Usually how much you pay for motorcycle insurance depends on the model you’re looking to cover and your personal circumstances, among other factors. But there are some factors that you can influence that could save you money. Here are our top tips for cheaper motorbike insurance.
What is the best way to get cheaper bike insurance?
What our motor insurance expert says
"Insurers say that to make a real impact on your insurance price, security is the key. So if you can, store your bike in a locked and secure shed or garage. If you don't have that, you could buy some motorbike security methods, like D locks, alarms or immobilisers. Before you buy, make sure the devices are recognised by your insurer.
"Advanced rider qualifications are also a great way to reduce your premiums. It shows insurers that you've had extra training to make you a safer rider and lowers your risk on the road."
What can I do to get cheaper motorbike insurance now?
Increase your excess
You could lower the cost of your motorbike insurance by agreeing to a higher voluntary excess. This is the amount you pay towards a claim, usually taken out of your payout.
While potentially lowering your costs, choosing a higher voluntary excess means that any payout on your claim is likely to be lower.
Make sure your mileage figure is accurate
When your insurer asks how many miles you expect to cover over the year, answer as accurately as you can.
If you say you do 10,000 miles a year but then cover only 3,000, you might have overpaid for your motorbike insurance because you overstated your mileage.
But don’t underestimate your mileage as you risk not being covered for the extra miles.
An easy way to find out your typical annual mileage is to check your MOT history. Visit GOV.UK and enter your reg. You can compare your mileage reading from the past 2 years and work out how many miles you've done between them.
Pay annually
You should pay less for your motorbike insurance if you choose to pay the cost as a lump sum rather than opting to pay through monthly instalments. This is because monthly payments often include interest.
When you compare motorbike insurance with us, you'll be able to switch between annual and monthly payments and compare the total costs for each.
Shop around
You can save money by comparing motorbike insurance policies. Even if your circumstances haven’t changed, it’s worth getting a quote to see how much you could save.
51% of customers paid less than £174 for their motorbike insurance with us in May 2023*.
Compare motorbike insurance quotes
*Based on Confused.com data May 2023, 51% of customers paid £173.86 or less for their motorbike insurance
Consider the type of cover you need
There are 3 main types of motorbike insurance to choose from:
- Third-party only (TPO) – covers damage to other people, property and vehicles in accidents that are your fault
- Third-party, fire and theft (TPFT) – the same as you get with TPO but your motorbike should also be covered if it’s stolen or damaged by fire
- Comprehensive – along with all the benefits of TPFT, you’re also covered for damage to you and your motorbike, even if an accident was your fault
If you use your motorbike only occasionally, you might decide that you don’t need comprehensive cover.
As a general rule, the higher the level of cover, the more expensive the policy is.
However, especially for experienced bikers, the difference in prices between the higher and lower levels of cover might not be significant. So make sure you compare all the policies that are available.
Consider multi-motorbike insurance
If there’s more than 1 motorbike in your household, you could save money by putting them all on the same multi-bike insurance policy.
Remove pillion cover if you don’t need it
If you never have passengers on your motorbike, then you should tell your insurer as this could reduce your costs.
Pillions represent added risk for insurers, so the cost of cover might be higher when other people are riding on the back of your motorbike.
Consider temporary cover
For those who only ride 2 or 3 times a year, getting temporary motorcycle cover could work out cheaper than conventional motorbike insurance.
It’s worth checking that your motorbike’s value is covered. You’ll also need to make sure you properly tax your motorbike before you get temporary cover.
How can I save on motorbike insurance in the future?
Buy a cheaper, less powerful motorbike
If you want to pay less for your motorbike insurance and you haven’t bought your bike yet, choose a less powerful motorbike. This is because it's likely to be in a lower motorbike insurance group, and the lower the insurance group the lower your costs.
Usually, motorbikes that have a low engine capacity - for example, 50cc - are in a lower insurance group. This is because they’re less powerful and insurers will rate them as lower risk than a 900cc motorbike.
Insurers view more powerful motorbikes as having a greater chance of being in an accident, so they end up in a higher motorcycle insurance group.
How do motorcycle insurance groups work?
Most motorcycle insurers assign motorbike models to insurance groups from 1 to 17. You generally pay less for your cover the lower the insurance group your model is in.
You’ll probably find the biggest, more expensive machines in insurance groups 16-17, typically with engine sizes of 1000cc or above.
At the lower end, a 50cc moped is more likely to land in insurance group 2.
But the insurance group for a 125cc motorbike might vary quite a bit. It depends on the make and model, but you can typically find them at groups 3 to 8.
The middleweight, 660cc motorbikes are commonly found in insurance groups 12 and 13.
Keep your no-claims bonus intact
Your no-claims bonus should also reduce the cost of motorbike insurance, giving you a hefty discount.
The size of that discount should rise each year, provided you don’t make a motorbike insurance claim.
Let's say that you’ve slightly damaged your motorbike and the cost of repair is only marginally above your excess. If you claim, you’d lose your no-claims bonus and you'd have to pay for the majority of the repairs yourself.
Without the no-claims discount, you could end up paying a lot more when it’s time to renew your policy.
It's important to remember, though, that you should always tell your insurer if you've been in an accident, whether you claim or not.
Improve your motorbike’s security
The harder your motorbike is to steal, the lower your insurance costs might be.
This is with good reason as according to the Office of National Statistics, around 40,000 motorcycles are stolen each year in England and Wales.
So motorcycle theft represents a significant risk for insurers.
If you can keep your motorbike in a locked garage at night, this could help keep insurance costs down.
Anti-theft measures should help too. These include:
- Ground anchors
- Immobilisers
- Motorcycle locks/chains
- Alarms
- Trackers
Make sure any security devices you buy are recognised by the insurer you’re planning to use, otherwise you might not get a discount.
For more information, check out our guide on motorbike security options.
Get an advanced rider qualification
Many insurers might offer you a lower insurance premium if you’ve completed advanced rider training, so it might be worth doing a course to upgrade your skills.
You may already be a competent biker with lots of experience, but having a piece of paper confirming this could make insurers view you as being less risky to cover.
It usually consists of a theory test and an observed ride with expert motorcycle instructors.
You could expect your insurance to be more expensive if you’ve just started out on 2 wheels and have only recently passed your Compulsory Basic Training (CBT).
cookie usage