Motorcycle insurance is compulsory as soon as you use a 2-wheeled vehicle on a regular or occasional basis. This insurance aims to protect your two wheels but also to cover you against damage that you could cause to others. How to choose your motorcycle insurance? What are the guarantees to subscribe according to the use of your two wheels? What is the best value motorcycle insurance? Answers!
Summary
- Is motorcycle insurance compulsory?
- Which guarantees to choose for your motorcycle insurance?
- How do I get motorcycle insurance quotes?
- How much does motorcycle insurance cost?
- Which motorcycle insurance according to your profile?
- What insurance according to the type of motorcycle?
- What motorcycle insurance according to the geographical location?
- How to cancel your motorcycle insurance?
What is the best motorcycle insurance? |
Is motorcycle insurance compulsory?
As soon as you buy your motorcycle, one step is essential: take out Civil Liability insurance. This is the compulsory minimum guarantee for any motorbike driver, making it possible to compensate the victims of accidents for which a motorcyclist is responsible. Thus, the insurer will reimburse all damage caused to third parties, whether it is a third party present on the two-wheeler at the time of the incident (passenger) or a pedestrian.
On the other hand, this guarantee does not apply either to bodily injury suffered by the responsible driver or to material damage to his vehicle. If you find yourself in such a situation, you will therefore necessarily have some out-of-pocket... Which can be very expensive because if you are injured, all the costs will remain your responsibility and neither you nor your family will receive any compensation. disability or even death.
This is why it is important to take out, in addition to the compulsory Civil Liability insurance for your motorcycle, a driver's body protection. It will cover any bodily injury you may suffer in the event of an at-fault accident. Although optional, such a guarantee is essential because the driver of a scooter or a motorcycle has no body other than its clothes. He must therefore absolutely check with his insurer, who may already have included it in his basic guarantee.
Which guarantees to choose for your motorcycle insurance?
If the Civil Liability guarantee is compulsory for any driving of a land motor vehicle, it is not sufficient for a regular motorcycle driver. Insurers therefore offer other motorcycle insurance formulas with greater coverage, to meet increasingly specific needs. Thus, dedicated guarantees have appeared and make it possible to cover a greater number of claims. Do not hesitate to use a motorcycle insurance comparator to compete with the different offers on the market.
Specific guarantees are also available, only for motorcyclists and their vehicles. Among these are:
- “Collision damage”:
It comes into play in the event of an accident with an identified third party (vehicle, animal, pedestrian), responsible or not, subject to the amount of the deductible in the event of a responsible accident;
- The "damage all accidents"
It is supposed to intervene in all cases, whether it is a simple fall or an accident with an identified third party or not. It is far from being superfluous when we know that on two-wheelers, the most frequent accidents are those where the scooter or motorcycle falls alone (skidding on a white strip or on a wet roadway, badly controlled avoidance maneuver, etc.)
- The equipment guarantee
It allows you to be reimbursed, in the event of an accident, for all of your clothing (gloves, jackets, trousers, and boots), provided that it is specific biker equipment. So systematically keep their purchase invoices to be able to provide proof of their value;
- The theft/fire guarantee
Especially if your two-wheeler is brand new or very “fashionable” (many features, sports version, fairing). However, for it to be able to play, your insurer will generally ask you to use an approved anti-theft device, to park your motorcycle or scooter in a closed car park, and to have the engine parts anti-theft engraved. Some insurers may also require, in addition, an electronic alarm;
- “Assistance”
Will allow you to be repaired and towed in the event of a breakdown or accident with your motorcycle. For a breakdown, some assistances impose a minimum of kilometers (generally 50 km) before being able to intervene, others intervene at the bottom of your home, even for a simple puncture;
- A “bad weather”
The option is sometimes offered: it takes into account the seasonal use of the motorcycle or scooter. The period of non-use, generally between 3 and 6 months, is determined at the time of subscription. However, take the time to check that during this period, the theft and Civil Liability guarantees remain acquired. Finally, if you plan to lend your two-wheeler to a loved one, remember to inform your insurer. Some companies only allow the spouse of the insured to drive the two-wheeler.
How do I get motorcycle insurance quotes?
To get an idea of the price of your motorcycle insurance, it is best to request quotes from two-wheeler insurers. Depending on the specificity of the actor, it's positioning, and the guarantees of its motorcycle insurance, the prices, and conditions of compensation will vary.
To get your quotes, you will need to fill in this information:
If it is the beginning of a motorcycle license:
- the date of your motorcycle driving license (indicated on the driving license);
- the engine capacity of the motorcycle, for example, 50 cc, 125 cc, 750 cc;
- the model of the motorcycle: sports, grand touring, collection, etc.
If you have already been insured and want to change motorcycle insurance:
- all of the documents mentioned above;
- the expiry date of your current motorcycle contract (indicated on your contract);
- the value of your bonus/penalty (indicated on the last information statement);
- if this is the case, the date of the claim(s) is less than 3 years old, and the date of the results of the blood alcohol test(s) is less than 5 years old (indicated on your last information statement from your insurance and indicated on the report drawn up during the blood alcohol test).
If the motorcycle is not new, therefore it is already in circulation:
- the date of entry into service of your vehicle (indicated on your vehicle registration document).
