A set requirement by UK law, it is a criminal offence to ride a bike on a public road without any form of bike insurance in place. Whilst this may be the case, for many, it is a necessary evil, for a variety of reasons.

A bike insurance policy is a necessity for most, not only because it states so by law, but that as their bike is their pride and joy or only means of transport, if something was to happen in which the bike became damaged and unusable, they need to have some form of backup in place that will repair or replace their bike.

The evil part of necessary evil comes when looking at the price of the insurance. Whilst the insurance market has grown considerably over the years, there is still not as great of a variety of bike insurers as there are car insurers, which makes it more difficult to not only find a competitive quote in general, but to compare it to a substantial amount of other quotes.

In addition, bike insurance policies regularly come with a large price tag, which for many is simply almost unaffordable and is a Catch 22 situation. For example, some people will save up to pay for their insurance premium in one go, or cut-back in other areas of their life to pay it each month, but they then cannot afford to look after their bike properly or even fill it up with petrol.

Fortunately, things are improving in terms of variety and of course, it must be remembered that there are three separates options available when choosing bike insurance, each of them offering various levels of cover, but with price tags that are reflective.

The first level of insurance available is the one that is required by law as a minimum for any rider to hold before they take their bike out onto a public road. Third Party cover is the most basic cover of bike insurance available and simply covers any third parties involved in an accident with the policy holder. It does not, in any way, shape or form, cover the policy holder for injury to them or damage to their bike, regardless of how small it may be.

Due to the lack of cover it provides, Third Party insurance is not a popular choice amongst the majority of bike riders.

The second level of cover, Third Party, Fire and Theft, again only covers any third parties that are involved in an accident with the policy holder, but also has the added bonus of repairing or replacing a bike that has either been damaged by fire or stolen.

The final level of cover is the one that offers the most cover to the policy holder, but also generally has the most expensive premiums.

Fully Comprehensive bike insurance covers the policy holder for the majority of incidents that they may encounter, whether it is an accident and they are injured or their bike is stolen and not found. In essence, Fully Comprehensive insurance covers the policy holder with exactly the same cover as the two other options, as well as the policy holder themselves should they need to make a claim.

Bike insurance can be an expensive necessity, but choosing the most appropriate level of cover will ensure that no unnecessary money is spent.