What is Legal Cover Car Insurance?

When you take out car insurance, your insurer might give you the option to buy additional legal cover.

In this post, we’ll explain what legal cover is, what it covers, and discuss whether it’s something you should consider for your car or van.

What is Legal Cover Car Insurance?

If you’re involved in a car accident that isn’t your fault, legal cover can cover you for certain legal costs, and even some support in making claims for uninsured losses.

Insurers don’t always include legal cover insurance as standard. Many offer it as an optional extra you can purchase for specialist cover, just like you’d purchase optional breakdown assistance or tools cover.

What Does Legal Cover Car Insurance Cover?

Different insurers will offer different levels of cover. But a typical legal cover car insurance policy might cover:

Your legal fees and expenses in a claim for personal injury or death following a road traffic accident.
Claims for damages to your vehicle caused by a road traffic accident while it’s in your care, or the care of a named driver.
Cover, up to a certain limit, on any one claim in a Motor Prosecution Defence.

Legal cover may also give you access to a legal helpline which you can call to get advice on any Motor Contract Dispute you may be facing.

All legal cover car insurance policies will set limits to the cover they provide. For example, many policies will only cover your claim in a Motor Prosecution Defence if your insurer believes you have a “genuine defence”, and if they believe you have a “reasonable prospect of success”.

Do I Need Legal Cover on Car Insurance?

Even if you’re the most careful and conscientious driver in the world, you may still get involved in a collision through no fault of your own.

In this case, a comprehensive car insurance policy should cover you for most of the losses you experience in relation to the damage to your car. But it may not cover you for everything.

Yet if you add legal cover to your car insurance, you may be covered for such things as pursuing a claim for loss of earnings while you wait for repairs, or while you recover from injuries.

Also, if someone’s injured in the event of a car accident, you may need legal advice to bring your claim. Your legal costs could then rapidly mount up. Yet with legal cover add on to your car insurance, you won’t have to worry so much about arranging and paying for your legal representation following an accident. The amount of cover will depend on the insurer you are with so make sure you read the legal cover policy wording to be clear on what you will be covered.

Finally, it’s worth bearing in mind that having legal cover with your car insurance won’t just benefit you, as the driver. The policy might also extend to provide legal protection to any passengers who were affected by the car accident.

So should you add legal cover your policy car insurance policy? It’s completely up to you. It’s not a legal requirement. But it could ultimately provide exactly the cover you need when you need it most.