What kind of bicycle insurance can be compared?

It doesn’t matter whether you ride a full-sus mountain bike, a featherweight carbon framed road bike or a tech laiden e-bike, you can compare insurance to get a cycle insurance quote for all bicycle types at Biker Insure:

• Mountain bike insurance
• Road bike insurance
• E bike insurance
• Hybrid bicycle insurance
• BMX insurance
• And many more…

Unlike motorbike insurance, the comparison process for bicycles is simpler. Because you don’t need to enter quite as much information about yourself, there are no licensing requirements for bicycles, and you don’t need to declare any riding history to get a quote, comparing bicycle quotes is more straightforward – and quicker - than car or motorbike insurance.

Do bicycles need insurance in the UK

Unlike motorcycles and cars, there is no legal requirement for bicycles and their riders to be insured on UK roads.

Is it worth insuring my bike?

Because there’s no legal requirement in the UK to insure a push bike, cycle insurance is often something that can be overlooked, forgotten, or even completely disregarded.

Cycling doesn’t come without risks – of injury to both yourself, pedestrians, vehicles and other cyclists. And with full suspension mountain bikes, carbon framed road bikes and tech-laiden e-bikes now retailing at prices that are often comparable with their petrol-powered cousins, the consequences of having your bicycle stolen or damaged could result in a big bill.

The decision to cover your bicycle with specialist cycle insurance policy is one which will entirely depend on your individual circumstances. It’s your call, so you’ll need to weigh up your personal appetite for risk, how you use your pedal bike, the cost of your bicycle and the consequences to you if it were stolen or damaged. You should also take into consideration the extent to which your home contents insurance could provide cover for your push bike.

Is my bicycle insured on a home contents policy?

Bicycles are sometimes covered under a home contents insurance policy for theft and malicious damage. If bicycle insurance is included on your contents policy, it’s important to check the policy wording to make sure you have all the level of protection you need.

Most policies have a maximum insured amount for bicycles. This can vary from a few hundred pounds, to over a thousand. You won’t receive adequate compensation if you have a more expensive bicycle.

The majority of policies will only provide this minimum level of cover for a bicycle that’s stored within the boundaries of your own home, and adequately secured in a garage or shed.

If the cycle is stolen from elsewhere, you won’t be covered under many home policies.

Sometimes you can pay extra for an increased level of protection. As with any insurance, it’s vitally important to read through the documents to be sure how, when and for how much your bicycle is covered.

Sometimes you can pay extra for an increased level of protection. As with any insurance, it’s vitally important to read through the documents to be sure how, when and for how much your bicycle is covered.

If you ride a more expensive bicycle, take part in cycling competitions, or want to travel with your bicycle, it could be worth considering a stand-alone bicycle insurance policy.

What does bicycle insurance cover?

Cycle insurance policies will typically cover theft, accidental, and malicious damage. What is or is not included as standard will vary by provider.

You can easily check what is covered in the policies you are comparing by clicking on “more info” on the quote results page, where the key features will tell you exactly what is covered. You’ll also have the option to add on any bicycle policy extras that you might need.

Always check the providers terms and conditions for more detailed information about your cycle insurance quote.

How to compare cycle insurance

Comparing bicycle insurance at Biker Insure is easy, and shouldn’t take more than a minute or so to access quotes from multiple UK cycle insurance providers. The steps to take are as follows:

1. Your Bicycle

What is the bicycle make?

Select the make of your bicycle from the dropdown list, or start typing to find your brand. If your make is not listed, select “my make is not listed.” The model of your bike is not required here, but you may have to add this on the insurance providers site if you go on to make a purchase.

What value is the bicycle?

Enter a cost to replace the bicycle as new (RRP). If you bought the bike second hand, you can enter the amount you actually paid.

Is this an e-bike?

An e-bike is defined as a bicycle equipped with an electric motor to assist pedalling, and powered by a rechargeable battery mounted on or in the bicycle.

Select Yes or No

What type of bicycle is it?

There are four main options, covering the most common bicycle types – Commuter/City, Hybrid, Mountain, and Road/Race.

If you have a different kind of bicycle, select “other” - where you can choose from BMX, Cyclo-cross, Folding, Gravel, Recumbent. Tandem, Time Trial/Triathlon, Touring, Track and Trekking.

If you have more than one bicycle to insure, click on “add another bicycle.” – this feature will allow you to repeat the process, adding up to 10 bicycles.

2. Cover

There are just two yes/no questions to answer here. You can add or update these on the results page if you would prefer:

Do you need cover for bicycle racing?

