How much is motorbike insurance for a 17 year old?

The annual or monthly motorcycle insurance premiums for 17-year-olds are generally higher in cost than for more experienced motorcyclists, but will vary depending on a number of factors:

Age
The location in which you live
Your job
How the bike is used i.e. business or social & domestic
Annual mileage

The bike’s make, model, age and value
Where your bike is kept/parked
Riding experience/history and license type
The level of cover required (comprehensive or third party, fire & theft)

Age

Why does motorbike insurance cost more for 17-year-olds than older riders?

Insurance providers use various factors to determine how high the risk is that each applicant might need to make a claim.

Younger and less experienced motorcyclists (as with car drivers) are statistically more likely to have accidents, so the ‘risk’ is higher, hence more expensive premiums.

As a 17-year-old, your premiums are likely to be significantly higher than a more experienced motorcyclist on the same bike.

Location

Does where I live change the cost of my motorcycle insurance?

Some postcodes and areas have higher crime and accident statistics (often, but not always, urban areas and cities have higher crime rates) and this will also be factored into the ‘risk’ level that motorcycle insurance providers use to determine the cost of premiums.

An area with a low crime rate will usually bring back lower premiums than the same 17-year-old rider and bike in a more ‘risky’ area.

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Job

Why does my job make a difference to how much my motorcycle insurance costs?

Motorbike insurance providers have a pre-determined level of ‘risk’ that they associate with all job titles that they ask you to choose between when doing an insurance quote.

This will be based both on the practical nature of your job e.g. if your work type means you’re likely to be on the roads at higher risk times, such as the early hours of the morning, and also based on previous claims from people with the same job title.

If a 17-year-old motorcyclist works a daytime office-based job, they are likely to be considered lower risk than the same person working in a nightclub and riding at unsociable hours.

Motorbike usage

Does it cost extra for a 17-year-old to use their motorbike for work?

There are four main categories of usage for motorbikes when you’re looking at insurance:

Social, domestic and pleasure – personal use only, not for commuting or work of any kind
Commuting – travelling to one regular place of work and back
Courier and delivery – for motorcyclists who use their bike for any kind of deliveries or carrying goods

Business use – travelling to more than one place of work e.g. training courses in a different location to your normal workplace, or riding to different branches of the same business

These usage categories usually get more expensive as you go, with social, domestic and pleasure generally considered as being the least ‘risky’ to insurers and courier and delivery, the most.

It can be tempting for young motorcyclists to opt for a lower level of usage than they actually need as it’s cheaper, but if you get caught with the wrong type of insurance, you will receive a fine and points on your license.

If you are involved in an accident or incident whilst using your bike for something your insurance policy doesn’t cover, you will not be covered for any costs incurred as your insurance will not be valid.

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Other Factors

Annual Mileage

What difference does annual mileage make to the cost of motorcycle insurance?

It’s a general rule of thumb with motorbike insurance that the more miles you are likely to do on your bike, the more chance that you will be involved in an incident, and therefore the higher the premiums will be.

The difference in cost for this particular factor doesn’t seem to be huge unless there are real extremes at play, e.g. a 17-year-old motorcyclist looked at quotes for 2,000 miles per annum vs 20,000 miles per annum.

Bike, age, model & value

How do motorcycle insurance costs change for different types of bikes for a 17-year-old?

As a 17-year-old motorcyclist, you will be able to ride a bike with a maximum power of 125cc, whether you have a provisional or a full licence.

This means that there is unlikely to be much difference between makes and models at this level when it comes to insurance costs.

Generally, with insurance, the least powerful bikes will bring back the lowest insurance premiums, but as a 17-year-old, your age, experience and other factors will usually cancel out most of that benefit of a low-powered bike at first.

You should find that if you are insuring a moped rather than a motorcycle, the premiums are lower, due to the less powerful engine and lower top speed.

As a general rule, the more valuable the motorbike, the higher the insurance premiums will be.

If your motorbike is modified in any way since it was manufactured, this can have an impact on insurance premiums. You must ensure that modifications are declared to your insurer before you buy a policy.

Where your bike is kept or parked

Does having a garage make motorbike insurance cheaper for 17-year-olds?

Most insurers will ask you where your motorbike will be kept at night, and some may ask where it will be parked during the daytime too.

If you are able to keep your motorcycle in a secure place, e.g. a locked garage, as much as possible, then it can make a noticeable difference to your insurance premiums, when compared with keeping it on the street.

Extra security measures, such as markings, locks, chains, anchors and approved alarms or immobilisers, should all help too

Riding experience, history and licence type

How much difference do points on my motorcycling licence make to insurance costs?

If you have motoring convictions and points on your licence for things like speeding, your motorbike insurance premiums will usually be higher than normal, as you are considered more of a ‘risk’ than other riders with a clean licence.

This rule of thumb is the same for motorcyclists aged 17, right through to highly experienced riders.

Is insurance more expensive for learner motorcyclists?

As with car insurance and learners, motorcyclists with a provisional licence usually have to pay a little more for their insurance than those with a full licence.

This might be offset a little by the fact that 17-year-old bikers without a full licence can only ride light motorcycles with a maximum power of 125cc and cannot carry pillion passengers.

Cover level

Can I get third party-only motorbike insurance for a 17-year-old?

Third party motorbike insurance is the minimum legal requirement for motorcyclists and is usually the cheapest type. That’s because it only covers anyone else or their property damaged or injured in an incident with your bike.

It does not cover the replacement or repair cost of your own motorbike or any medical costs you might need to pay for. It also doesn’t cover your bike for theft or any type of accidental damage.

Third party fire and theft insurance does include cover for third parties, plus you are covered if your bike is stolen or if it is damaged in a fire.

Comprehensive motorcycle insurance is usually the most expensive option, but that is because it covers you and your bike if you were to be in an accident, as well as all of the things included under third party fire and theft.

Every motorcyclist needs to decide for themselves what type of cover to go for. If you’re a 17 year old motorcyclist with your first bike and think you could cover the costs yourself if your ride needed replacing, you may want to opt for the minimum cover.

However, if you would not be able to afford the cost of replacing your bike then you might want to consider that the extra money for fully comprehensive cover could be the right choice for you.