Temporary Motorbike Insurance

What is temporary motorbike insurance?

Short term cover

Temporary motorcycle insurance cover is similar to a regular annual bike insurance policy, but the insurance will only cover you for a set amount of time. The term is most often applied to motorbike policies with a short duration lasting from one day to a few weeks.

Length of cover

Many temporary motorbike insurance providers offer cover on a 1 day to 7 day basis. For those looking to insure their bike for longer than one week, it's usually possible to take out a second short-term policy when the initial cover ends. Unlike temporary insurance for cars and vans, it isn't usually possible to get insurance for motorbikes on an hourly basis.

Level of insurance

Temporary bike insurance is typically offered with fully comprehensive cover, which is the maximum level of insurance protection for motorbike insurance in the UK. 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 you might need temporary motorbike insurance?

There are many reasons why riders choose to insure a motorbike on a short term basis. Temporary policies can be useful in several biking scenarios including:

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.

Buying a new bike

If you’re buying a new bike and have forgotten about the insurance, stay legal on that first ride back from the dealers. Save the hassle of sorting out your annual cover until you’ve got the bike safely back home.

Borrowing a bike

You might want to borrow 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

Short term cover is useful for weekend rideouts with a group of friends where you want to have a go on another motorbike, but with the security of fully comprehensive cover.

Learning to ride

Temporary learner motorbike insurance ensures you and the bike are fully covered while learning to ride. Whether you have your own bike and or you're borrowing someone elses, you can get covered for temporary learner riding on a provisional license after completing the CBT.

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.
• Short term motorbike policies can be bought online at any time.
• 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.

If you need insurance for a longer period, the daily cost usually works out lower — so it’s often more economical to buy the right length of cover in one go, instead of paying for multiple single day policies.

As with any kind of motor insurance, the price of your temporary cover will vary according to your individual circumstances and the motorbike you need to insure.

How to get temporary motorcycle insurance

It’s easy to get a temporary motorbike insurance quote, and shouldn’t take much longer than a couple of minutes to get covered.

The information needed to get your quote will usually follow steps similar to these:

• Provide the registration of the bike you want to cover with a temporary policy.
• Choose how long you need the cover to last, from 1 day to 7 days.
• Select when you’d like cover to start, 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 you'll be using the bike for.
• 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.

The temporary bike insurance provider will compare the best prices from their panel of underwriters, 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 with the price and level of cover, your temporary motorbike insurance documents will usually be available instantly via email once you have paid.

Qualifying conditions for temporary motorbike policies

In order to buy temporary motorbike insurance, providers will often require riders to meet certain conditions such as:

• 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
• Have not had any previous motor insurance policy cancelled or void.

Cover exclusions on temporary motorbike insurance policies

Although most riders should be able to access temporary insurance, cover is dependent on several factors and can be more restrictive than an annual policy. Exclusions may be as follows:

• 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 must not be modified from the original manufacturers standard specification.
• You must not use your temporary insurance policy to carry a pillion.

Riding other motorbikes on your existing insurance

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

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

There are however a few things to bear in mind. Riding other bikes is typically only offered on a third-party basis (TPO). If you’re involved in an accident that’s your fault, then you could experience serious financial repercussions. This is because TPO insures other people, vehicles or property and won't provide any cover for yourself or the bike you are riding.

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.

An alternative option (if the circumstances are right) is asking 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 a brief period of time and then cancel. However, you will typically be faced with cancellation fees, admin fees (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 motorbike insurance cover can be a cheaper way to get insured if you only need insuring in the short term, 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. 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

Moped and scooter riders can also cover their machines with a short term policy. You'll usually need to be over 17 years old to qualify for temporary moped or scooter insurance.

Temporary learner motorbike insurance

For learner riders, temporary motorcycle insurance can be a more affordable way to get cover. If you’ve completed your CBT and only ride occasionally with L plates, or you’re focused on passing your full bike test, a short-term policy might be the better option. It could work out cheaper to take out temporary learner motorbike insurance only when you need it, rather than committing to an annual policy on a bike you don’t own or may not need to insure for very long.

Riders will need to be over 17 years old and hold a valid provisional UK licence with motorcycle entitlement to get a quote.

What's the shortest period of time for a temporary motorbike policy?

Unlike short term car or temporary van insurance (which is widely available by the hour), temporary motorbike insurance is usually only available by the day, or full 24 hour periods. Riders can typically specify the hour they would like daily cover to commence from.

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

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

Short term motorcycle insurance is usually based on buying insurance for a bike in units of time, rather than distance covered. 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. It might be better to think of short term bike insurance as day-as-you-go, rather than pay-as-you-go!

Temporary motorbike insurance FAQ's

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