Car Legal Insurance in Switzerland Explained

Motorist legal protection insurance, also known as car legal insurance or car insurance legal expenses cover, is an insurance which covers many legal costs associated with traffic incidents. This optional insurance can supplement compulsory third-party liability insurance in protecting your finances from the legal consequences which can result from driving a car.

1. Which costs are covered by motorist legal protection insurance?

Car legal insurance covers the cost of mediation, lawyer’s fees, court fees, reimbursement of your counterparty’s legal expenses (when you lose), and fees charged by assessors and other specialists in relation to your legal case. It covers both incidents related to your cars, and you as a driver when you use cars belonging to a third party.

In addition to accidents involving a car, some offers also cover traffic incidents which occur when you are walking, cycling, or using public transportation. Some cover incidents which occur when you are piloting a boat or an airplane.

The geographical coverage of policies is also worth taking a look at. Typically, Swiss car legal insurance covers legal costs incurred worldwide. Some insurers (like Dextra) let you limit coverage to Switzerland in exchange for lower premiums. Some insurers (like TCS) limit worldwide coverage to a fraction of the coverage applicable to Europe. Insurers may also limit geographical coverage for certain kinds of legal costs to Europe or even to Switzerland. You can easily find, filter, sort and compare Swiss car legal insurance policies based on covered costs and geographical coverage using the moneyland.ch legal protection insurance comparison.

2. Which hazards are covered by motorist legal protection insurance?

Costs typically covered by car legal insurance include:

• Leasing agreement disputes. Car legal insurance covers legal expenses resulting from disputes between you and your leasing service provider.

• Car purchase disputes. Car legal insurance covers the cost of legal consultation or action connected to buying a car.

• Traffic accident disputes. Car legal insurance covers the legal costs of determining who is at fault. It also covers the cost of claiming the compensation owed to you or, if you are found to be at fault, of reimbursing your counterparty’s legal expenses.

• Insurance disputes. Car legal insurance covers the costs of settling legal disputes between you and your car insurance provider. 

• Traffic violations. Car legal insurance can cover the cost of getting legal consultation or opening a court case to determine whether or not you were indeed at fault and whether a fine or penalty is justifiable.

• Car servicing disputes. Motorist legal insurance covers the costs of mediation or legal action with regards to settling disputes with garages.

Other coverages which may be included, depending on the insurance policy, are:

• Compensation claims. Cover for the cost of collecting compensation owed to you.

• Healthcare claims. Cover for legal expenses related to healthcare costs in the event of injuries.

• Victim support services. Disputes with authorities related to your rights as provided by the Swiss victim support law.

You can compare car legal insurance based on covered hazards using the interactive legal insurance comparison on moneyland.ch.

3. What is not covered by car legal insurance?

You generally are not covered in these cases:

• Pre-existing conditions. Any problem which already exists or is easily foreseeable before you get the insurance is generally excluded. Legal expenses resulting from accidents or other incidents which occur before you get the insurance are not covered.

• Traffic fines. Car legal insurance does not cover the cost of traffic fines. However, it does cover the costs of legal action taken to reduce fines.

• Deliberate traffic crimes. Coverage generally excludes accidents which occur when you drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or deliberately engage in hazardous driving, such as illegal street racing or speeding.

• Competitive driving. Even legal, organized racing, rallies and other competitive sports are generally excluded.

• Hopeless cases. The insurance company may reject cases which it considers impossible to win.

• Legal expenses which are not related to traffic or vehicles. Car legal insurance is a specialized legal insurance which only covers legal costs related to traffic and especially cars – with some policies extending coverage to other forms of transportation. If you need insurance coverage for other legal expenses, take a look at personal legal insurance.

• Commercial driving. Incidents related to using your vehicle to generate income are normally excluded. This can also apply when you rent out your car through a car-sharing service or earn income from ride sharing.

• Disputes with your motor legal insurance provider itself. Your insurer never covers the cost of legal action against itself.

4. What does car legal insurance cost?

Premiums vary considerably between insurance providers and offers. Factors which may influence premiums include the specific coverages included, the insurance deductible, and the minimum contract term. Some insurers also let you choose between different waiting periods and maximum hourly lawyer fees to further optimize your insurance premium. You can easily find the cheapest motor legal insurance matching your needs using the interactive legal insurance comparison on moneyland.ch.

If you have a family, getting a family policy is cheaper than getting individual policies for each family member. Some insurance providers offer multiple-policy discounts. For example, if you need both personal legal insurance and motor legal insurance, you could pay lower insurance premiums by getting both insurances bundled from the same insurer.

Some Swiss car insurance providers bundle motorist legal protection insurance in car insurance plans, or offer it as an optional rider. Getting these riders can be much cheaper than getting the same motor legal insurance on its own.

5. Do I need car legal insurance?

Driving exposes you to numerous legal risks. Motorist legal protection insurance can be a useful addition to third-party liability car insurance, especially if you drive a lot.

Because costs and coverage vary, it is important to compare car legal insurance policies. You can easily find the right car legal insurance policy using the unbiased legal insurance comparison on moneyland.ch.

More on this topic:
Compare Swiss legal insurance offers now
Personal legal protection insurance explained
Do I need legal insurance?
What is not covered by legal insurance?
Choice of lawyers in legal insurance explained