Car insurance legal cover

[Fluke]

DAK how useful or otherwise legal cover is as part of car insurance? I always go for it along with courtesy car, breakdown cover & windscreen cover as optional extras, but it adds another £30-40 to the premium. A quick question to google provides this explanation:

Car insurance legal cover is designed to pay for your legal costs and uninsured losses if you are involved in a car accident that wasn't your fault. Legal cover (sometimes referred to as “legal expenses”) is not a legal requirement, but could ultimately save you money in the long run.

[gryffron]

Could you afford to pay for it yourself if you needed it?

Insurance companies have costs, and make a profit. Any insurance you don't NEED is waste of money.

House insurance and car insurance sure, you NEED, because you could not bear the losses yourself (or wouldn't want to).

But anything you can cover yourself, self insure and keep the costs+profit.

Gryff

[chas49]

Moderator Message:
I've moved this from DAK as the rules there are likely to restrict discussion on this! (chas49)

[Fluke]

Moderator Message:
I've moved this from DAK as the rules there are likely to restrict discussion on this! (chas49)

Yes I was in 2 minds where best to post it.

[didds]

DAK how useful or otherwise legal cover is as part of car insurance? I always go for it along with courtesy car, breakdown cover & windscreen cover as optional extras, but it adds another £30-40 to the premium. A quick question to google provides this explanation:

Car insurance legal cover is designed to pay for your legal costs and uninsured losses if you are involved in a car accident that wasn't your fault. Legal cover (sometimes referred to as “legal expenses”) is not a legal requirement, but could ultimately save you money in the long run.

presumably those are all covered with a simple letter-before-action and MCOL?

Though of course whether a legal insurance or successful MCOL actually GETS one any actual money is another step AIUI.

Alternatively house insurances often come with legal insurance too ?

[bungeejumper]

It helped when my car was T-boned by a big white van, about twenty years ago. Courtesy car arrived within two hours! And the van driver's insurance (Direct Line) was more than usually co-operative. I'd pay £15-20 a year for that. £30-40, maybe not.

Does it help if I say that RAC has standalone legal cover for £15? https://www.rac.co.uk/insurance/legal-e ... -insurance

BJ

[didds]

It helped when my car was T-boned by a big white van, about twenty years ago. Courtesy car arrived within two hours! And the van driver's insurance (Direct Line) was more than usually co-operative. I'd pay £15-20 a year for that. £30-40, maybe not.

Does it help if I say that RAC has standalone legal cover for £15? https://www.rac.co.uk/insurance/legal-e ... -insurance

BJ

this is another thread possibly... "courtesy cars"

I've heard all sorts of nightmare stories about how the injured party has ended up out of pocket as these courtesy cars are seemingly just a scam to extract $$$ for scratches, dents and whatever else (happened to a chum of mine as it happened).

Accepting this requires up front cash, one could presumably just hire a car normally (ie not the scam setups) , be in total control of that transaction, and MCOL the costs to the other driver ?

[bungeejumper]

It helped when my car was T-boned by a big white van, about twenty years ago. Courtesy car arrived within two hours! And the van driver's insurance (Direct Line) was more than usually co-operative.

this is another thread possibly... "courtesy cars"

I've heard all sorts of nightmare stories about how the injured party has ended up out of pocket as these courtesy cars are seemingly just a scam to extract $$$ for scratches, dents and whatever else (happened to a chum of mine as it happened).

That's not quite my point, although it touches upon it. The courtesy car should have been mine by right. What the legal assistance did was to phone up and put a general-purpose rocket up the other party's insurer, which speeded everything up most satisfactorily.

It can also help if the other car's insurer insists on getting your precious car fixed at some crummy little body shop on the other side of the country. (Some do.) Now that sort of game can really crank up the inconvenience!

BJ

[DrFfybes]

I've had the odd bike accident over the years.

In all cases the solicitor appointed by my insurance Legal Cover has been atrocious. No familiarity with bikes, kit, alternative transport, etc.

OTOH once I rejected this add-on and went to a standalone specialist the process was far smoother.

You can, of course, get seperate Legal Cover for yourself. Works out a lot cheaper if you have multiple vehicles as the add-on policy generally only covers you in the vehicle the main policy is attached to.

Paul

[Fluke]

Really useful comments here, thanks. Had to look up MCOL.

Does it help if I say that RAC has standalone legal cover for £15? https://www.rac.co.uk/insurance/legal-e ... -insurance

Yes!

Alternatively house insurances often come with legal insurance too ?

I'm in the process of renewing that policy too and yes, the legal cover for the one I've chosen is an optional extra at £12.50 so I'll go for that so I've got some sort of cover, and forego the motor one.

As for the courtesy car, it comes included in the one I've chosen but would have thought twice about adding as an extra after didds's point about scams.

Very helpful thanks.

As a slight aside I'm thinking about changing the car but I'm told insurance companies now use dynamic pricing so that the nearer you get to your old policy expiring the higher your premiums get for the new one, so I'm going to use the 14 day cooling off period to have a good look round and if I go for something else I can cancel the policy.

[kempiejon]

3 weeks before renewal is apparently optimal. Someone has done a study

the best time to buy car insurance is 20 to 26 days ahead, as this is usually the cheapest.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insur ... -to-renew/

[Nimrod103]

3 weeks before renewal is apparently optimal. Someone has done a study

the best time to buy car insurance is 20 to 26 days ahead, as this is usually the cheapest.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insur ... -to-renew/

On the subject of comparison websites, I use GoCompare and Moneysupermarket. Go Compare is famous for offering £200 free excess cover. On two occasions in the last 6 months I have bought car insurance, the cheapest quote on GoCompare has come in at significantly higher price than the cheapest on Moneysupermarket. So as far as I can see, the free excess cover is certainly not free.

[Fluke]

On the subject of comparison websites, I use GoCompare and Moneysupermarket. Go Compare is famous for offering £200 free excess cover. On two occasions in the last 6 months I have bought car insurance, the cheapest quote on GoCompare has come in at significantly higher price than the cheapest on Moneysupermarket. So as far as I can see, the free excess cover is certainly not free.

I used Confused this year for the car and home insurance, but I must admit I have totally lost the plot when it comes to comparison sites, there are loads of them, how are you supposed to know who to go for for what?

A Which? investigation has revealed you could pay over three times the price for the same item depending on which price comparison website you use.

https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/ch ... vUd4D0QASm