 12-month period. All other policies are limited to within the UK.

Please call the claims team number listed on your policy documents. For more information please look at the how to make a claim page.

No if you have a contract hire / lease hire vehicle then we will not cover maintenance elements of your payment as in most cases you should be able to cancel these with no penalties. ( please check with your lease company )

No sorry we can not cover vehicles used for track days, pace making or competitions.

Yes as long as you have clicked to say that you will be using your vehicle as a taxi then yes we can cover you. ( your policy will show as a Taxi return to invoice policy )

To qualify for a Gap Insurance policy you must have purchased your vehicle within the last 180 days. For Tyre, Alloy or Smart Care policies you must have purchased your vehicle within the last 30 days.

Yes, you can transfer your policy to your next eligible vehicle, provided that your new vehicle is within the same price banding. Please remember that we have other options, so why not call and speak to a member of the team on 0800 195 4926?

No, there is no excess to pay when you make a claim.

No you must have fully comprehensive insurance which pays the market value of your vehicle in the event of a total loss.

There is no legal requirement to have gap insurance but naturally as you would expect we think it is a good idea. Without any cover if your vehicle is written off you could be left paying for a vehicle that you no longer have.

We pay the difference between your own motor insurance companies market value settlement and the amount outstanding on your contract hire / lease.

Yes but please remember that any late payment charges or arrears will be deducted from any settlement.

Your own motor insurance company are only ever obliged to give you the value of your vehicle on the day it was written off. Please remember that contract hire and lease companies base your monthly rentals on what they think that your vehicle will be worth at the end of your lease. If they get this wrong and the vehicle is not worth what they thought and you can give them the vehicle back at the end, then this is their problem. If however your vehicle is written off then this difference between market values is your problem. This means that you could be left paying not only differences in market value but also outstanding rentals.

Each lease company will have different terms and conditions. To compound the issue they will also call the difference by many different names. Forward rentals, back payments, differences in market value as well as early termination to name but a few. To make it easier not only for you but for us as well, from your perspective it does not matter. What ever they call the difference in the middle between your insurance companies market value settlement and the amount outstanding on your lease then we will cover it. ( please see notes on maintenance and late payments - for a full list of terms and conditions please see your policy documents )

Yes, you can protect your initial rental / deposit up to the maximum of £3000.

If you are not happy with any aspect of your policy please contact us on 0800 195 4926 or 0151 647 7556 or email customerservices@aequitas-automotive.co.uk.

We will acknowledge your complaint. We will then investigate and get back to you. For a full break down of our complaints procedure please click our 'Complaints Procedure' link. It is on the bottom of the website under the section marked "LEGAL & REGULATORY"

IPT is short for insurance premium tax and is a taxation payable on insurance.

The FCA are the Financial Conduct Authority and they govern, regulate and monitor the sale and promotion of financial services in the UK.

The FSCS are better known as Financial Services Compensation Scheme. This is an independent self funding body that all companies who provide and promote financial services in the UK pay into. They are there so that if the company you have a financial product with are not able to meet their obligations they can step in. For a full list of compensation limits please see the FSCS website. The address is https://www.fscs.org.uk/

This is a separate body that mediate between the customer of a financial product and the companies who provided it.

This is normally the company that you have purchased your policy or financial service from.

This is the company who the insurance underwriters have nominated to make sure that all claims are handled as per the terms and conditions of your policy.

A form of hire purchase normally offered as an alternative to Hire purchase.

This means as far as our policies are concerned that your insurance company must agree that your claim is valid.

The amount that you need to settle your finance agreement on the day that your vehicle was written off.

With respect to our gap insurance policies this means any amount that you have brought forward from an old finance agreement to the purchase of your new vehicle.

The event that happened for your vehicle to be declared written off.

The is the cash on the road price of your vehicle after any discount but before you given a penny in part exchange or cash deposit.

These are optional extras that were fitted to your vehicle when it was first built at the factory.

