What is temporary motorbike insurance?

Temporary, or short term, motorcycle insurance, is similar to a regular annual bike insurance policy, but the policy will only cover you for a set amount of time. This can vary from just a few hours, to a few days or a week. Basically, any time period that’s less than the typical 1-year policy could be classified as temporary motorcycle insurance. The term is most often applied to motorbike policies lasting from a few days to a few weeks.

Tempcover offer short term bike policies from 1 day to 7 days. If you need motorbike insurance for longer than one week, there’s the option to re-quote and take out another short-term policy when the initial cover ends. You'll receive a message when your temporary bike insurance is due to expire.

At Tempcover, all policies are offered on a fully comprehensive basis which is the maximum level of insurance protection for UK motorbike insurance. This ensures that both you and your bike are fully covered for complete peace of mind – now matter how infrequent or brief the ride.

Why temporary motorbike insurance?

There are many reasons why you might need motorcycle day insurance. Examples of why you might need temporary cover include:

Test rides – If you’re test riding a bike from a dealer, their policy will typically cover customer test rides (although it’s always worth checking the level of insurance, and terms). If you’re test riding a bike from a private seller, you’ll need to make sure you have adequate insurance in place.

Remember that if your existing motorcycle policy allows riding other bikes, then the sellers motorbike must also be insured in its own right – and you’ll usually only be insured third party. Temporary bike insurance gives peace of mind that both you and the bike are fully insured when riding someone else's motorcycle.

New bike – if you’ve bought a bike in a rush or on a whim and have forgotten to arrange insurance, you can take out a temporary policy in minutes and be on your way. Save the hassle of comparing quotes and finding a suitable annual policy until you’re back at home and have the time to sort it out properly.

Borrowing a bike – if you’re borrowing a bike from a friend or family member for a brief spell. Because temporary motorbike insurance is a completely separate, stand-alone product, you won’t risk losing any no claims discounts that may be in place. Everyone is covered should the worst happen.

Group rides - useful on a group ride if you want to swap bikes but also make sure everyone is fully covered.

Learning to ride – if you’re occasionally riding on L plates after passing your CBT and using someone else’s bike, temporary learner motorbike insurance ensures you and the bike are fully covered while you learn.

Emergencies – Any number of unforeseen circumstances could lead to you needing short term insurance on a bike. Make it easy by getting the right cover in minutes.

Key benefits of temporary motorbike insurance

• Temporary motorbike insurance is a completely separate, stand-alone product which ensures peace of mind for everyone.
• Avoid the hassle and expense of adjusting existing motorcycle premiums.
• No claims bonuses are not at risk in the event you need to make a claim on the temporary bike policy.
• Buy a short term motorbike policy online any time you need it.
• No restrictions on when or where in the UK you can ride.

How much is temporary motorcycle insurance?

Temporary motorbike policies can start from as little as £20 a week. As with any kind of motorcycle insurance, short term policy prices will vary according to your individual circumstances and the motorbike you need to insure.

1 day motorbike insurance will generally cost less than a 7 day policy, because you're covered for less time. Bear in mind that the average daily cost may work out more expensive, the shorter your policy duration.

How to get temporary motorcycle insurance

It’s easy to get a temporary motorbike insurance quote with Tempcover, and shouldn’t take much longer than about 90 seconds.

• Provide the registration of the bike you are looking to cover with short term insurance.
• Choose how long you need temporary bike insurance cover for, from 1 day to 7 days.
• Select when you’d like to be covered from, either immediately or on a specific date. You can select the hour you want cover to begin from.
• Enter your licence type, name, occupation, date of birth, motorcycle value, your address and what your use of the bike will be under the temporary policy.
• Declare who owns the motorbike and where it will be parked overnight while you are temporarily insured.
• Select if you have or have not ridden on the road in the last two years, and the bike you have been riding.
• Declare your motorbike licence entitlement (whether provisional or full, and the length of time held)
• Select the reason for needing short term motorcycle insurance cover

Tempcover will compare prices from their leading panel of temporary bike insurance providers, from which you will be shown the cheapest quote for your short term bike insurance, followed by details of the policy.

If you’re happy, make the payment and your temporary motorbike insurance documents will be emailed to you instantly.

What are the conditions to qualify for temporary bike insurance?

In order to buy temporary motorbike insurance, you must*:

• Be aged between 17 and 70
• Hold a full UK bike licence or provisional motorcycle entitlement.
• Have lived in the UK permanently for the last 5 years.
• Have no more than 6 points on your licence in the last 3 years
• Not have been disqualified from driving in the last two years.
• Have no more than one fault claim in the last three years.
• Have no criminal convictions, ASBOS or CBO's
• Have not had any previous motor insurance policy cancelled or void.