This can extend your bicycle insurance policy to cover you and your bicycle while racing.

Do you need cover for non-competitive cycling events?

This can extend your policy to cover organised but non competitive cycling events like charity rides.

Next, select when you would like your bicycle insurance policy to commence. The cover start date must be within 30 days of the comparison.

3. About You

Select your title, enter your full name and your date of birth (DOB can affect your premium).

Enter your phone number and email address.

Enter your postcode and select your home address.

You’ll then be invited to opt in to being contacted by two of the cheapest bicycle insurance providers, plus a marketing consent opt in. You won’t receive any telephone calls unless you would prefer to do so.

And that's it - Simply click to accept and let the system perform your bicycle insurance comparison.

What happens next

You’ll then be provided with a list of cycling insurance quotes from multiple UK providers, arranged cheapest first.

Next to the name of the provider and the price, you’ll be able to see at a glance the amount of excess on the policy, plus the extras that are included or can be added on for an additional cost.

You’ll also need to decide whether you would prefer to pay monthly or annually for your bicycle insurance

If you’re happy with the price and level of cover, select “more info” against your preferred quote. This will open up another window outlining the key features of the policy, plus what is and is not included.

If you’re content with the details, click on the button to be taken to the bicycle insurance providers website. You can now complete the purchase of your cycling insurance online.

Please note that if you’ve added any optional extras, you may need to add them in on the providers website before you purchase. You might also need to fill in any extra details required buy the provider which have not been asked on the comparison system e.g., make of your bicycle.

Additional extras

Most policies cover theft and damage as standard. Providers may however have different levels of cover (e.g., theft from home, theft away from home, theft from a vehicle), and different requirements for paying out (e.g., if your bike is over three years old, you might not get it replaced with a brand-new bike). It therefore pays to check your providers policy wording before you buy.

You can also typically add on to your cycle insurance policy:

Public Liability – Provides additional cover if you injure another person or someone else’s property while riding your bicycle.

Personal Accident – Compensation if you are injured or die as a result of a bicycling accident.

Legal Cover – Provides legal expenses in an accident to help with the recovery of uninsured losses.

Accessory Cover – Covers equipment that you have added to the bicycle such as cycle computers, luggage and GPS devices. May also include wearable items such as helmets, armour and cycling shoes.

Cycling Travel Insurance – You can extend your cover to include European and Worldwide travel. There may be limits on the number of consecutive days for each trip. Check with the provider for details.

Competition/Race Cover – Provides insurance for competitive cycle events. Can include race fee reimbursement if you cannot take part due to illness, injury or a bicycle insurance claim.

How much is bicycle insurance?

The cost of your bicycle insurance will vary according to what kind of bicycle your ride, its value, and where you live - plus any additional extras that are added to the cycle policy.

To give you an idea of the savings that you could make when you compare bicycle insurance, here are some recent figures* from the service available at Biker Insure:

You could pay less than £36 for bicycles valued up to £1500
You could pay less than £69 for bicycles valued between £1501 and £3000
You could pay less than £144 for bicycles valued over £3000

*51% of customers with a bicycle valued up to £1500 who obtained a quote for Bicycle Insurance through this service provided by Seopa Ltd during September 2023 were quoted less than £35.12. Using the same calculation for bicycles valued between £1500 and £3000 gave a figure of £68.66 and for bicycles valued over £3000 gave a figure of £143.54. The quote price you could achieve is dependent on your individual circumstances

Multi bicycle insurance

Many cycling enthusiasts often own two or more bicycles, with collections that can represent a sizeable investment – and risk.

Although you can’t ride all your bikes at once, you can get multiple bikes all insured on a single policy. This reduces the paperwork and hassle involved – and there’s also the possibility of a cost reduction in comparison with single bicycle insurance policies.

You can add up to 10 bicycles to a single policy quote on the comparison form.

What’s the best bicycle insurance in the UK?

Bicycle insurance can be as individual as you are. Because all cyclists have different bicycles, requirements and circumstances, the best bicycle insurance for one rider might be an unsuitable policy for another.

Providers differ in the level of cycle insurance they provide, so it’s always best to ensure you’re comparing not just on price, but also the level of cover. That way, you’ll find the best bicycle insurance for your specific biking needs.

Whether you’re shredding trails on your MTB at the weekend, commuting to work on your hybrid in the week, or chasing a new personal best on your carbon framed road bike; compare quotes at Biker Insure today and see just how much you could save on your bicycle insurance.