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Often sold as an optional extra to your car insurance policy, motor legal expenses cover can pay for certain legal costs you may incur when you have an accident.
But what exactly does it cover, and do you really need it?
What is motor legal expenses cover?
Motor legal expenses cover pays for some or all of the legal costs involved in bringing a claim against another motorist, or defending yourself against a claim when you're involved in an accident that wasn't your fault.So, say you're injured in a car accident and you're unable to work for several weeks and you lose out on wages as a result.
You can make a claim for this lost pay from the driver who was to blame for the accident. But to do this, you'll need legal advice and maybe a solicitor. If so, the cost of the solicitor and the legal advice is covered by the motor legal expenses cover.
What does motor legal expenses insurance cover?
It insures you against the possible legal costs of making a claim for uninsured losses following an accident. Uninsured losses are the expenses you might incur that aren't covered by your standard car insurance.
These are things like:
- Medical expenses for you and your passengers
- Reasonable travel expenses, for example to work if you cannot drive
- Car hire costs
- Loss of earnings
- The cost of telephone calls to your insurer and solicitor
- Reclaiming your excess
LV= provides motor legal expenses of up to £100,000 and access to a free legal advice helpline 24/7. This can help you with things like defending a motoring prosecution following an accident.
What's not covered?
Motor legal expenses insurance will not cover you if you're to blame for the accident. It will only pay out for legal costs associated with an accident that wasn't your fault.It won't pay for any compensation awarded to someone claiming against you. Depending on the type of car insurance policy you have, this may be covered by your standard car insurance.
It won't pay for fines you have to pay for motoring offences. And check the terms of your policy as not all insurers will cover you if you were drink driving, under the influence of drugs, dishonest about the accident or violent.
LV= will also only accept your claim for legal expenses if there is more than a 50 per cent chance of being successful. So, if it's unclear who's to blame for the accident, you may not be able to claim for your legal expenses.
Why do I need motor legal expenses insurance?
Motor legal expenses insurance provides peace of mind that you won't need to pay solicitors' fees up front if you need to make a claim.Plus, access to a legal helpline means you can get advice about a range of private legal matters at any time without needing to make an appointment with a solicitor.
How to make a claim
If you think you'll need legal advice following an accident, call your insurance company as soon as you can. Insurers often put a time limit on making claims, so it's best to claim sooner rather than later.
Call us on 0800 202 8464 if you've had an accident. You'll need to have your registration number and policy details to hand.
We'll get in touch with our panel solicitors on your behalf, or you can appoint your own solicitor, as long as they're happy with our standard scale of charges.
The insurance pays for the legal expenses to recover uninsured losses following an accident that causes damage to your vehicle or the property in it, and death or injury to people in the vehicle.
Already an LV= car insurance customer? To add motor legal insurance to your policy, call us on 0800 085 5663.
All content is approved by our in-house advisory board of experts.