Is motor legal protection cover worth it?

What does motor legal protection cover?

Motor legal protection could help cover the costs of legal advice and solicitors’ fees associated with pursuing or defending a car insurance claim that’s not covered by your regular car insurance. It could also provide legal cover for other car-related situations – for example, disputes when buying or selling a car, or defending yourself if accused of a motoring offence.

When you buy a car insurance policy, depending on the insurance provider, you’ll be offered the choice of various add-ons – such as breakdown cover or travel out of the UK. You could also add motor legal protection.

Many insurance providers offer up to £100,000 in legal expenses cover, although the amount offered will vary by policy and may be considerably lower or higher. 

At Comparethemarket, you can compare quotes from insurance providers who provide a minimum of £50,000 in legal expenses cover.

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Is motor legal protection worth the cost?

Considering the relatively small annual cost, motor legal protection cover could potentially save you thousands of pounds in expensive legal fees. If it’s a complicated legal case, the fees could be much higher, so it may be worth adding the cover to your policy.

Some policies also include free legal advice on a range of personal matters, such as employment, family, conveyancing and probate (administering the will of a deceased person). Depending on your policy, you may be able to call a 24-hour helpline so you can access legal advice quickly on car insurance and other subjects. This could be a huge benefit if it’s a service you’ll actually use and one you couldn’t afford to pay for on your own.
 
However, remember that: 

• There’s no guarantee your claim will be taken on by a lawyer, especially if it’s unclear who’s to blame for an incident. 
• It won’t cover you if you were at fault for the accident related to your claim.
• Your claim might also be rejected if too much time has passed since the incident, or the amount you’re contesting isn’t worth the expense of a court case. 
• Insurance providers usually have their own panel of solicitors, so you may not have a choice in who represents you.

Is legal expenses cover the same as liability cover?

The terminology can be quite confusing, but legal expenses cover (or motor legal protection as it’s also known) and liability cover refer to two different types of insurance.

• Legal expenses insurance covers the legal costs associated with pursuing a car insurance claim or defending yourself against claims against you following a non-fault accident. It could cover you for legal advice, court fees and solicitors’ fees up to the amount stated on your policy – to help you recoup any damages and expenses that aren’t covered by your car insurance policy. These are also called ‘uninsured losses’ and include:
  • Any excess you’ve paid towards a claim
  • Medical treatment for you and your passengers
  • Car repair costs, if you don’t have comprehensive insurance
  • Loss of earnings, if you’re unable to work due to injury
  • Travel costs, such as rental car hire if you can’t use yours.
• Legal liability insurance helps cover compensation you’re ordered to pay if you injure or cause the death of another person, or cause damage to someone else’s property. Third-party liability is required by law to drive a car in the UK. 

It’s important to read the terms of any policy carefully before you buy to see what they specifically cover in terms of legal expenses and legal liability. 

What are the alternatives to legal expenses insurance?

You can buy after the event (ATE) insurance after someone makes a claim against you that you dispute, or you decide to pursue a claim that’s not covered by your car insurance policy. The plus side of ATE legal expenses cover is that you won’t be paying for any insurance you don’t need. But it’s considerably more expensive than before the event (BTE) legal expenses cover.

There are also ‘no win, no fee’ solicitors who you won’t have to pay if your case is unsuccessful. Bear in mind, though, that you’re likely to have to pay them a significant percentage of any compensation or damages if you do win. Read any fine print carefully before you sign up to anything to make sure it will be worthwhile.

In some cases, you might be able to find discounted or free legal advice to help you with your claim. You may qualify for legal aid, so long as you’re not making a personal injury claim.

Rather than add on motor legal protection to your car insurance policy, it’s worth checking if you’d be better off upgrading to a more comprehensive policy that includes legal expenses as standard.

You could also self-insure your legal protection. If you put the same amount of money into a bank account, paying interest, you could use this if you ever needed to pay out for legal fees. If you don’t, the money is there to use as you want.