We’ve reviewed cover levels across the UK to find the country’s best bicycle insurance companies.
The best bicycle insurance companies of 2021
These are some of the leading specialist bicycle insurance providers in the UK:
In this guide
- How we created our list of the best bicycle insurers
- Why you need bicycle insurance
- The best insurance for different cyclists
- Bicycle insurance reviews
- Bikmo
- Yellow Jersey
- PedalSure
- Cycleplan
- cycleGuard
- Bespoke
- Commuters
- Taking your bicycle abroad and cycling holidays
- Cycling events and races
- Security and incentives
How we created our list of the best bicycle insurers
Rather than rate policies based on price alone, we looked into other contributing factors determining the overall value for money that each plan offered. We collected information about:
- The types of cover provided by each insurer
- The extent of the cover on offer
- Customer reviews and feedback
We highlighted a minimum number of factors that each insurer had to hit to be considered. We’ve only included insurers who:
- A rating of at least 4 out of 5 stars on either Trustpilot or Feefo (Whichever site they have most reviews on)
- Must include accidental damage and theft cover as standard
- Public liability cover of at least £2m
- Minimum of £250 cover for accessories
- Replacement cycle hire should your bike be stolen or unrideable due to an accident or vandalism
Other factors we also considered were:
- Cover for races and competitions
- Optional cover abroad
- Breakdown cover
Why you need bicycle insurance
In 2020, pedal cycle traffic was up 45.7% higher than it was in comparison to 2019. The Department for Transport has stated that these are the highest levels of cycling on public highways since the 1960s, so the need for bicycle insurance is increasing.
Bicycle insurance protects you against financial loss and inconvenience when unexpected events can happen. This could be an injury, theft, or damage, either to your bike or to someone else’s property.
However, cycle insurance is something riders might consider because cycling involves a lot of valuable equipment.
It is possible to cover certain cycling risks on your home, health and travel insurance policies. However, this can be expensive, and it leaves surprising gaps in cover. Dedicated cycling insurers have emerged to package the relevant cover in one product.
Policies now aim to include cover that extends to:
- High-value bikes
- Multi-bike cover
- Bicycle storage without limitations
- Cover for races and competitions, including triathlons
- Breakdown assistance
- Overseas travel with high-value bikes and cycling abroad
- Cover for specific parts of the bike, including wheels and seats
- Accessories cover — Sat Navs, helmets, clothing and water bottles
- Road rage cover — Cover for bodily injury occurring from assault while on your bicycle and a range of expenses following the incident such as stress counselling and daily hospital cash benefit of £100 per day
- Broken bones and physio payouts
- Race fees — Should you have to cancel because of an injury or sickness
Cyclists might think they’re aware of the dangers of cycling, but there are many scenarios that can cost more than expected or cause major inconvenience if not covered. Dangers like black ice, potholes or other racers can come at a large expense and can happen to anyone.
Unexpected expenses can come as a real shock. Paying for a taxi to the hospital or work, lost entry fees for races and private physio appointments can soon add up. Having bicycle cover in place can protect you from being out of pocket when you need it most.
Top bicycle insurance providers
Bikmo
Bikmo offers four levels of cover ranging from road cyclists: mountain bike protection, ebike owners and triathlon cover.
The cover for their cycle insurance includes:
- Accessories cover — Minimum of £250 cover or 10% of your total insured bike value.
- Theft at or away from the home — Bikmo covers theft of your bicycle at home or away at another location, including cover for attachments and equipment that is stolen.
- Public liability — Up to £2m cover for public liability should you damage someone’s property or injure them whilst cycling.
- Breakdown cover — Up to £150 cover should you break down and be left stranded.
Good for: all-rounders, commuters, amateur racers and bike holidays.
Get a quote from the Bikmo website today.
Yellow Jersey
Yellow Jersey offers three tiers of bicycle cover, Essentials, Performance and Ultimate, that insures your equipment, racing, and training worldwide.
Some of their key cover features from their top policy includes:
- Accidental damage and vandalism cover — If your bike is vandalised or accidentally damaged, you’re covered as standard with all three of Yellow Jersey’s policy options.
- Replacement cycle hire — Up to £500 for the hire of a new bike if yours is unfit to ride while you wait for repairs or a replacement.
- Racing cover — You’re covered for competitive racing, charity events or sports.
- Public liability — Up to £2m cover for public liability should you damage someone’s property or injure them whilst cycling.
- Cover abroad — You’re covered for travel across Europe and Worldwide for 120 days.
Good for: serious cyclists, competitions and events in the UK and abroad, high-value bikes, pros and enthusiasts.
Get a quote from Yellow Jersey now.
PedalSure
PedalSure puts your health at the forefront of their cover. It acts as a specialist health insurance policy for cyclists and offers payouts for physio or if you break a bone. You can also buy personal accident and liability cover from PedalSure without insuring your bike.
Some of its key insurance features are:
- Theft — You’re covered if your bicycle is stolen at home or out and about.
- Loss of earnings — If you’re injured while out riding and cannot work due to this, PedalSure will provide you with weekly payments.
- Overseas and transit — Up to 60 days cover for overseas adventures and the transit to get there. Excludes USA & Canada.
- Personal injury — Covers bodily injury following an accident whilst cycling.
Good for: new cyclists, mountain bikers, commuters, those whose home insurance covers their bikes.
Grab your quote today at PedalSure or read a review of PedalSure's cycling cover.
Cycleplan
Cycleplan allows you to include or exclude almost every element of cover across its plans. Giving endless amounts of flexibility, it also offers team and coach cover, and unlike other insurers, doesn’t increase premiums if you’re city-based (excluding London).
