How Much Is Motorcycle Insurance?

Indian Scout Motorcycle
  • The average cost of motorcycle insurance varies depending on age, location, driving record, and quality of coverage.
  • It can be anywhere from a few hundred dollars to over $1,000.

You might have wondered, how much is motorcycle insurance? After all, it’s an unavoidable cost that every motorcyclist needs to pay if they want to abide by the law.

Because of this, I wanted to take a closer look at motorcycle insurance and really dig into what it actually costs to insure a motorcycle.

What’s the Average Cost of Motorcycle Insurance?

Indian Scout Motorcycle

According to Value Penguin, the average cost of motorcycle insurance is somewhere around $702 per year. However, it can vary by as much as 250 percent depending on a variety of factors, including, age, location, driving record, and the type of insurance policy you buy.

Business Insider also took a look at motorcycle insurance and noted that for a full-coverage policy, the average price was $1,173 per year. Again, this publication notes that the various factors surrounding your individual policy can dramatically impact the cost.

According to The Balance, age is one of the most important factors. The publication notes that younger riders under the age of 24 can pay as much as $3,000 a year. That is not the average, but it could be the reality for you if you’re under 24 and have a few blemishes on your driving record.

Progressive notes that coverage can be very affordable, ranging from only $163 a year in North Dakota to $364 a year in Michigan. It is important to note that this is just for basic liability insurance, and not for full coverage.

What’s the Smart Motorcycle Insurance Move?

honda dual sport

So, you have to have motorcycle insurance by law. However, the required amount of insurance varies. You can get just enough insurance to be legal to ride and come in with a very affordable policy.

However, you might not want to if you have a new bike, have financed a bike, or own an expensive motorcycle. If any of these things are true for you, it’s often smart to get full coverage.

Personally, I buy super affordable bikes. I have only financed one new motorcycle in my life and while it was financed, I had full coverage on it. It is paid off now, and I almost removed full coverage. For the moment, though I decided to keep it. As it ages, I’ll continue to reevaluate this and I may pull full coverage off the bike in the future.

If you have an older bike, a bike that has a ton of miles, or a motorcycle that simply isn’t worth much, you have no need for full coverage. Get the minimum coverage for the bike and then enjoy it.


Get a quote on motorcycle insurance with Progressive.

Author: Wade Thiel

Wade started Wind Burned Eyes and runs it. He's always up for chatting, so feel free to reach out.