NLIC.org

Bobby Said:

if i have legal cover on my van insurance will i have to pay my excess even if the incident was not my mistake?

We Answered:

From what you say, you will have to pay the garage the £520 (though why you would want a policy that means you have to find so much money in the event of an accident beats me - presumably it was cheap, and now you know why) and then submit the receipt to the company providing the legal expenses cover, and then wait for them to get the money back for you. From what you say the other driver's insurance company should settle pretty quickly

If you are self employed make sure you claim for loss of earnings if you were unable to fulfil jobs due to the van being off the road (if you didn't get a replacement).

Note that some legal expenses policies now can arrange for a free courtesy vehicle and no excess to pay if you have details of the third party at the time of the incident. Apparently yours does did not.