How much does it cost to insure a motorcycle?
It’s an important question for any rider, how much is it to insure my motorcycle, but unfortunately it’s like asking how long is a piece of string. There are many different factors that determine how much you will pay for your motorcycle insurance, which can vary between insurers due to premiums being calculated based on their own claims data.
Motorcycle premiums can be as low as £60 but they can also be as high as £3,000 and some riders may not be able to find anyone to insure that all, although this doesn’t happen very often.
Many factors will determine how much it will cost you to insure your motorcycle, the value of your bike, your experience, the power of your bike, where you live, your licence, how you keep your motorcycle stored overnight and much more.
As you can imagine, if you have a very expensive, powerful bike and you have little experience or security measures, then the cost to insure your motorbike is going to be in the higher ranges.
If you have lots of experience, lots of NCD (No Claims Discount), a bike that isn’t very powerful and not worth much money, plus it’s kept very securely – then you will be paying in the lower ranges to insure your bike.
But how do I get the cheapest motorcycle insurance?
The cheapest motorbike to insure for learner riders is the same as the best motorbike to insure for younger riders; and that is a bike that looks like it poses less risk of a claim to an underwriter who calculates the premium based on the risk of the bike, the rider, their location and everything in-between.
The truth of the matter is there is no single best or cheapest motorbike to insure, as there are so many different factors that are taken in to account in order to generate a bike insurance premium, that’s why it’s impossible to give people an accurate ‘ballpark’ or estimate bike insurance figure when they only provide the details of the bike, which is another common request.
We’ve outlined what makes a motorbike cheaper to insure below, so we hope it’s useful, but remember the rider and their details are still a big factor…
Don’t run before you can walk
As with anything, you shouldn’t rush in before you have enough experience. If you went skiing for the first time you wouldn’t go straight to off-piste, you need to learn the basics first, practice and hone your abilities.
The same applies to riding motorbikes.
You shouldn’t get a big, sporty, powerful bike to begin with. You should start with a lower cc engine, learn how to ride properly, then upgrade your power when you’ve learn the skills you need to properly control the motorcycle.
Insurers want evidence that you can ride a bike, so if you’re a newbie with zero No Claim Discount (NCD) on a bike, no previous experience of riding bikes and you opt for something powerful, then you need to expect higher premiums, as you haven’t got anything to demonstrate to the insurer that you can ride a powerful (or even a not very powerful) bike safely.
So, rule number one for new riders; the cheapest motorbike to insure is one with a less powerful engine.
Look at some 300cc / 400cc bikes, if you’re slightly bigger you might need something a bit more punchy, look at 600cc / 800cc, save the one litre+ until you really know your stuff!
So how much is insurance for a 600cc motorcycle? A 600cc motorbike is a mid range power machine and therefore it’s impact on your motorbike insurance will be mid range, not as much as 1000cc not as little as a 300cc motorcycle. Remember, this is not the deciding factor, so if you’re just starting out you may want to consider a lower cc than 600cc if your test quotes are coming in a little high.
Prove you’re not a soft target for thieves.
Another massive consideration in your insurance is theft. Those with dubious moral standards, who feel that depriving someone else of their hard-earned, beloved and sometimes essential for their livelihood, mode of transport, should always be considered.
‘It only takes minute girl’ as TT legend (Take That not Tourist Trophy) Gary Barlow once proclaimed and we’re pretty sure he was referring to motorcycle theft an the time it takes to steal a motorbike when he sang it.
Rule number two, keep it secure; the cheapest motorbike to insure is one that is hard and /or unappealing to nick!
Opportunist thieves are always on the lookout for an easy steal and when motorcycles cost a lot of money, are pretty easy to wheel off or stick in the back of van when left unattended and unsecured.
Your garage is your bike’s best friend; if you don’t have a garage, then do everything else to secure it, lock it with a big PHat chain, ground anchor it, track it, alarm it, cover it, keep it out of sight, in a well lit area… You get the gist.
Cheap like the budgie.
Don’t get an expensive bike until you’ve proved you can look after it. This again relates back to you lack of motorcycle NCD as a new rider, will you look after your bike, will you lock it up at all times, cover it, take all of the available precautions to ensure that it’s not nicked?
The underwriter doesn’t know this about you, so you have to demonstrate your ability to keep it safe from theft by building up NCD.
So, whilst you haven’t got any NCD, best bet is to stick to something not too expensive for two reasons, less expensive bikes are 1) cheaper to replace 2) less attractive to steal.
Rule number three, don’t get anything too expensive to begin with; the cheapest motorbike to insure is a cheap motorbike!
Once you have NCD you can start to consider upgrading your bike to something more expensive.
Select the right bike style
Choosing the right bike style could also make a difference, insurer premium can be effected by the type of bike being used. A sports bike implies speed and could be rated higher than a bike that is less speed orientated.
Rule number four, as new rider choose a motorbike style that is less speed and more casual like an adventure, cruiser or scrambler bike; the cheapest motorbike to insure is one that is isn’t a sports bike when you’re new to the game.
We’ve covered the four golden rules of making sure you’re not hit with a nasty insurance premium related surprise when you come to insure your first motorbike.
What is the cheapest motorbike to insure?
Based on all of the above principles, the cheapest bike to insure is one with a) low engine power such as a 125cc, b) a low value of say, under £2k, c) that is stored in a garage overnight and d) the style is not sporty or built for speed, such as a cruiser, scrambler or adventure.