Loss Payment on Leased Vehicle

November 8, 2018

I am looking for your opinion concerning payment of tax and title on leased vehicles.  I have been discussing this with co-workers and we need some clarification. When there is a total loss on a leased vehicle, do we owe the tax and title?  If so, who is paid?

Ohio Subscriber

This is more a question of state law than policy interpretation. Both the standard commercial and personal auto insurance policies have available endorsements to schedule loan/leased autos as covered autos. For personal lines policies PP 03 35 Auto Loan/Lease endorsement should be attached. For commercial auto policies, endorsement CA 20 71 Auto Loan/Lease Gap Coverage should be attached. Each of these endorsements state the required payments of the carrier in a total loss situation for the lease/loan of the covered auto. Any expenses not listed in the applicable endorsement are not covered by the policy. However, there may be additional costs or expenses that the insurer may be required to pay by a state law. Therefore, the specific state laws will need to be researched to determine what other expenses may be required to be paid by the insurer.

This premium content is locked for FC&S Coverage Interpretation Subscribers

Enjoy unlimited access to the trusted solution for successful interpretation and analyses of complex insurance policies.

  • Quality content from industry experts with over 60 years insurance experience, combined
  • Customizable alerts of changes in relevant policies and trends
  • Search and navigate Q&As to find answers to your specific questions
  • Filter by article, discussion, analysis and more to find the exact information you’re looking for
  • Continually updated to bring you the latest reports, trending topics, and coverage analysis