Compare UK motorbike insurance

Do you need motorbike insurance?

Yes. Motorbike insurance, much like car insurance, is a legal requirement if you want to ride on UK roads. If you’re caught riding while uninsured you could get six penalty points on your licence as well as a £300 fine, and if it went to court, the fine can be unlimited and you could be disqualified from riding altogether.

You also need to consider the fact that you’d be liable for any costs should you be involved in an accident, and if you were able to get insurance in the future, the premiums would likely be far higher. The police could even seize and destroy your bike, so however you look at it, you really do need the right motorbike insurance.

The only exception to this is if you own a motorcycle but don’t plan to ride it, perhaps if you haven’t started learning yet or have had your licence suspended. In this case, you’ll need to declare your bike off-road via the SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) process.  

Levels of motorbike insurance

There are three main kinds of cover to consider: 

• Third-party, which covers any injury or damage caused to other people or their property as a result of your actions. It’s the bare minimum that you’re required to have by law and offers the most basic kind of cover.
• Third-party, fire and theft. As above, plus it’ll cover the cost of repairing or replacing the bike following theft or damage caused by fire. However, if you’re deemed as being responsible for an accident, your bike won’t be covered.
• Fully comprehensive. This includes cover for all of the above, as well as for yourself and your bike should you be injured or the bike damaged following an accident. You’ll be covered even if you cause the accident or if no-one was at fault.

From there you can opt to include various policy extras for even more protection, such as cover for your helmets and leathers, lost keys, breakdown cover, legal protection, personal accident, personal liability, pillion cover and cover for riding abroad, and even cover if you use the wrong kind of fuel. However, as with all types of insurance, different motorbike insurance companies will always offer different things, so make sure to do your research.

Motorbike insurance costs

The cost of motorbike insurance will vary depending on the type of bike you own, the level of cover you’re looking for and your personal circumstances, as well as the amount of excess you’re willing to pay.

However, the costs can increase with any add-ons you wish to include (note that some motorbike insurance companies will include certain “extras” as standard, so always check the policy wording).   

Other factors go into the cost as well. Your premiums can be affected by the kind of bike you ride (more powerful bikes will have higher premiums as they’re deemed higher risk), how much it’s worth and where you store it, as well as your driving history, your age, location and what you do for a living. Even things like your annual mileage and the times you ride can have an impact, as can whether you’re using your bike for leisure purposes only or as part of the commute.

Bear in mind that the best motorbike insurance in the UK isn’t necessarily the most expensive, but instead, it’s the one that provides the level of cover that’s right for you. Always compare motorbike insurance quotes to find the kind of ballpark figure you can expect to pay.

How can you reduce motorbike insurance costs?

There are plenty of ways you can reduce your motorbike insurance costs, including:

• Build up a few years of no-claims bonuses. This shows that you’re less of a risk to insure, and your premiums could be lower accordingly.
• Improve your motorbike’s security, such as by installing alarms and immobilisers, and parking it in a locked garage rather than a driveway.
• Reduce your mileage.
• Avoid modified, rare or exceptionally powerful bikes.
• Take additional training. Some motorbike insurance companies will offer a discount if you’ve taken an advanced riding course.
• Increase the voluntary excess.
• Pay annually rather than monthly. Doing so means you can avoid additional interest being charged.

Yet one of the best things you can do is perform a thorough motorbike insurance comparison each year ahead of your renewal date. Providers rarely reward loyalty when it comes to insurance, so always see what else is out there.