What is Motor Legal Protection Insurance?

It is not possible to take out car insurance to cover every type and every aspect of loss, meaning that some of these have to be pursued privately from the party at fault. This will require the services of a specialist legal advisor which can be costly. Motor legal protection covers the cost of seeking such advice in circumstances where it is needed. It may also cover additional costs such as the use of a hire car whilst you are pursuing your claim. This might not necessarily be ordinarily provided even if you are normally covered for a hire car for ordinary car insurance claims.

Is it Worth Paying Extra for Motor Legal Protection Insurance?

The first thing to point out is that legal advice can be very costly - a specialist solicitor may charge upwards of £100 an hour for their services, and will usually cover a significant maximum level of costs, often in the order of around £100,000, giving you peace of mind against uninsured losses.

The type of losses that Legal Protection Insurance offers cover against are wide ranging and will concern things relating to matters other than damage to the vehicle itself (for this reason, legal protection is offered as an addition to fully-comprehensive services, rather than as a replacement for them). It can cover the cost of claiming for personal injuries or death resulting from the accident, loss of earnings since the accident, or compensation for loss of use of the vehicle since the accident (although you will be expected to take reasonable steps to mitigate your situation before claiming). It may cover items not included in your policy such as personal belongings in the vehicle or clothes, and can also include medical fees and storage costs. Changes to your future car insurance might also have the potential to be claimed for under legal protection, including any excess paid or changes to your car insurance policy cost as a result of your claim.

Hire cars provided through this type of insurance can also be useful to you if you have a particular need for the type of car you currently drive (e.g. in terms of number of seats, boot size etc.). Courtesy cars provided by repair centres will often be low end models and also are usually subject to availability, whereas an eligible hire car can be provided to a similar specification to your own car, recognising the inherent utility of the insured vehicle.

The value of legal protection to you, as with any other type of car insurance, really depends on how necessary you view the elements included with the cover. If you are looking for the cheapest car insurance quote possible, and, in the event of an accident would be prepared to potentially be out of pocket, or you have access to another form of transport, then legal protection may appeal less to you. However, for most drivers, the additional cost of this cover (usually less than £30 extra) is well worth the peace of mind and the lower hassle in the event of a more serious type of accident, which is why it has become a standard addition to all types of car insurance cover in recent years.

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© April 2009