Average Cost of Motorcycle Insurance

While most states in the United States have made motorcycle insurance legally required, regardless of local requirements, every rider benefits from active coverage. We gathered thousands of quotes from across the country to determine how much it costs to protect your bike, your health, and your finances.

Average cost of motorcycle insurance by state

We analyzed motorcycle insurance quotes from all 50 states and discovered that the average cost of motorcycle insurance quotes in the United States was $702 for a full year of coverage. Because the cost of coverage varies depending on where you live, it's a good idea to get multiple quotes to find the best deal.

The table below shows how much motorcycle insurance costs on average per month in your state.

Monthly rate equals annual rate divided by 12. However, some insurers offer pay-in-full discounts.

Based on a hypothetical 45-year-old male rider, we obtained rates from up to six major motorcycle insurance carriers in each state. In our quotes, we requested the following coverage limits:

• Bodily injury protection: $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident
• Property damage coverage: $50,000
• Comprehensive and collision deductible: $500

States with the most affordable motorcycle insurance

The five states with the cheapest motorcycle insurance quotes all had rates that were at least 32% lower than the national average. Except for New Hampshire, all of the states with the lowest rates were in the Midwest and Great Plains.

States with the most expensive motorcycle insurance

In contrast to the most affordable states, the most expensive states for motorcycle insurance showed no clear geographical correlation. They do, however, have larger populations and longer riding seasons.

Paying for motorcycle insurance in 12 monthly instalments is usually more expensive than paying for a yearlong policy in one lump sum. Pay-in-full discounts are common at major insurers like Progressive, Esurance, and Nationwide. If you live in a state where coverage is expensive or want a lower overall rate, consider purchasing six to twelve months of motorcycle insurance coverage at a time rather than monthly.

How do motorcycle insurance rates change with age?

Younger drivers are typically charged higher premiums by motorcycle insurance providers because they are thought to be more likely to be involved in an accident.

Motorcycle insurance companies calculate your cost of coverage based on your age and years of experience, in addition to the city you live in, the amount of coverage you purchase, and your driving history.

Cost of motorcycle insurance by rider age

All annual quotes are for a male rider living in Los Angeles with a clean driving record who has had his driver's license since he was 16, and has been riding a motorcycle for 10 years or since his 16th birthday (whichever is shorter).

However, as long as you don't get into any accidents, your insurance premiums should go down as you gain experience. For example, 18-year-old riders are frequently charged more for insurance than 21-year-olds, while 21-year-olds are frequently charged slightly more than middle-aged riders.

Sport vs. touring vs. cruiser: How your motorcycle affects insurance rates

Insurance companies will use all available safety and risk information when determining your rates, so the type of motorcycle you ride has a significant impact on your premiums. In particular, insurers will consider:

• Motorcycle value: Because more expensive motorcycles are more expensive to repair and replace, insurance companies will charge you more to insure them if you buy comprehensive and collision insurance.
• Bike safety: Bikes with more safety features — such as anti-lock brakes — are less likely to be involved in an accident and will generally be cheaper to insure than bikes lacking those features.
• Crash rate: Certain motorcycle models and styles are more likely to be involved in an accident than others. Motorcycle insurance companies will assume you are more likely to file a claim if your model of bike is frequently involved in crashes.
• Theft rate: Insurance companies will frequently charge a higher premium to cover a type of bike that is frequently stolen. This is because there is a greater likelihood that the insurer will have to pay out for a comprehensive claim. As a result, flashy and expensive bikes that are high theft targets will cost more to insure.

Sport and supersport bikes (also known as street bikes) are generally much more expensive to insure than other bikes because they check many of the following boxes: They are relatively expensive, frequently wrecked, and are popular targets for theft.

We collected typical motorcycle insurance rates and discovered that, when compared to cruiser style bikes, sports bikes were 362 percent more expensive to insure, despite having a 59 percent higher average Kelley Blue Book value. Similarly, touring bikes were 47 percent less expensive to insure than sport bikes, despite having a significantly higher average cost.

The average cost to insure various cruiser, touring, and street bikes is shown below, demonstrating the increased average motorcycle insurance costs.

Progressive provided average annual motorcycle insurance quotes for a 50-year-old single male rider in Los Angeles with no accidents or traffic violations. He's had a driver's license since he was 16 years old and has been riding a motorcycle for ten years.

Does a motorcycle with a bigger engine cost more to insure?

The style of motorcycle has a greater impact on the cost of insurance than the CCs of its engine.

For example, insurance for a 2019 Suzuki GSX-R600 with a 600 cc engine costs our sample rider $5,401 per year. However, insurance for a Honda Gold Wing with a displacement of 1,833 cc costs just under $2,000 per year, despite the fact that the Gold Wing is more than twice as expensive as the Suzuki.

The most frequent motorcycle insurance claims

According to Progressive research, single-vehicle accidents, as opposed to rear-end collisions in regular auto insurance, are the most common type of motorcycle insurance claim.

This suggests that riders are more likely to be at fault in their claims when it comes to motorcycle insurance.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated in 2012 that direct losses from motorcycle accidents in the United States totaled $16 billion. The obvious costs were included in that estimate: emergency services, property damage, and medical costs, including rehabilitation. It also considered lost wages, household productivity, and legal defense costs in liability claims.

The number of motorcycle injuries per year has increased from 81,000 in 2011 to 88,000 in 2015, according to the most recent data available. Additionally, the cost of medical care has risen. Taking all of these factors into account, it's safe to assume that a more recent study would result in an even higher direct loss cost.

The table below shows the prevalence of motorcycle theft claims in comparison to other types of claims made by Progressive. Stolen and unrecovered motorcycles account for the fourth-highest number of motorcycle insurance claims, but theft claims did not even make the top five list of personal auto claims.

Motorcycles are more likely to be stolen than cars and trucks due to their smaller size and weight. Thieves frequently hoist the motorcycle into a van, minimizing both the damage to the motorcycle and the possibility of being caught in the act.

According to National Insurance Crime Bureau calculations, reported incidents of motorcycle theft in the United States decreased by 6% between 2017 and 2018, totaling 41,674. Motorcycle thefts are estimated to be down 38% from 66,774 in 2006.

California had the most motorcycle thefts in 2018 (7,035), but it also has the most registered motorcycles — more than 800,000. Florida had the second-highest number of reported motorcycle thefts, but it was far behind California, which had 4,279 bikes stolen.

Sources: Insurance Information Institute, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Progressive, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the National Crime Information Center of the FBI and the Motorcycle Industry Council.