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Bicycle Insurance: compare cheap bicycle insurance quotes online

Cycling is an increasingly popular mode of transport in the UK, with 42% of people now owning or having immediate access to a bicycle.

There are several reasons for the UK’s fast-growing ‘cycling revolution’, as it has been dubbed. Push bikes are environmentally friendly, they’re highly convenient and hardwearing, and cycling is also a great form of exercise.

The Department for Transport has also committed itself to promoting cycling as a mode of transport via its Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, which is encouraging a growing number of travellers to add cycling ‘stages’ to their journeys (cycling to the train station before boarding the train to work, for instance).

Beyond all that, though, it probably goes without saying that one of the appeals of cycling is that a bicycle is very cheap to run.

The bikes themselves, on the other hand, are sometimes prohibitively expensive, with many costing £1,000 or more while the most high-end bikes can cost upwards of £10,000 (a Specialized S-Works, for instance, which sells for just under £11,000).

Given their portability, their growing ubiquity in the UK and their potential value on the black market, it should come as no surprise that bicycles are often targeted by thieves. In fact, more than 300,000 bicycles are stolen in the UK each year, according to data from an annual crime survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics.

That’s just one of the many reasons it might be a good idea to take out a relatively cheap bicycle insurance policy if your bike is even remotely valuable.

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Insuring a bicycle in the UK: a no-nonsense guide

Is bicycle insurance a legal requirement if you’re cycling on the road in the UK?

No, unlike car drivers, which must have third party car insurance at the very least before they take to the roads, cyclists are under no obligation to take out bicycle insurance in the UK.

That said, there have been calls in the past for bicycle insurance to become mandatory, not least because cyclists run the risk of being held personally liable for damage to cars or other property if they cause an accident through negligence or reckless cycling.

Still, beyond the potential risk of a liability claim, one of the main reasons cyclists invest in a relatively cheap bicycle insurance policy is because it can help to protect them against the very real risk of bicycle theft.

How can I find cheaper bicycle insurance?

Firstly, you should use Quotezone.co.uk to compare bicycle insurance quotes from a wider range of providers, which increases your odds of finding a suitable policy at a cheap price.

Beyond comparing bike insurance quotes online, taking the following steps could also help to increase your odds of finding cheap bicycle insurance:

• Investing in a high quality bicycle lock, and ensuring that the one you buy is insurer-approved: Most bicycle locks are rated for security on a gold, silver and bronze scale, and some insurers may refuse to pay out if your bicycle is worth more than £2,000 and it wasn’t secured with a gold-rated locking device at the time it was stolen.
• Registering your bike on bikeregister.com, the UK’s national cycle register database: It’s free to register your bicycle on bikeregister.com, and every police force in the UK uses the database to search for stolen bikes. Investing in one of BikeRegister’s security marking kits can also help to lower your insurance premiums.
• Adding your bicycle to your home insurance policy: If your bike isn’t a high-end model you could be able to add it to your standard home insurance policy, which would mean your bicycle is covered without the need for a separate insurance policy. However, it’s important to double check the small print if you choose to cover your bike under your home insurance, as some policies may only insure your bicycle while it’s stored at your own home.
• Only riding your bicycle yourself: Many bicycle insurance policies will only pay out if the bike is stolen or damaged while it’s being used by the policyholder, so if you lend it to a friend or a family member and something happens to it while they’re using it you might not be covered.
• Agreeing to a higher voluntary excess: Many bicycle insurance policies impose a mandatory excess, but you can sometimes find cheaper quotes if you agree to add a higher voluntary excess on top.

Does bicycle insurance include cycling liability cover?

It depends on the particular insurance provider you decide to go with and the type of policy you opt for, but many bicycle insurance policies do include some level of third party cycling liability cover, which would mean it could pay out if you were sued by a pedestrian, a motorist or another cyclist if you damaged their property or caused them personal injury.

If the bicycle insurance you take out doesn’t include cyclist liability cover as standard you may well be able to add it as an optional extra.

Does bicycle insurance cover the tyres?

No, when you insure a bicycle your tyres usually won’t be covered, so if you suffer a puncture you’ll almost certainly have to pay for the resulting costs yourself.