There is no escaping the odd ding or scratch on your car - from overgrown hedges scraping your paint to clumsy manoeuvres in a car park causing a dent, there are countless ways you can end up damaging your vehicle. It doesn’t matter how safely you drive on the road, as even everyday things like grit or small pebbles can cause scratches and damage to your car's paintwork and bodywork.

This reality can be genuinely concerning for people who take good care of their car and want to keep it in pristine condition. Unless you leave your car in the garage all year long with a tarp over it, you will have to deal with slight blemishes on your vehicle.

"Using scratch and dent insurance is a good way to get over that fear of damaging your car. Accidents happen and sometimes they are completely unavoidable, so it makes no sense to hide your beloved car in a garage when you could be enjoying every moment of it instead."

Handling scratches and dents early can help remedy the aesthetics issue, but it's still a problem in its own right. Repairs can be costly, especially if you're bringing your car in to repair some minor scratches. That is why it can really pay off to invest in scratch and dent insurance for your vehicle.

We're going to take a look at some of the reasons why it makes sense to cover your car with scratch and dent insurance, even if you aren’t looking to keep your car in mint condition.

You can use your car without worry

Using scratch and dent insurance is a good way to get over that fear of damaging your car. Accidents happen and sometimes they are completely unavoidable, so it makes no sense to hide your beloved car in a garage when you could be enjoying every moment of it instead.

Whether you cause the damage yourself accidentally, or someone else is at fault and scratches your car, good scratch and dent insurance will offer you peace of mind to actually use the car and receive full coverage should anything go wrong.

Scratches on your car get worse over time

If you don’t care about keeping your car in pristine condition, it might be easy to ignore a few scratches to your car's paint. However, ignoring a problem doesn’t make it go away, and in the case of scratches and dents, it can actually make things progressively worse.

If you leave a scratch unrepaired on your car, it will get worse over time. Weathering, heat expansion and eventually rust will find ways to damage your car even further by targeting vulnerable areas like scratches and dents. The longer you leave it, the worse it will become.

Being proactive about this type of cosmetic damage to your car will help prevent further damage from occurring. With scratch and dent insurance, you will be much more likely to get the issue resolved sooner rather than later, as you won’t be paying out of pocket for minor repairs.

Blemishes affect the value of your vehicle

If you ever intend to sell your car, then it's a good idea to keep it in as good a condition as you reasonably can. Scratches, dents and dings will all negatively affect the value of your car and fewer people will be willing to take it off your hands.

If you bought the car in a good condition - or even brand new - then you can normally get a good amount for it when you eventually sell. Using scratch and dent insurance can ensure that you get the most value out of your car when it comes time to sell it on.

Avoid using your actual car insurance for minor repairs

Unless you have an exceptionally good insurance policy for your car, you won’t be covered for any cosmetic damage. If you are covered, then you can expect to pay an eye-watering amount in excess that could affect your premium next year. That means losing your no claims bonus which will have financial ramifications for years to come.

Using a separate scratch and dent policy will not affect your primary car insurance, so you can keep your no claims bonus and not have to pay an exorbitant excess for any claims on scratches or dents.

There are lots of reasons why it makes sense to cover your car with scratch and dent insurance. For the minimal monthly fee, you are offered fantastic peace of mind and the ability to make repairs without paying over the top prices. Keep your car in peak condition and address those scratches using the right type of insurance, and it will save you money and headaches down the road!

If you would like to know more about scratch and dent insurance for your vehicle, speak with our specialists at Direct Gap today.