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Bicycle Insurance NI: compare cheap Northern Ireland bicycle insurance quotes online

Cycling might not be quite as popular in Northern Ireland as it is in London or Cambridge just yet, but according to data from the government’s Continuous Household Survey the bicycle is becoming an increasingly popular mode of transport throughout the province.

In fact, more than a third of people in NI now own a bicycle, and many of those bikes are worth a surprisingly large amount of money, with a significant number costing upwards of £1,000, while some very high-end bicycles can cost £10,000 or more.

That’s one of the reasons cyclists in Northern Ireland might want to look into taking out a relatively cheap bicycle insurance policy to protect their relatively valuable bike.

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Insuring a bicycle in Northern Ireland: a no-nonsense guide

Is it legal to cycle on the roads in Northern Ireland without bicycle insurance?

Yes, if you own a road bike, trials bike, mountain bike or some other kind of standard push bike you are legally allowed to cycle on the roads in Northern Ireland, even if you don’t have bicycle insurance.

The situation used to be a little different if you owned an electric bicycle, though, because prior to a change to the legislation in 2020 Northern Ireland was the only part of the UK where these ebikes were classified as mopeds rather than bicycles. In practice, that meant if you rode an electric bike on Northern Ireland’s roads you do had a legal obligation to hold insurance (although it had to be moped insurance rather than bicycle insurance).

Prior to the legislative changes in 2020 electric bike riders in Northern Ireland also had to hold a moped licence, register their bike with the DVLA, carry a number plate on their bike, and tax their bicycle each year, but now these ebikes are treated the same way as ordinary pedal bikes, which means insurance is now optional.

Does cycle insurance cover bicycle theft?

Yes, the best bicycle insurance policies should protect the cyclist against the risk of having their bicycle stolen, although it’s worth bearing in mind that a number of security precautions will need to be taken in order for an insurance claim to be valid.

For instance, if the cyclist has informed their insurance provider that they use a ‘Sold Secure’ lock to secure their bike this type of lock will need to be in use when the bike is stolen. Similarly, if the bicycle owner has advised their insurer that they store their bike in a locked garage when it’s at their home it would need to be kept in the garage, otherwise a claim for bicycle theft may well be refused.

Will bicycle insurance cover the cost if a cyclist damages a car?

Yes, provided your Northern Ireland bicycle insurance policy includes ‘cycling liability cover’ you should be covered if you damage someone’s car while riding your bike.

In practice that means your insurance provider should cover the cost of repairing the paintwork or removing dents from the car’s metalwork if your policy includes this feature, although you will be required to cover the bicycle insurance excess yourself.

How can I find cheap NI bicycle insurance?

First and foremost, you should use CompareNI.com to compare bicycle insurance quotes from a range of providers, which makes it more likely that you’ll find a suitable policy at a competitive price.

Beyond that. the following steps could also help to increase your odds of finding cheap NI bicycle insurance:

• Using a ‘Sold Secure’ bicycle lock when you’re chaining up your bicycle: If you work in Belfast, Derry~Londonderry, Craigavon or Lisburn and you cycle to work each day you may be lucky enough to have access to a company bicycle rack in your office carpark. But no matter where you’re chaining the bike up you should benefit from cheaper insurance quotes if you use an insurer-approved bicycle lock, and ‘Sold Secure’ locks are usually recognised as some of the best options.
• Registering your push bike on bikeregister.com, the country’s national cycle register database: It’s free to register, and if you also buy one of the register’s security marking kits the cost of your insurance could fall a little.
• Opt for a higher voluntary excess: If you increase the excess on your insurance policy you could be offered cheaper NI bicycle insurance premiums.

Does Northern Ireland bicycle insurance cover damage to the tyres?

No, when you take out a Northern Ireland bicycle insurance policy damage to your tyres will usually be excluded from coverage, so if you suffer a puncture you’ll almost certainly have to pay for the repairs yourself.