Cheap Motorbike Insurance
Compare scooter, moped or motorcycle insurance

Whether you ride a Harley-Davidson or Vespa scooter, a Ninja, Hornet or Bandit, motorbike insurance is a legal requirement. However, just because it is compulsory doesn't mean it has to cost a packet.
Cheap insurance can be hard to find, as many big names steer clear. Yet it's still possible to get scores of quotes in minutes, saving you £100s. Seeking pedal bike cover instead? Use our Bicycle Insurance guide.
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Step 1: Getting the right cover
Motorbike insurance rates are set by actuaries, whose job is to calculate risk. Each insurer's price depends on two things: their underwriters' assessment of your particular risk, and then their own pricing model which dictates what customers they want to attract and what they should charge. See the following quick questions for more.
Quick questions
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Step 2: Find the best bike quote
As insurance prices depend on an individual's circumstances, there's no single cheapest provider. The key is to use comparison sites to get the most quotes in the shortest amount of time.
If you are a fair-weather rider and only use your bike in lighter, brighter months of extra daylight, also get a quote for temporary insurance.
Compare in the following order
This guide has recently been updated with a new order, and information, but we'd love your feedback on if it works for you, if there's anything you would change, or feel we have missed.
Always double check your results. What to check
Your data is being given to insurers. What insurers may do
Getting a quote from Confused.com took four minutes
Results are readily available for different levels of cover
Simple edit option and you're able to view premiums for each cover level by clicking a drop-down
Additional features clearly shown.
The box used to opt out of marketing calls is not easy to find
Mileage defaults to 3,000-3,999/yr
Obtaining a quotation took approximately four minutes
Voluntary excess as it defaults to £500
Results are readily available for different levels of cover
The box used to opt out of marketing calls is not easy to find
Editing your quote is simple
Special offers are displayed
Obtaining a quote from MoneySupermarket took around five minutes
Lets you alternate between cover levels by using a drop-down box
Additional costs are clearly displayed
Clear and easy to opt out of marketing calls/emails
Getting revised updated quotations is slow when editing cover
The Gocompare quotation process took approximately five minutes
It clearly states, with a tick and cross display, if additional cover is provided, or has been selected
The process of opting out of marketing calls or literature was clear and easy to find
Comparing between insurers and including add-ons can be fiddly
The pick of the rest
A couple of insurers aren't included on comparisons and are worth checking separately for a final push. So if you have a few minutes spare, try Aviva (though you will need to call) and broker Carole Nash*.
If you're desparate to squeeze the pennies, there are also a few more comparisons to try: Quotezone*, Compare The Market* and MCN Compare.
Step 3: Check out special policies
Once you've obtained quotes from comparison sites, it's worth trying these extra steps to see if they undercut your best price.
Temporary insurance
For some, jumping on the saddle is a good weather activity. If your bike only comes out when the weather is on the bright side, take a look at cheaper temporary insurance that can just last up to three months.
There are two things to be aware of, though.
You won't build up a no-claims bonus. This will mean you won't be eligible for no-claims discounts in future years.
When not insured, you must get Sorn. Rules came into force in 2011 saying all vehicles must either be insured - even if no one rides them - or you must get a a Sorn (Statutory Off Road Notification). See Gov.uk for how to do this.
The top short-term solution
Bikesure: If you need short-term cover, Bikesure can offer policies from one day up to 3 months at a time. A condition is that the rider must be aged 21 or over.
Before jumping for a short period policy, compare the cost against an annual premium as getting three months of cover won't simply be a quarter of an annual premium so is worth doing some homework.
Get a 'six-wheel' policy
If your bike isn't your only form of transport, and you use a car too, get a quote for a policy that covers both. The only 'six-wheel' policy we've found is from Carole Nash.
Though having both vehicles on one policy may be convenient, check that it's actually worth it. Get a 'six-wheel' quote, then total up individual ones for your bike, using the comparisons above, and your car, using our Cheap Car Insurance guide.
Speak to a broker
Brokers and comparison sites may seem like they're doing a similar job, as each search a number of different insurers. But they're radically different beasts. A good analogy for this is to compare it to searching for the cheapest loaf of bread.
Individual insurers are like bakers, your choice is simply to buy the cheapest loaf that suits.
Brokers are like supermarkets. They stock a range of bakers' loaves and the price charged depends on their relationships with suppliers, while comparison sites keep records of all their prices.
So, with your tastebuds whet, we'll get to the point. To really hone the price to the nth degree, it is worth picking up the phone and calling a broker. Try BikeSure or search on the British Insurance Brokers Association website for a local broker.
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Step 4: Special deals
While comparison sites offer a large chunk of the deals available in the market, others are only available directly from insurers or brokers. If any of the providers below are among your cheapest, use the links below to buy instead and take advantage of special deals.
Free legal expenses, helmet and leathers cover

