Motor Insurance Add-Ons Worth Considering in 2025

As an FCA-authorised expert broker that has arranged over 800,000 policies, WeCovr understands that navigating the world of motor insurance in the UK can be complex. This guide cuts through the noise, helping you decide which optional extras are genuine lifesavers and which you can safely skip in 2025.

WeCovr's advice on which extras — from breakdown cover to legal expenses — are worth adding to your policy

Choosing a motor insurance policy isn't just about picking the cheapest quote. The true value of a policy is revealed when you need to make a claim. Optional extras, or add-ons, are designed to plug the gaps left by standard policies, providing peace of mind and saving you from significant financial headaches down the line.

But with premiums feeling the pressure from inflation and rising repair costs, every pound counts. So, which add-ons provide the best value for money? Let's break it down.

The Non-Negotiable Foundation: Understanding UK Motor Insurance Levels

Before we even discuss extras, it's crucial to understand the legal framework for motor insurance in the UK. Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, it is a criminal offence to use, or permit others to use, a vehicle on a road or other public place without at least third-party insurance.

There are three main levels of cover:

1. Third-Party Only (TPO): This is the minimum level of cover required by law. It covers injury or damage you cause to other people, their vehicles, or their property. It does not cover any damage to your own vehicle or your own injuries.
2. Third-Party, Fire and Theft (TPFT): This includes everything TPO cover does, plus it protects you if your car is stolen or damaged by fire.
3. Comprehensive (Comp): This is the highest level of cover. It includes everything from TPFT, but crucially, it also covers damage to your own vehicle, regardless of who was at fault. It often includes other benefits like windscreen cover as standard.

A Surprising Fact: Don't assume Comprehensive cover is always the most expensive. Insurers' data sometimes shows that drivers seeking the cheapest TPO cover are a higher risk, which can inflate premiums. It's always worth comparing quotes for all three levels.

For businesses, fleet insurance or business car insurance is a legal necessity if vehicles are used for work purposes beyond commuting. These policies are specifically designed to cover the risks associated with commercial use, from delivery vans to company cars.

Core Concepts You Must Know Before Adding Extras

To make informed decisions, you need to be familiar with a few key terms that underpin every motor policy.

No-Claims Bonus (NCB) or No-Claims Discount (NCD)

This is one of the most powerful tools for reducing your premium. For every year you drive without making a claim, you earn a discount on your next year's policy. This can build up to a significant saving, often 60-70% or more after five or more claim-free years. Making a claim typically reduces your NCB by two years, unless you have it protected.

Policy Excess

The excess is the amount of money you must pay towards any claim you make. There are two types:

• Compulsory Excess: Set by the insurer and non-negotiable.
• Voluntary Excess: An amount you agree to pay on top of the compulsory excess. A higher voluntary excess usually results in a lower premium, but ensure you can comfortably afford to pay the total excess amount if you need to claim.

How Claims Affect Your Premium

Making a claim will almost always increase your premium at renewal time, even for a non-fault incident. This is because your claims history is a key factor in how insurers calculate your risk profile. You will also lose some or all of your No-Claims Bonus, unless you have NCD Protection.

Now, let's dive into the add-ons themselves.

Breakdown Cover: Is It an Essential Add-On?

Being stranded at the roadside with a broken-down vehicle is stressful, inconvenient, and potentially dangerous. Breakdown cover is designed to provide professional assistance to get you moving again.

What is it? A service that sends a mechanic to assist you if your vehicle breaks down. Depending on the level of cover, this could involve a roadside repair or recovery to a garage.

Is it worth it? For most drivers, yes. The cost of a one-off emergency call-out and recovery can easily run into hundreds of pounds. According to the RAC, a typical 10-mile tow can cost over £125, and this price escalates rapidly with distance or if specialist equipment is needed. An annual breakdown policy, by contrast, might cost between £30 and £150.

Levels of Breakdown Cover Explained

Not all breakdown policies are created equal. Understanding the different tiers is key to choosing the right one for your needs.

WeCovr's Verdict: For the average UK driver, a policy that includes National Recovery and Home Start offers the best balance of cost and comprehensive protection. For those who can't be without a vehicle, Onward Travel is a wise investment. Adding breakdown cover to your motor insurance can be convenient, but always compare it with standalone policies from providers like the AA, RAC, or Green Flag, as they can sometimes offer better value or more specialised services.

Motor Legal Protection: Your £30 Shield Against £30,000 in Costs

Often called Legal Expenses Insurance (LEI), this is one of the most valuable and frequently misunderstood add-ons.

