Legal protection

Legal protection (also known as legal expenses cover) protects you against possible costs of legal action following an accident.

Perhaps you want to pursue legal proceedings against another driver for their actions, or maybe you need to defend yourself against accusations another driver has made against you. Either way, there will be a price to pay.

Legal expenses cover isn't usually a standard feature on car insurance policies, so you'll need to purchase it for a small, additional cost.

What's covered?

Say your car was badly damaged in an accident and the other driver was found to be at fault. If you need to use taxis or hire a car while yours is in the garage, legal expenses cover will recover these costs from the driver who's at fault and their insurance provider.

As well as travel expenses, legal protection can be used to recover out of pocket expenses (such as phone calls to your insurance provider) and medical expenses, including loss of earnings as a result of the accident.

What isn't covered?

The exact terms of legal cover will vary between providers, but there are a number of common exclusions. These include:

• Costs incurred from a claim made against you if you were found to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Any expenses incurred before your claim is accepted.
• Fines for motoring or criminal offences.
• Compensation awarded to the other driver.

The important thing to bear in mind is that there's no guarantee that your provider will accept your claim. Your claim could be rejected if you wait too long after the accident to contact your provider, or if your provider believes that the amount being contested isn't high enough to warrant court proceedings.

So, is it worth it?

Legal costs can be extortionate, which is why many people choose to take out legal cover in addition to their car insurance. At the very least, if you ever find yourself in court, you won't be the one paying the solicitor's fees.

How to claim

If you take out legal cover and need to make a claim, it's best to contact your provider as soon as possible following the accident. The legal team will contact the other driver's insurer to make them aware that you want to recover costs not covered by standard car insurance. If successful, your case will be handed to a solicitor who will take the process forward from there.

Legal expenses cover with Hastings Direct

Our legal expenses policy, provided by Allianz Legal Protection, a trading name of Allianz Insurance plc, provides up to £100,000 of legal cover when claiming for an accident that's not your fault.

Our legal expenses cover offers assistance for:

• Compensation for not being able to use your car.
• Any excess you may have paid under your car insurance policy.
• Compensation if you or any of your passengers are injured or killed.
• Compensation for damage to your clothes, luggage or personal items.
• Reasonable costs for a hire car whilst yours is being repaired.
• Repair costs if you don't have comprehensive motor insurance cover.
• Legal costs to defend prosecution arising from a motoring offence.

With our legal expenses cover, you can make a claim up to 180 days after your accident. You'll also have 24-hour access to a telephone helpline service, where you can get advice on any private legal matter.

What's not covered:

• Legal costs you pay before Allianz Legal Protection agrees to pay them.
• Claims made if there is less than a 51% probability of success.
• Claims based predominantly on stress, psychological or emotional injury.
• Claims relating to an agreement you have entered into with another person or company.
• Claims for parking offences.
• Claims for motoring prosecutions where your motor insurers have agreed to provide your legal defence.

You may be able to get legal support after an accident without this policy, but you'll need to arrange this yourself.

Full terms and conditions of our legal expenses cover can be found in our optional additional products booklet.