These are extras that you have paid your local garage to fit on your vehicle. ( please see your policy documents for a list of exclusions - eg extended warranty. )

This is maximum amount that your gap insurance will pay on top of your own motor insurance companies market value settlement.

The amount that you paid for your policy

This is document that shows your personal details and information about your cover.

This is the date that you have told us that you want your policy to start on.

In the case of gap insurance this is either the date that you have made a claim or the date at which your policy expires. In the case of tyre, smart, alloy this is either the date that you have made the maximum number of claims or the expiry date shown on your schedule.

This is the geographic area that you are covered to use your vehicle in.

You can make up to 6 smart care claims per year. Please remember that this is limited to a maximum of 4 alloy wheel claims per year. If you choose up to 3 claims per year, you could make no more than 2 alloy wheel claims in a 12-month period.

No matter if you have an alloy wheel policy or a smart care policy the maximum number of claims you can make is 4 per year.

You can make up to 4 tyre insurance claims per year.

If you are buying a scratch and dent or smart care policy, we can cover damage up to 30cm in length and 3mm in depth.

We will pay up to £50 to cover the cost of a puncture.

We will cover up to the maximum claim limit you have chosen. E.g £150 or £350. Please remember that run flat tyres are automatically set to £350 maximum per claim.

If you are buying gap insurance, the cover starts straight away. If you are buying a tyre, combined tyre, smart care, or scratch and dent policy, unless you had purchased a brand-new car and bought your policy before you took delivery, there is a 30-day waiting period, during which time we will not cover the cost of any claim.

Normally, no; howvere It will depend on the type of policy you have purchased. Please call 08001954926 or 01516477556. lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm.

Yes, this can be done during the purchase of your policy by inputting both your registration numbers (the original and private plate) in the respective section separated by a forward slash. Eg: Plate 1 / Plate 2 or you can contact any member of the team on 0800 195 4926/0151 647 7556 in order to add your plate to your policy.

No. For our policies, changes to your contact details can be processed free of charge. Please contact any member of the team on our contact numbers 0151 647 7556/0800 195 4926 in order to update your details if necessary.

For security, if you have created your account after you have purchased your policy then the policy will not automatically assign to your account. If you cannot view your policy, please contact an advisor on 0800 195 4926 or 0151 647 7556 and any member of the team can sort this for you.

You can make either 2 or 4 alloy wheel insurance claims per year, depending upon the amount you have chosen.

If you have damage on your alloy wheel and the claims team has pre-authorised you to use your own supplier, you can claim up to £250 per repair.

Yes, your alloy wheel policy will cover Diamond Cut Alloy Wheels.

Yes, your alloy wheel policy will cover Painted Wheels.

Yes, your alloy wheel policy will cover Laser Cut alloy wheels.

If the wheel's integrity had been compromised as a safety issue, it would be scrapped. However, you can claim up to £150 as a goodwill gesture. This will not pay for a new alloy wheel, as some can cost hundreds if not thousands of pounds. Instead, this is a goodwill gesture as you can not claim for the repair.

Unless you have bought a brand new car and purchased your alloy wheel insurance policy before you took delivery/collection, there is a 30-day waiting period during which your policy will not pay or be responsible for the cost of any damage or repairs.

No, our alloy wheel policy will not cover you if you use the car for any form of hire and reward.

No, unfortunately, we can not cover any vehicle used as a driving school.

You can buy up to 4 years Alloy Weel Insurance

Yes, as long as they are over 18, have a full UK licence ( includes automatic ) and are named on your motor insurance policy.

Yes, your motor excess insurance policy will cover your voluntary and compulsory excess up to the amount you selected.

Your motor Excess policy lasts for 12 months.

Yes, subject to eligibility, you can renew your motor excess policy.

If this is the first time you have purchased a motor excess insurance policy, there is a 14-day waiting period, during which time your policy will not cover any accidents or thefts that occur. If you are renewing your policy, there is no waiting period.