Motorbike Insurance For Young Riders

Motorbike insurance for young riders

Motorbike insurance for young riders is more expensive because young riders don’t have many years of driving experience under their belts, and insurers view them as being more at risk of having accidents and making a claim.

But there are various steps you can take to help bring down the cost of your insurance.

What affects the cost of motorcycle insurance?

How much motorcycle insurance costs you will depend on factors such as:

• Your age

• The make and model of your bike

• Your bike’s value

• Your bike’s engine power – the CC

• The type of licence needed to ride the bike

• Your riding history and no claims bonus.

What type of motorbike insurance do you need?

There are three main types of motorbike insurance and their cost will vary:

Fully comprehensive bike insurance

Fully comprehensive bike insurance will provide cover for your bike if you’re involved in an accident, and will also cover damage to another person’s vehicle or property and any injuries they suffer.

It may also cover you when you’re riding overseas (though it is likely to be a more basic form of cover). Most policies require you to add breakdown cover or legal fees cover as extras. 

Comprehensive insurance can also cover the cost of your keys, helmet and leather, and a courtesy bike if you need it. Because fully comprehensive bike insurance offers more cover, this type of policy tends to be more expensive.

Third party, fire and theft bike insurance

Third party, fire and theft bike insurance will cover any damage or loss to your bike that happens because of a fire or theft, and it will also cover another person, their property or vehicle in case of an accident that’s caused by you.

Damage to your own bike that’s not caused by a fire or theft will not be covered.

Most third party, fire and theft policies will still offer this cover if you’re riding overseas. If you want to insure your own bike for breakdown cover, or you want to have personal accident and legal protection, you’ll normally need to add this as an extra policy feature.

Third party only bike insurance

Third party only bike insurance will only cover damage to another person, their property or vehicle if you’re involved in an accident and you were at fault. Damage to your own bike will not be covered. This is the minimum level of cover required and is usually the cheapest option.

Most third party policies will offer the same level of cover if you have an accident abroad.

You’ll need to read the policy documents carefully before taking out any type of bike insurance, because the features that are included as part of the standard policy – and the features that need to be added as extra cover – may differ.

Tips to keep motorbike insurance costs down

There are some things you can do as a young motorbike rider to help keep the cost of insurance down. These include:

• Choose a bike with a smaller engine: smaller enginesare less powerful and are normally found on cheaper bikes, which means the insurer is less likely to pay out as much if you have to claim. So choosing a bike with a smaller engine can help to bring your costs down.

• Drive safely: driving safely and at the speed limit helps to make sure you don’t get points on your licence – or convictions. Safe driving can also help to prevent accidents, so you’re less likely to make a claim. Every claim you make pushes up the cost of your insurance.

• Keep your bike safe and secure: keeping your bike properly locked and secure and installing security devices can help to lower the likelihood of it being stolen, which can help to lower the cost of insurance.

• Enhanced riding qualifications: taking part in an enhanced rider scheme can give you a DVSA certificate of competence, which can help to keep the cost of insurance down as a young rider.

• Don’t modify your bike: unless they are for security reasons, modifications to your bike are best avoided. Modifications can push up the cost of your insurance as they can increase the value and speed of your bike – which insurers view as a higher risk.

• Keep the miles down: the more miles you do on the bike, the higher the risk of an accident, and the more you’ll pay for your insurance.

• Increase your voluntary excess: choosing to pay a higher voluntary excess can help to lower the cost of your monthly insurance payments, but this does mean that you will end up paying a higher fee if you do need to claim.

• Decide whether you need pillion cover: pillion cover can help to cover the cost of personal injuries to any passengers you have on your bike. But if you don’t carry any passengers, you won’t need pillion cover – which can help to keep the cost of insurance down.

• Add a named driver: adding a named driver to your policy can help to keep costs down because the insurance company assumes that you’ll spend less time riding the bike. If you are going to be the main driver, you should make sure this is written in your policy – if your insurance company has you down as a named driver, but you’re the one riding most of the time and you have an accident, your insurer can refuse to pay your claim.

Compare motorbike insurance quotes for young riders

MoneySuperMarket has partnered with insurance comparison platform, Vast Visibility, to help you compare motorbike insurance quotes. You can filter your motorbike insurance quotes by cover type to see what each provider covers in their comprehensive, third party, fire and theft and third party only policies. Your insurance quotes will be listed in price order, from low to high, to help you compare.

Some of the policies will also let you add features to offer protection for personal accident, breakdown or legal protection if this is not automatically covered – click on the “more” button in the quote to find out if this is possible. You can then buy the insurance directly from the provider’s website.