There are dozens of motorcycle insurance providers in the UK. How can you compare them to find the best motorbike company for you? While the market is largely dominated by a few bike insurance specialists and big-name brands, they are all a bit different. To help you choose the best motorbike insurance company for your needs, we compiled a list of the top ten motorcycle insurance companies in the UK (ranked by features and customer service) and explain what’s special about each one.
- What are the best motorcycle insurance companies in the UK market?
- Comparing quotes from cheap motorbike insurance companies
- Specialist motorcycle vs. large insurance companies
- Complaints data for motorcycle underwriters in the UK
Compare Cheap Motorcycle Insurance Companies
Devitt and BeMoto are arguably the best motorcycle insurance companies in the UK, based on analysis by NimbleFins showing they’re the best ranked according to customer reviews and independent ratings, as well as cost. LV= ranked as the third best.
We compared quotes and found that Devitt was the cheapest overall for scooters with smaller 125cc engines through to larger 1250cc motorcycles, sporting a combination of lower prices and excess amounts (the excess is the amount you pay towards a claim). BeMoto, a relative newcomer, was just as competitive for larger motorcycles. Some companies offered low quotes for the 1250cc bike, but policies came with an excess more than 2x the size of competing offers, making them less competitive despite the low premium (e.g. Lexham). Your prices will vary depending on where you live, the bike you drive, your driving history and other factors.
Top 10 Best Motorcycle Insurance Companies UK
Each UK motorbike insurance company offers quite a different experience to customers. For example, the top cheap motorcycle insurance companies like Devitt might get you cheaper quotes, while other companies might offer more robust features included as standard (e.g., EU cover, Helmets & Leathers), and even experiences like discounted track days. Here’s what you should know about these companies before you decide which is best for you.
BeMoto
Apply Now Consider this if you want a smaller company with good customer ratings.
A relative newcomer (founded in 2015 by two bike fanatics), BeMoto actually has the highest Trustpilot score in the group (4.8 out of 5 stars) and few customer complaints (also 3%), although there are fewer customer reviews to rely upon here (fewer than 800 at the time of writing). Some ways that BeMoto stands out are: they don’t charge broker fees for you to make changes to your policy and they “love modifications”. In terms of how their products stack up for basic features, their Carbon plan will be cheaper and includes 90 days of EU travel, a 24-hour claims helpline, a motor legal advice helpline and legal expenses (you can add other extras for a fee); Titanium plan will be a bit pricier but has the same features as Carbon PLUS includes personal accident, helmet & leathers and RAC breakdown for no added charge.
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- 8 out of 5 star Trustpilot customer rating
- Titanium is their premium product
LV=
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Consider this if you want top notch customer experience and don’t have complicated insurance needs.
LV= is tied with Devitt for the highest Trustpilot score amongst these motorcycle insurance providers (4.7 out of 5), which is a measure of customer satisfaction. The company also reports high renewal rates, which bodes well for renewal premiums. LV might not be the cheapest in the group and probably won’t be as strong for specialist or non-standard needs, but customers get 180 days European cover and Helmet and Leathers cover is included. Their motorbike cover has great features when you buy from them (but their Highway product is not as robust on standard features).
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- 7 out of 5 star Trustpilot customer rating
- Note: their Highway broker product is not as good on features; their direct product has great features
Devitt
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Consider this if you want to pay a low price for motorcycle insurance from a popular company with happy customers and few complaints.
Devitt is very popular UK motorcycle insurance specialist broker, and for good reason. Firstly, they are the UK’s oldest motorcycle specialist and have been helping customers find insurance for over 80 years (since 1936!). And they’re very highly rated by their customers, achieving 4.7 out of 5 stars according to over 15,000 customers at Trustpilot. They typically can offer very competitive prices—if not the cheapest quote, they are usually amongst the cheaper cover available, although this may not hold for everyone.
To keep the prices low, policies are relatively stripped back, so you can customise your policy by adding extra coverages like Legal Assistance, Helmet & Leathers and Personal Accident. And the fraction of customers who have a bad experience is very small (just 3%), which bodes well for anyone thinking of buying a policy from them. Finally, their policies offer a solid set of basic features (With their ‘Evolution’ product including the most features as standard).
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- 7 out of 5 star Trustpilot customer rating
- Devitt Motorcycle Insurance, Enhanced insurance and Evolution insurance have top-notch features
- Read our review
Bikesure
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Consider this if you want solid cover from a specialist motorbike insurer and free legal cover.
Bikesure is the motorcycle insurance specialist arm of Adrian Flux, the UK’s largest specialist motor insurance broker. Bike sure can cater to SORN, short-term, classic, grey imports, young rider and other niche products. Bikesure’s Motorcycle Policy and Elite Motorcycle policy are both solid on their basic features.
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- 4 out of 5 star Trustpilot customer rating
- Solid set of features
- Read our review
Hastings Direct
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Consider this if you want to buy from a company that underwrites their own policies.
Hastings is one of the 10 largest motor insurance companies in the UK—a very popular brand particularly well known from price comparison websites. Since they underwrite their own policies, you know what you’re getting. On their website they offer two levels of bike cover: Hastings Direct and Hastings Premier. Both include 90 days of EU cover each trip abroad per trip. Hastings Premier policies are solid for features, including Helmet and leathers cover and £100,000 of legal cover.
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- 4 out of 5 star Trustpilot customer rating
- Direct and Premier have great features
- Read our review
Carole Nash
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Consider this if you want to pay a lower price for comprehensive motorcycle insurance with many good features or need specialist cover.