What is it? Motor Legal Protection is an insurance policy that covers the cost of legal action to recover uninsured losses after a non-fault accident. It typically provides up to £100,000 of legal cover for an annual cost of around £25-£35.

What are "uninsured losses"? These are costs you incur that are not covered by your main comprehensive policy. Examples include:

• Your policy excess: Reclaiming the excess you had to pay.
• Loss of earnings: If you couldn't work due to an injury from the accident.
• Alternative transport costs: Hiring a car while yours is being repaired.
• Personal injury compensation: Legal fees for pursuing a claim for injury to you or your passengers.
• Repair costs for TPO/TPFT customers: If you have lower-level cover and are hit by an at-fault driver, this policy funds the legal case to recover repair costs from their insurer.

Real-Life Example: You're involved in a collision that isn't your fault. Your car needs £2,000 of repairs, and your policy excess is £400. You also had to take two days off work, losing £300 in wages.

• Without Legal Protection: You'd have to pay the £400 excess yourself and then face the daunting, expensive, and time-consuming task of pursuing the at-fault driver's insurer for your £400 excess and £300 lost earnings. You might have to hire a solicitor at your own expense.
• With Legal Protection: You pay your excess to get the repairs started. Your legal protection provider appoints a solicitor who handles the entire process of recovering your £400 excess and £300 lost earnings from the other party's insurer, at no cost to you (provided your claim is successful).

The Uninsured Driver Promise: Many legal protection policies also include cover for incidents involving uninsured or untraced drivers, which are alarmingly common. The Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) reports it compensates over 10,000 victims of uninsured driving each year. This add-on can be your only route to recovering losses in these scenarios.

WeCovr's Verdict: Highly recommended. For a small annual fee, you gain access to a legal support system worth tens of thousands of pounds. It provides the means to ensure you are not left out of pocket after an accident that wasn't your fault. It's a small price for immense peace of mind.

Guaranteed Courtesy Car vs. Standard Cover: Don't Get Caught Short

Most comprehensive policies offer a "courtesy car," but the term can be misleading. It's vital to read the small print.

What's the difference?

• Standard Courtesy Car (often included in Comp policies): This is usually a small, basic hatchback (e.g., a Fiat 500 or Kia Picanto). Crucially, it's almost always subject to availability and is only provided if your car is being repaired at one of the insurer's approved garages. It is not provided if your car is stolen or written off.
• Guaranteed Courtesy Car / Enhanced Courtesy Car (paid add-on): This add-on guarantees you a replacement vehicle under more circumstances.

Comparison: Standard vs. Enhanced Courtesy Car Cover

Who needs it? If you rely on your vehicle daily for commuting, the school run, or business, this add-on is a near-essential. The same applies if you own a larger vehicle (like an SUV or estate car) and a small hatchback wouldn't be practical, or if you're a van driver whose livelihood depends on having a commercial vehicle.

WeCovr's Verdict: Strongly consider it. The risk of being left without transport for weeks if your car is written off is a major inconvenience that can be avoided for a modest fee (typically £20-£40 per year). For business and fleet users, this isn't just a convenience; it's a tool for business continuity.

The "Nice-to-Have" but Valuable Extras: A WeCovr Assessment

Beyond the "big three" add-ons, insurers offer a range of smaller extras. Here's our expert take on their value.

No-Claims Discount (NCD) Protection

• What is it? An add-on that allows you to make one or sometimes two claims within a policy year without it affecting your accumulated No-Claims Discount.
• Is it worth it? This is a numbers game. It's most valuable for drivers with a high NCD (e.g., 5+ years), as the discount you're protecting is substantial. If you have only one or two years of NCD, the cost of the protection may outweigh the discount itself. Remember, protecting your NCD does not prevent your overall premium from rising after a claim; it only preserves the percentage discount.
• Verdict: Worth it if you have over four years of NCD. The potential premium increase from losing a 60% discount is far greater than the £30-£50 cost of protecting it.

Windscreen Cover

• What is it? Covers the cost of repairing or replacing cracked or shattered windscreens and other vehicle glass. A claim on this cover does not usually affect your main NCD.
• Is it worth it? It's often included as standard with comprehensive policies, but not always with TPFT. Check your policy documents. Even if included, check the excess—a windscreen replacement can cost over £800, especially on modern cars with Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) that require camera recalibration. If your policy has a low glass excess (£50-£100), you're well covered. If it's not included, it's a very worthwhile addition.
• Verdict: Essential. Ensure it's in your policy. Given the high cost of modern windscreens, this is not an area to skimp on.

