Making a claim on your motorbike insurance

If you’re involved in an accident, there is some damage to your motorbike or it is stolen, you will usually want to make a claim on your insurance.

To ‘claim’ is to make a request for a financial payout from an insurer in line with the terms of your insurance policy. If you are involved in an accident or if your bike is stolen or vandalised, you should notify your insurer who will make a claim on your behalf.

The insurer will pay out if they deem your claim to be within the terms of your policy however if you are involved in an accident that is not your fault, your insurers will try and make a claim from the blameworthy party’s insurance.

You can also make a claim if your bike is stolen or vandalised.

Remember: If you are at fault, the other party can make a claim from your insurance.

Do I always have to report an incident to my insurer?

  • The CUE (Claims Underwriting Exchange) is a database in which accidents are logged. So, if you have an accident, whether it was your fault or not, your insurer will log it in the database.

When you buy a new policy, your insurer will check the CUE to see if you have been involved in any past accidents. If you have, and you didn’t declare it on your new application, you may be denied the new policy.

You should ALWAYS notify your insurer if you are involved in an incident.

How do I make a claim with Comprehensive cover?

If you have Comprehensive Insurance cover you should claim from your own insurer but there is a risk of losing your ‘No Claims Bonus’ if your insurer can’t recover the costs from the other driver.

You are still able to claim from the other driver’s insurer for any injuries or losses your insurance doesn’t cover because this is known as an ‘uninsured loss’.

An uninsured loss will cover for things like alternative transport while your vehicle is off the road, as well as covering the costs of personal injuries and the excess on your policy.

How do I make a claim with Third-Party cover?

With Third Party insurance, whether standard or Fire and Theft, you should make a claim against the other party and then allow the insurer to decide who was at fault.

If they decide it was you, you will be responsible for paying the repair costs to your own vehicle. To claim from the other party, you must inform them in writing and let your insurer know you have done this. The other party should also report this to their own insurer.

If you have been in an accident and receive a letter from the other party’s insurer, you should forward this to your own.

What if the other rider/driver is not insured?

If you have an accident where you are not at fault and the other party is not insured, you can claim the losses on your own insurance if you have Comprehensive cover.

You will not be able to claim however if you are an injured passenger of somebody that you should have known, or did know, wasn’t insured.

What can I do if I’m in an accident with an uninsured rider?

The Motor Insurer’s Bureau (MIB) is a group set up to reduce the amount of uninsured motorists and riders on the roads. Its aim is to help victims of uninsured motorists claim compensation if they are involved in an incident with them.

How do I go about making a claim to the MIB?

If you have been involved in an incident with an uninsured rider or motorist, you can make a claim via the MIB’s website and filling in the claims form that can be accessed there; the claim can be submitted by you as the claimant or by a solicitor.

Remember, you must inform the police of the incident.

Do I need anything to support my claim?

There are a few things you can do to help your claim be successful:

  • Make enquiries to see if the other party is insured. This could include contacting the rider or motorist and checking if they are insured with the DVLA. If you discover they aren’t, or they refuse to supply insurance information, you can contact the police because it is an offence to do so.
  • Next, contact your insurer to report the incident. They will be able to check up on the Motor Insurer’s Database to see past insurance history of the accused rider or motorist.
  • Once you’ve taken these steps, and have gathered as much information as you can about the rider or motorist, head to the MIB website and fill in your claim form. You can send it electronically or by post.

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