Cyclepan’s key features are:
- Public liability — Up to £5m cover for damages to someone’s property or injury to them whilst you’re out cycling.
- Accessories — Up to £1,000 cover for accessories.
- Racing — You’re covered for competitive racing, charity events or sports.
- Theft at or away from the home — Should your bicycle be stolen from home or elsewhere, you’re covered.
Good for: races and events, teams, all-rounders.
cycleGuard
cycleGuard has been protecting cyclists and triathletes across the UK for over 20 years against theft and damage to all types of bike. Helping you keep you in the saddle, their specialist cover provides extensive protection for you bicycle and accessories, with some key features including:
- Breakdown — cycleGuard includes 24/7 roadside recovery as standard on their policy.
- Accessories — Up to £2,500 cover for your accessories, including helmets, Sat Navs and attachments.
- International travel — You have up to 30 days cover for international travel. Optional Global travel can be included.
- Accidental damage — Should you accidentally damage your bike, cycleGuard will cover the cost of repairs. New for old cover is also included as standard.
Get your quote today at cycleGuard
Bespoke
Bespoke allows you to add various features to your policy. They state that their product was designed to meet the demands and needs of cyclists.
Some of their policy cover include:
- Personal accident — Up to £25,000 cover if you’re seriously injured whilst riding, regardless of responsibility. They’ll also assist with any legal fees.
- Public liability — Up to £5m cover for any damage you may cause to someone else.
- Accessories — £250 accessories cover as standard with the option to increase up to £1,000.
Good for: city cyclists, commuters, new cyclists and all-rounders.
However, there are other providers on the market you might want to consider or source more information about. These include:
- Assetsure
- Velosure
- ETA
- Protect Your Bubble
- Wiggle
- Evans
- Eversure
- E&L
- Lexam
- OnePro
Read reviews of these providers here.
The best insurance for different cyclists
Because policies are informed by the age of your bike, how you use it, and its value, cycle insurance will differ for everyone.
The best cycle insurance policies include comprehensive cover for serious cyclists, have positive customer feedback reviews, an accessible quotes process and are more competitive than other insurers.
Selecting the best policy for you will depend on how you use your bicycle. While the policies we’ve highlighted offer all-around cover for many activities, there are many features that may be beneficial to certain cyclists.
Find out more about everything you need to know about bicycle insurance.
Commuters
Being on the road during rush hour brings greater risks than off-peak rides. Along with the possibility of causing damage to another vehicle or yourself, the struggle to find safe bicycle storage poses an additional problem. According to Velosure, the total costs of bikes stolen from UK train stations is estimated to be over £1.5m a year.
However, the biggest fear for many cyclists is being injured by a motorist. Pedalsure is unique in the sense that it allows you to choose cover for yourself, rather than your bike. They also payout for broken bones, physiotherapy and out-of-pocket expenses you may incur, such as a taxi to work.
Other providers worth considering include Bikmo, Pedalsure, cycleGuard, Yellow Jersey and Velosure because of their breakdown cover. It’s similar to a car breakdown policy as it covers the repairs or replacement of a broken bicycle, and even covers the costs of onwards travel.
Some insurers will charge higher premiums if you live in a city. However, CyclePlan states that it won’t increase your rates if you’re in a city, with the exception of London.
Taking your bicycle abroad and cycling holidays
Standard travel insurance policies put limits on the value of individual and total items you can take with you. For many, this can exceed or exclude quality cycle equipment and aren’t likely to be covered in the hold of a plane.
Although you’ll need standard travel insurance when going abroad, you won’t have to pay extra for travel cover if you have the right cycle insurance policy. Bikmo and Yellow Jersey offer worldwide policies and both provide features that payout if your bike, or box it’s being transported in, are damaged in transit. However, they do not provide public liability cover for the USA and Canada.
Other provides offering worldwide policies include Cycleplan, cycleGuard, and Pedalsure, with no worldwide restrictions.
Cycling events and races
As races are fast-paced and within close distance of each other, it’s no wonder that crashes happen. Many people are injured during races, but luckily Bikmo, Yellow Jersey, PedalSure and Velosure include race cover as standard.
Because cyclist events vary to a large extent, it’s important to check your policy to ensure that events you wish to partake in are covered. Most cover should include the option of leaving your bike unattended at a sporting event. Many events will require you to have some form of cover before you enter.
Find out more about the best winter destinations for cyclists and cover for triathlons at home and abroad.
Security and freebies
Regardless of whether you take out a standard or premium policy, it’s vital that you’re security conscious.
Security terms to look out for include:
- Locks — Most insurers will provide you with a list of locks that are accepted under their policy. You can invalidate your cover by using the wrong locks or storing your bike incorrectly.
- In-vehicle cover — Yellow Jersey and cycleGuard advertise for in-vehicle cover, should your bicycle be stolen from your car. cycleGuard states that the bicycle has to be “secured through the frame using an approved lock, to the roof or bike rack or if the vehicle is suitable, stored out of sight”.
Incentives from companies:
- DNA+ — Yellow Jersey offers a free DNA+ marking kit with every policy.
- Discounts — Other companies provide discounts on well-known cycling brands and deals on the first year's premium.
Membership schemes
Another way to help with insurance is to join organisations or charities with membership schemes such as British Cycling, Total Cycle Assist or CTC. Many racers will already have a membership to the British Cycling club; it’s required for most races in the UK.
Bicycle insurance reviews
Learn more about the best cycling insurance companies and find out what their customers think by reading our expert reviews.