Carole Nash is another bike specialist that provides cover for over 200,000 motorcycles and scooters in the UK and Ireland. Their comprehensive plans include accident and breakdown recovery, up to £100,000 of legal expenses and DNA+ theft protection marking (worth £30) as standard. As a specialist, they can cater to commuters, off road, superbikes, multibike and classic bike cover. Those wanting to insure a car as well can take advantage of their 6 wheel insurance for bike and car and could save you up to £100. Their list of underwriters includes Ageas, ERS, Highway Insurance Company, Aviva, Axa, Markerstudy, Zenith and Allianz.
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- 4 out of 5 star Trustpilot customer rating
- Note: Carole Nash Select features are not as good as their main product
- Read our review
Goskippy
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Consider this if you’re happy working with a broker and want a lower rate for basic cover, but some policies are very robust in terms of features, or features cost extra.
Goskippy is an insurance broker that works with a panel of insurers to find cheap rates for car, motorcycle, van, home and travel insurance. You may find they offer cheaper rates but you’ll need to pay extra for coverage like Helmet and Leathers and replacement vehicle cover. Their comprehensive policies underwritten by Southern Rock & Watford are the best for features.
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- 2 out of 5 star Trustpilot customer rating
Bennetts
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Consider this if you want specialized motorbike insurance from a leading UK broker.
Bennetts is one of the UK’s leading bike insurance brokers. They were established in 1930 so they have a long history, and they now insure over 200,000 motorcyclists in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. As standard, policyholders get 90 Days of European Union cover, 3rd party cover for riding other bikes and cover for 16 standard modifications (e.g., seat replacement, grippers, screen changes, etc.)—plus key and lock cover on comprehensive policies. Plus, Bennetts customers get access to money-can’t-buy experiences like discounted track days and VIP treatment at the Isle of Man TT. One of the only hitches we noticed was a relatively higher percentage of customers leaving 1-star reviews on Trustpilot (13%) compared to some other names in this list (e.g. LV= at 2% and Devitt and BeMoto at 3%, all top-notch scores).
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- 4 out of 5 star Trustpilot customer rating
- Great features
MCE
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Consider this if you want to pay a low price for motorcycle insurance from a true specialist.
MCE is not a broker, as they underwrite their own policies—a true motorcycle specialist. Plus they specialise in convicted driver insurance so if you’re having trouble finding an affordable quote elsewhere due to your driving history they are worth checking out. MCE motorcycle policies come with a solid set of features and include 183 days European Cover and extensive modification allowances as free benefits.
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- 4 out of 5 star Trustpilot customer rating
- Great features
- Read our review
Lexham
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Consider this if you’re happy working with a broker and need specialist cover, in particular for young riders.
Lexham is a specialist motorbike broker that stands out for friendly customer service and some of the lowest rates for young motorcycle riders and drivers. In fact, they ranked cheapest in our study of cheap motorcycle insurance for 17 to 19 year olds. Thanks to its low rates, easy renewal process and customer-focused service team, Lexham motorcycle insurance has very positive customer reviews overall.
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- 33 out of 5 star Reviews.io customer rating
- Great features
Which is better? Motorcycle Insurance Specialist vs.Larger Company
Well-known names in the UK motorcycle market include motorcycle specialists (e.g., Devitt, Bennetts, Carole Nash, MCE, Lexham, Bikesure, etc.), big insurance companies (e.g., LV= and Hastings Direct) and brokers offering wider range of cover (e.g., Goskippy and Performance Direct). Which is best for you? It depends on your situation. If you have a popular bike that hasn’t been modified much, then any of them might be suitable.
Those with grey imports or significant modifications might need a specialist bike insurance provider, as they are likely to better understand what they’re being asked to insure—and as a result offer a more competitive price. In contrast, bigger companies can be better for those who want all of their insurance (e.g., home, car, etc.) in one place.
Either way, if you’re after a cheap quote then it’s usually a good idea to use a comparison site such as our bike insurance partner QuoteZone. That will help you to compare the market for cheap motorbike insurance quotes.
Customer Complaints and Reviews for Top Motorcycle Insurance Underwriters
Most of the top motorcycle insurance companies listed above are brokers working with a panel of underwriters. Ultimately, your claims experience and pricing depend on the underwriter of your poliycy. Here are their top most common motorcycle insurance underwriters, with data on most recent FOS complaints and customer Trustscores from Trustpilot, where available.
Methodology
The create the list of the top 10 motorbike insurance providers in the UK, we first looked at the popularity of the product, because the more motorcyclists want a product, the better is tends to be.
We also looked at companies based on their Trustpilot score. Trustpilot Trustscores reflect the level of customer satisfaction achieved by a company. The highest Trustscore is 5 out of 5.
Finally, we considered the number of reviews (because more reviews = more reliability) and the percentage of bad, 1-star reviews.
Companies didn’t make the top ten list if they didn’t have enough customer reviews—our cutoff was a minimum of 750 customer reviews.
For the price comparison chart, we compared online quotes for the companies in the list of 10 best motorcycle insurance companies. Note, LV= and Carole Nash would not provide us with quotes, so we were unable to include these in our price comparison chart.
Sources
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- Trustpilot customer reviews
- io customer reviews
Cheap Motorcycle Insurance Quotes in Your Area
Panel includes over two dozen UK motorcycle insurance providers.
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Note regarding savings figures: 51% of consumers could save up to £195.07 on their Motorbike Insurance. The saving was calculated by comparing the cheapest price found with the average of the next five cheapest prices quoted by insurance providers on Seopa Ltd’s insurance comparison website. This is based on representative cost savings from November 2021. The savings you could achieve are dependent on your individual circumstances.