You won't find LV motorcycle insurance on comparison sites but do offer a number of incentives to tempt you into signing up. You'll automatically get free helmet and leathers cover, £100k of legal expenses and a 10% discount if you have an existing LV car or home insurance policy.
Step 5: Grab cashback and haggle
By now you'll know the cheapest available provider. But you may be able to cut the cost even further.
Try cashback websites
Once you know who your cheapest provider is, you need to check there aren't any hidden cashback deals, as these have been as high as £100. If your second or third cheapest quotes weren't too much more expensive see if cashback's available for them too, and find the overall winner.
These sites carry paid links from some retailers and financial services providers. In other words if you click through them and get a product they get paid. They then give you some of this cash which means you get the same product, but a cut of its revenue.
Don't choose based only on cashback, see it as a bonus once you've picked the right cover.
Those new to cashback sites should ensure they read the Top Cashback Sites guide for pros and cons before using them.
Things you need to know before doing this...
- Never count the cash as yours until it's in your bank account. This cashback is never 100% guaranteed, there can be issues with tracking and allocating the payment, plus many cashback sites are small companies with limited backing, and you've no protection if anything happens to them.
- Withdraw the cashback as soon as you're allowed. Money held in your cashback site account has no protection at all if that company went bust, so always withdraw it as soon as you're eligible.
- Clear your cookies. While it shouldn't be a problem, if you've used comparison sites beforehand, there is a minor risk that the cashback may not track due to cookies - so its good practice to clear those first (read About Cookies).
Haggle on your insurance
The insurance market is very competitive and companies are desperate to retain business. So once you've got your overall cheapest price, get on the phone and try to haggle. There's often price flexibility, but be fully armed with the screenscrapers' cheapest quotes and any available cashback first.
The first port of call should be your existing insurer. If it can beat or even match the best quote it saves the hassle of switching policy. If that doesn't work and you're still in the mood, take it to a broker. For more haggling tips, read the full Haggle On The High Street guide and the top 10 firms to haggle with.
Once you've found the cheapest
Once you've found the cheapest from the screenscrapers, there are two important checks to make:
Double-check the quotes
Click through to the insurance provider's own website to double-check the quotes, as to speed up searches some comparison sites make a few assumptions.Examine the policy's coverage
Is the policy suitable for you? If you want "pillion cover", is it included? Plus while you're there, it's worth playing with the policy details to see if you can slim the price down. Look at the excess, and if extra security will help to drive the cost down.
Step 6: Remember next year

Providing you drive well and don't have any accidents, your insurance premium should get cheaper after the first year. However, don't automatically stick with the same provider - it may not still be the cheapest.
Apply for cover from your existing insurer as a new customer and its likely you'll be given a better price. This is because insurers, like any company, will happily profit from apathy if they can.
Insurers must send out renewal notifications at least 28 days before renewal. This doesn't leave much time, and you can end up rushing to find a cheaper price.
To avoid being forced to decide quickly, put a warning in your diary six weeks before your renewal date, so there's plenty of time to sort out a new provider. Alternatively use the free Tart Alert, which sends a reminder text or email.
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How to complain about your insurance provider
The insurance industry doesn't have the best customer service reputation and while a provider may be good for some, it can be hell for others. Common problems include claims either not being paid out on time or at all, unfair charges, or exclusions being hidden in the small print. It's always worth trying to call your provider first, but if not then use the free tool below.

Free tool if you're having a problem
This tool helps you draft your complaint and manage it too. It's totally free, and offered by a firm called Resolver which we like so much we work with it to help people get complaints justice.
If the complaint isn't resolved, Resolver will escalate it to the free Financial Ombudsman Service.
Important: if your issue is about a voucher or incentive that was part of an MSE Blagged deal, then instead just let us know by emailing voucherhelp@moneysavingexpert.com as that's usually quicker.
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