Key Cover and Replacement

• What is it? Covers the cost of replacing lost or stolen car keys and reprogramming the vehicle's immobiliser and locks.
• Is it worth it? Modern car keys are complex electronic devices. A replacement from a main dealer can easily cost £250-£500 or more. Key cover typically costs £15-£25 per year. If you are prone to losing things, this offers excellent value. Many policies also provide a 24/7 helpline and cover the cost of a locksmith.
• Verdict: A smart buy. The cost of one lost modern key can exceed the cost of this cover for a decade.

Misfuelling or Wrong Fuel Cover

• What is it? Covers the cost of draining the fuel tank, flushing the system, and replenishing it with the correct fuel if you accidentally put petrol in a diesel car or vice versa.
• Is it worth it? This is a common and costly mistake. The RAC estimates over 150,000 UK drivers misfuel their car each year. The repair bill can range from £200 for a simple drain to over £5,000 if the engine is started and damaged. For an annual cost of less than £10 on some policies, it's a low-cost way to mitigate a high-cost risk.
• Verdict: A cheap and sensible precaution, especially if you frequently switch between petrol and diesel vehicles (e.g., in a business fleet or family with multiple cars).

A Special Note for Business and Fleet Managers

For commercial operations, motor insurance add-ons move from being "peace of mind" to "essential business continuity tools."

• Breakdown Cover: Downtime is lost revenue. A commercial vehicle stuck at the roadside is a direct hit to your bottom line. A comprehensive breakdown policy with rapid response times and suitable replacement vehicles is non-negotiable.
• Guaranteed Courtesy Van/Car: If a delivery van is written off, a standard courtesy hatchback is useless. Enhanced courtesy cover that guarantees a like-for-like commercial vehicle is critical to keeping your business operational.
• Legal Expenses: Essential for recovering losses, especially for delivery businesses where vehicle damage can lead to significant consequential losses (e.g., spoiled goods, missed delivery penalties).
• Any Driver Policies: While not an "add-on" in the traditional sense, ensuring your fleet policy allows for flexibility in drivers can be crucial. Check the terms carefully, as restrictions on age or driving experience often apply.

At WeCovr, we specialise in finding tailored fleet insurance solutions, ensuring your business has the precise cover it needs without paying for unnecessary extras.

Summary Table: Which Motor Insurance Add-Ons Are Right for You in 2025?

Here's a quick-reference guide to help you decide.

How WeCovr Helps You Build the Perfect Policy

Finding the right balance of cover and cost can be challenging. An ultra-cheap policy might leave you dangerously exposed, while adding every conceivable extra can unnecessarily inflate your premium.

This is where expert guidance makes a difference. As an FCA-authorised broker, WeCovr helps thousands of UK drivers, businesses, and fleet managers compare policies from a wide range of insurers. Our system allows you to easily see how adding or removing optional extras impacts your final premium, empowering you to build a policy that fits your exact needs and budget.

Furthermore, we value our clients' loyalty. Customers who purchase motor or life insurance through us may be eligible for discounts on other insurance products, providing even greater value. Our high customer satisfaction ratings reflect our commitment to clear, impartial advice and excellent service.

For more detailed information, you can explore our guides on topics from EV insurance to managing a commercial fleet.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is it cheaper to buy add-ons with my motor insurance or separately?

It can vary. For convenience, bundling is easier. For cost, it pays to compare. Breakdown cover, for instance, can sometimes be cheaper as a standalone policy from a specialist. However, insurers often offer discounts for bundling, so it's always best to get quotes for both options. A broker like WeCovr can help you compare these permutations easily.

2. Will claiming for a windscreen repair affect my No-Claims Bonus?

In most cases, no. Windscreen claims are typically treated separately from your main policy and will not impact your NCD. However, you will have to pay the windscreen excess, and some insurers may have a limit on the number of glass claims you can make in a year. Always check your policy wording to be certain.

3. If I have a non-fault accident, do I still have to pay my excess?

Yes, initially you will likely have to pay your policy excess to get the repairs authorised and started. The purpose of Motor Legal Protection is to then fund a legal case to reclaim this excess (and other uninsured losses) from the at-fault driver's insurance company on your behalf. Without this add-on, you would have to pursue the recovery yourself.

4. My comprehensive policy says it includes a "courtesy car." Do I still need the guaranteed courtesy car add-on?

You should strongly consider it. The "courtesy car" included as standard is usually only a small car, subject to availability, and not provided if your vehicle is stolen or written off. The guaranteed add-on ensures you get a vehicle (often a similar size to your own) even in the case of a total loss, which is when you need it most.

Ready to build a motor insurance policy that truly protects you? Get a tailored, no-obligation quote from WeCovr today and drive with confidence.