Exclusions on a temporary motorbike insurance policy:

Although most riders should be able to access temporary insurance, cover is dependent on several factors. There are some exclusions*:

• Your bike must be valued between £500 and £10,000.
• You must not use your temporary policy for any commercial use, including business travel, courier, fast food delivery, hire & reward, or in connection with the motor trade.
• Although the bike doesn't need to be owned by you, it must not be a hire or loan motorbike.
• It mustn't be modified from the original manufacturers standard specification.
• You must not use your temporary insurance policy to carry a pillion.

* For a comprehensive list of exclusions, terms & conditions on your short term bike policy, please see the Tempcover website.

Can I ride another motorbike on my existing insurance?

If you have an existing annual motorcycle insurance policy then you may be insured to ride other bikes. This is typically only available if you have a fully comprehensive policy, and may come with restrictions. Check with your bike insurance provider.

If you have a fully comprehensive policy and it doesn’t include riding other bikes as standard, you may be able to add it on.

However, there are a few things to bear in mind. Riding other bikes is typically only offered on a third-party basis so if you’re involved in an accident that’s your fault, then you could experience serious financial repercussions.

It’s also worth remembering that if you ride someone else’s bike on your own insurance, then the other bike must also be insured in its own right.

You could also ask to be added as a named rider on someone else’s policy.

If all that sounds like hard work, it could be more straightforward (and possibly cheaper) to take out a temporary motorcycle insurance policy - and know that you have the maximum amount of cover for your occasional ride.

Should I get short term motorbike insurance or an annual policy?

In theory you could take out an annual motorcycle insurance policy, use it for the required time and then cancel. However, you will typically be faced with a cancellation or admin fee (or both), especially if you are outside of the 14-day policy cooling off period.

If you cancel before the full year is up, you won’t qualify for your motorcycle No Claims Discount.

Temporary bike insurance can be a cheaper way to get insured if you only need insuring for a short period, but becomes disproportionately expensive the longer you use it when compared to an annual policy.

It’s worth weighing up the pros and cons of both annual and short-term bike insurance. You’ll be able to compare prices and cover levels and work out which is cheapest for you.

Remember – it is a legal requirement to make sure your motorcycle is insured. Whether you have a one day, one week, or one-year policy; as soon as that policy expires you need to make sure a new one replaces it - or notify the DVLA that your bike is off the road with a SORN. This is called the Continuous Insurance Enforcement scheme.

You can find out more about CIE at the Motor Insurers Bureau, or on the UK Government website.

Temporary moped and scooter insurance

It's not just big bikes! Moped and scooter riders can also cover their machines on a short term policy. You'll need to be over 17 years old to qualify for temporary moped insurance.

1 day motorbike insurance

No matter what your need temporary motorbike insurance for, one day is the minimum policy length available at Tempcover. It's not currently possible to insure your bike in smaller increments (for example 1 hour motorbike insurance). The 24 hour, or 1 day period is the minimum.

Depending on your needs, a short term bike insurance policy lasts from one day to one week. If you need your bike to be insured for longer, there's the option to add on another short term policy using the same increments of one day to one week. You'll need to get a new quote and make a separate payment if you decide to extend the length of your cover in this way.

Whether you need motorcycle day insurance or one week bike cover, get a temp bike insurance quote from Tempcover today:

Is temporary bike insurance the same as pay as you go motorcycle insurance?

It depends how you think of it, but pay as you go motorcycle insurance is perhaps a term more closely associated with pay per mile insurance schemes, where you only pay for your insurance when actually riding the bike. Pay per mile motorbike insurance could involve the use of a tracker or odometer connection.

The short term motorcycle insurance provided by Tempcover is based on buying insurance for your bike in units of time, rather than being pay per mile motorcycle insurance. You're paying to use, rather than paying as you use.

You're still paying as you go with a short term motorbike policy, but not quite in the same way. Think of short term bike insurance as day-as-you-go, rather than pay-as-you-go!

Who are Tempcover?

Tempcover are an award winning provider of temporary insurance solutions to UK riders and drivers. They've been providing flexible, short term cover since 2006.

During this time, Tempcover has helped thousands of customers find the cover they want, for the amount of time they need. They're rated "Excellent" on Trustpilot.

Tempcover are part of the RVU group of companies which includes Confused.com, Money.co.uk, and U Switch.

Temporary motorbike insurance FAQ's

Need help finding cheaper annual motorbike insurance? Compare motorbike insurance today at Biker Insure.

Not sure if you're already covered by an annual bike policy? Visit our motorbike insurance check page to find out.

For fast, low cost temporary motorbike insurance from a leading UK provider of short term motorcycle insurance, get a quote now: