Legal Cover Car Insurance – What It Is & Why It Matters

July 11th, 2025
Legal Cover Car Insurance – What It Is & Why It Matters

Legal cover car insurance, or motor legal protection, is something you can add to your car insurance. It helps you with legal expenses if you get into an accident that isn’t your fault. You do not have to have it by law. But, having legal protection can help you save a lot of money. This is helpful when you need to get your costs back from another driver or if you need to defend yourself after a road problem.

This guide tells you what legal cover is. It also talks about how much it costs. The guide helps you learn how to look at car insurance policies with legal cover using Free Price Compare.

Legal cover in car insurance helps you if you have an accident that was not your fault. It gives you money and help with legal action. You can use it to get back costs like your insurance excess, money you lost from missing work, or personal injury payouts. This cover is there to help you with uninsured losses which your car insurance alone may not pay for.

Also known as legal expenses insurance or motor legal cover, this type of legal cover helps give drivers peace of mind. If you ever need to make a claim or defend one, you have a legal team to help you.

Legal cover, sometimes called motor legal cover or legal expenses insurance, can help you when you have uninsured losses in a third party road accident. It is useful if you have damage from a crash and the person who caused it does not have enough insurance to pay for everything. This cover can help with legal expenses when you try to get back what you lost.

Covered Area Details
Personal Injury Covers injury-related legal claims
Uninsured Loss Recovery Helps recover costs not paid by standard policies
Repair Costs Legal help recovering vehicle repair costs
Motor Prosecution Defence Support with motoring offences
Legal Advice Helpline Access to a trained legal team
Cover Limit Up to £100,000 legal expenses

Most standard car insurance policies do not give you legal protection. This means if you get into an accident, you might have to pay for things like policy excess, loss of earnings, or any legal expenses on your own. Legal expenses insurance can help with these costs. It fills the gap that standard car insurance policies do not cover.

When you look at car insurance with Free Price Compare, you can see which companies give this at a low additional cost.

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  • You are hurt in a car crash and want to get money for lost income.
  • You want to get the extra amount back from your policy after a claim where you were not to blame.
  • Your insurer will not pay for things that got damaged in the accident.
  • An uninsured driver hit you and you want to get back the money you lost.
  • You are taken to court after being in a road accident and now need legal help.

Legal protection does not pay for fines or money you have to give if you are found at fault. But it does help you to defend your case in a fair way.

Adding legal cover is not something you must do, but it can be very good to have. It really helps, especially if:

  • You want to feel calm to have peace of mind about legal costs that come up when you do not expect them.
  • You do not have anyone to help you with legal representation from somewhere else.
  • You drive a lot or you often need to go long distances on the road.
  • A union or a different legal policy does not give you legal cover.

While not every claim will be accepted, the legal cover helps you. It makes sure you do not have to worry about money if you have a strong case. You get support to go after what is rightfully yours.

Most car insurance companies give you the choice to buy legal cover as an extra feature.

  • The cost is around £15 to £35 each year.
  • It usually covers up to £100,000 in legal fees.
  • You can add it when you buy or renew your car insurance.
  • Some premium comprehensive car insurance policies include it.

You can add legal cover to your policy when you compare car insurance with Free Price Compare. Make sure to check if it is already there or if it is given as an extra option.

If you need to make a claim:

  1. Get in touch with your insurer and give them your policy number.
  2. Tell them what happened and give them any papers you have.
  3. The legal team will check if your claim meets what they need.
  4. If your claim is accepted, they will help you get compensation or defend your case.

Make sure you read the full terms of your legal expenses policy. This will help you know what is covered, especially when it comes to motor insurance claims and payouts.

How Do I Use My Legal Cover

Correct as of 03 June 2025

No, comprehensive car insurance pays for damage to your car and cars belonging to other people. Legal cover is about legal costs. It also gives you advice and helps you handle claims.

In many cases, yes. You can add it when there is a cooling-off period or when you renew your plan. This will depend on your insurer.

Most of the time, the answer is no. Legal cover is there to help you get back the money you spent if you are not the one at fault. Some legal cover policies may also have limited help for motor prosecution defence if you are taken to court.

What is the usual cover limit?

Most insurance policies will cover legal fees up to £100,000. But some may be different. You should always read the policy wording to know what you get.

You may not need it. Look at your current car insurance policies before you get legal cover. This can help you not pay twice for the same thing. Still, a special car insurance legal cover policy can give you help that is made just for you.

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