Car dealers like selling you extras to go with a car - from fabric mats for the footwells to boot liners and cargo nets.
But choosing to pick up insurance ad ons from the man or woman selling you a new set of wheels could be a seriously expensive mistake.
That's according to a new investigation by consumer champion Which? that discovered paying for products like gap insurance and cover for scratches or tyre damage can cost hundreds more at a dealer than picking them up independently.
Which? Money editor Jenny Ross said: “We’re really concerned that car dealers are continuing to pocket huge commission fees from selling insurance products at rip-off prices, despite recent scrutiny from the financial regulator."
Which? compared the cost of buying Guaranteed Asset Protection (Gap) insurance from four car dealerships with the same cover direct from an insurer.
Dealerships were seen to be charging as much as £367 more, with the majority of the extra cost going directly to the dealership.
When it came to cosmetic and dent insurance, Which? found it was almost 60% cheaper to buy from an insurer than from a car dealership, while alloy wheel and tyre cover cost 26% more from a dealership.
According to financial regulator the FCA, the average dealerships gets 71% commission when selling GAP policies, while selling scratch and dent insurance gets dealers an average commission of 54%.
The FCA warned insurers not to let dealerships receive commission that "bears no reasonable relationship to the costs or workload to distribute the product".
It's something Which? agrees with.
Ross said: “The FCA needs to keep a close eye on these practices and be ready to step in with strong action if consumers face mis-selling or unreasonable charges for these products.”