- To save time in your search for quotes, you can use our online motorcycle insurance comparator. Free and without obligation, it allows you to directly simulate the price of the various motorcycle insurance policies on the market, according to your profile ( young bikers, terminated drivers, a motorcycle driven by a couple, etc.) and your two-wheeler.
How much does motorcycle insurance cost?
The price of motorcycle insurance is calculated according to 3 main elements:
Motorcycle insurance price criteria Explanations
- Profile of the insured
All the information relating to the driver is studied, such as his age, the date of obtaining the driving license, or the previous occurrence of claims.
- Motorcycle Features
The motorcycle is also concerned, in particular its value, its age and its date of first entry into circulation, its mileage, its power, or the number of places, such as the use made it (daily to go to work or less frequently).
- Geographic location
The place of residence is also considered, with the city of residence and the frequency of occurrence of claims such as motorcycle theft, and the type of parking used (private or public parking, closed or open).
Which motorcycle insurance according to your profile?
In parallel with the characteristics of the two-wheeler or the place of residence, the driver must take into account his own profile. Its history in terms of claims will be scrupulously studied by the insurance company, eager to know the existence or not of responsible claims in the past. This information is available via the information statement provided by the previous insurer.
The rider's liabilities provide information on his overall behavior on the handlebars and the statistical possibility that he is responsible for an accident afterward. This is particularly the case for:
- Harassed drivers
Who is responsible for too many claims. Malused motorcyclists are exposed to an additional premium because of their status and therefore their excessively dangerous driving. The markup applied by the insurer is a means of financially compensating for the aggravated risk and limiting the danger of losing money with a client.
- Young drivers
Who does not have sufficient driving experience: this status implies the application of an additional premium by the insurance company, to compensate for the lack of experience behind the wheel of a motorcycle. This provision is intended to counterbalance the aggravation of the risk and the more frequent occurrence of claims caused by novice motorcyclists, which is all the more true on motorcycles because of their movement between cars, a behavior considered dangerous.
- Terminated Drivers
The latter may have seen their contract canceled because of an excessive increase in risk, the occurrence of too many claims, a false declaration, a default in payment, or a withdrawal of a driving license, for example. They are also registered in the register of terminated persons of AGIRA (Association for the Management of Information on Risk in Insurance), a file which can be consulted by all future insurers who may refuse to cover the motorcyclist because of a profile "at risk". ".
It will then be all the more important to use a motorcycle insurance comparator to study several offers before committing.
What insurance according to the type of motorcycle?
The characteristics of the motorcycle significantly influence the amount of the motorcycle insurance premium. In fact, it is very important to determine precisely his needs as a motorcyclist, taking into account the potential occurrence of a claim depending, for example, on his riding style or the age of the motorcycle.
The age of the two-wheeler has a considerable influence on its value in the eyes of insurers and the more a vehicle costs, the higher the premium will be, to compensate for the possible occurrence of a claim involving expensive repairs. It is, therefore, necessary to determine its needs in this area using the date of first registration, fuel, mileage, and the possibility or not of taking a passenger in the back.
- For a new motorcycle
It is preferable to choose high-performance insurance, taking into account the large number of claims in motorcycle insurance, because the cost of repairs would be high and difficult to bear by the insured alone.
An old motorcycle can benefit from less expensive insurance, the obsolescence of the vehicle making it possible to find parts or have it repaired for less. However, a very recent motorcycle with only a few hundred kilometers on the clock is less likely to break down or wear out parts than a 15-year-old two-wheeler.
- The use made of the motorcycle:
The more frequently it is used, the greater the risk of damage. It can be useful to adapt your motorcycle insurance to the number of kilometers traveled per year via motorcycle insurance per kilometer to only pay for the distance driven.
The tax and engine horsepower of the vehicle also has repercussions on the motorcycle insurance premium, insofar as the more powerful a motorcycle is (and the number of cubic centimeters high), the more the driver can easily lose control and go. responsible for a traffic accident.
What motorcycle insurance according to the geographical location?
In the event of a change of situation, the cost of his motorcycle insurance can also be modified, for example in the event of a move. It turns out that the city of residence is a risk assessment factor for the insurer, insofar as each municipality presents different statistics in terms of motorcycle theft.
The type of parking used also plays an important role, since a private, closed garage at night significantly reduces the risk of theft compared to an open, unattended public parking lot.
How to cancel your motorcycle insurance?
Motorcycle insurance contracts are “automatically renewable”. They are automatically renewed each year. However, your motorcycle insurer is obliged to send you a notice of expiry, warning you of this renewal. Without receipt of this notice, you have the option of canceling your motorcycle insurance on the date you wish.
- Termination on expiry of the contract:
After 1 year of subscription, the Hamon law on motorcycle insurance allows you to terminate your motorcycle insurance and change insurer. You will have to choose a new motorcycle insurer (before the termination of the initial contract) so as not to drive illegally.
- Termination before the expiry date of the contract:
There are a few cases where the insured can terminate his motorcycle insurance before the end of the first year. This process is also free of charge, and you do not have to justify your cancellation of motorcycle insurance:
- sale, donation, or transfer of the motorcycle
- theft or vandalism of the motorcycle
- move
- unjustified increase in the motorcycle insurance premium
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