Motorbike insurance

CBT stands for compulsory basic training, and it refers to a course you must take before riding a motorbike or moped legally on UK roads. It’s valid for two years after completing it, and it qualifies you to ride a moped if you’re 16 and over, or a motorcycle up to 125cc and 11kW if you’re 17 and over.

16-year-olds can ride mopeds and scooters if they have passed their compulsory basic training (CBT), but it is limited to 49cc and a maximum speed of 28mph. You won’t be able to carry passengers or drive on motorways, and you must always have L-plates on display.

Some providers may include cover for some modifications but not all, while others may only offer cover as an additional option. However you can also look for specialist insurers to cover your powered two-wheeler if you need to.

Adding ‘bling’ to your bike can usually be covered. But any modifications that increase the power or speed or your motorbike will be considered a higher risk factor and will probably bump up your premium.

Depending on the provider you choose and the policy you take out, you may or may not be covered for things such as punctures and tyre/wheel damage. You should always read the provider’s policy documents before taking out a deal so you know what their insurance deal covers.

Some insurers offer ride-any-bike policies as part of their motorcycle insurance – which will cover you for when you want to borrow a friend’s two-wheeler. But you are likely to be covered for third-party only damage. If you crash your mate’s motorbike, you will have to pay for its repairs.

Many insurers will let you add additional drivers to your policy, though it can often lead to an increase in premium costs.

Whether you’ll be covered if you have passengers – known as pillion cover – will depend on your insurer and the policies you’ve taken out. However it also depends on if your motorcycle licence allows you to carry passengers.

If you commit not to carrying pillion passengers you might get a discount.

Some insurers offer the option for a brand new replacement if your motorbike, scooter or moped is written off, though this is likely to increase your premium costs. It will only apply if you have a new, or recently purchased, bike.

You’ll often have to take out an additional agreed value policy for your insurer to pay out for this amount, otherwise there is generally a set limit on how much they will cover you for.

This generally depends on both the insurer and the extent of the write off. For write off categories A (scrap) and B (break) the motorcycle is not allowed to be put into circulation again.

The rules are less strict for categories S (structurally damaged repairable) and N (non-structurally damaged repairable). Some insurers may allow you to buy back the bike, or parts of it, under certain conditions, while others may not.

In most cases you won’t be able to transfer a no-claims bonus from your car to your bike, however some insurers may allow this – it’s best to check first before assuming either way.

If you only ride your bike for part of the year, such as only in the summer, you may only need to insure it for the time you’re riding it.

However, when not using your motorbike, you’ll need to take out a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) from the DVLA, which allows you to keep the bike off road without insurance.

You can insure imported motorcycles, so long as the bike is registered in the UK. If the bike wasn’t produced for sale in the UK, it is categorised as an imported motorcycle, and you might need to take out specialist cover as not all insurers offer policies for imported motorbikes.

A standard motorcycle insurance policy includes cover for driving in Europe as standard. However, your policy may limit the cover available to you. The pay-outs may be reduced when you make a claim abroad or your cover may be time limited.

Depending on your provider, you may have options to extend your policy’s cover outside of the UK to cover more of what you need. Check your policy documents or contact your chosen insurance provider for further details. 

Depending on your policy and provider, you may have the option to add protection for your no-claims bonus to your motorbike insurance policy. This extra cover will allow you to make claims on your insurance policy up to a certain amount without it affecting your no-claims bonus. 

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