Many motorcycle riders will agree that there’s nothing like the thrill of cruising down the road on your motorcycle. However, while riding on two wheels can be a fun experience, it can be dangerous too.
Even if you’re the most careful motorist, accidents and other damages are sometimes still inevitable that’s why you’ll need insurance for added protection.
Fortunately, in this article, we’ve rounded up the best motorcycle insurance providers in Ireland! We’ll discuss their products, pros and cons, and other info such as some FAQs and tips.
The Best Motorcycle Insurance Providers in Ireland
Get to know our choices better as we discuss them below. Here are our top picks for Ireland’s best motorcycle insurance providers!
1. Carole Nash
| SERVICES | Motorbike insurance, classic car insurance, helmet and leather insurance, and personal accident cover |
| WEBSITE | https://www.carolenash.ie/ |
| ADDRESS | Ulysses House, 22/24 Foley St, Mountjoy, Dublin |
| CONTACT DETAILS | 1800 818 751 |
| OPERATING HOURS | 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (Monday – Friday) 9:00 am to 1:00 pm (Saturday) |
Carole Nash is a Dublin-based insurance company that has been providing motorcycle insurance since 1999. We think they’re perfect for motorists for multiple reasons.
They offer insurance for a wide variety of motorbikes for the casual motorist down to high-performance riders. This includes classic motorbikes (bikes that are 10+ years old), custom bikes, performance bikes (superbikes), and scooters.
The motorcycle brands they provide insurance for are extensive as well. They cover all major manufacturers including Honda, Kawasaki, Harley-Davidson, Ducati, and Aprilia, to name some.
Moreover, inclusive of all their motorcycle insurance policies are European travel cover of up to 90 days, Irish and European breakdown and accident recovery, up to 10% off for insurance approved security, and €130,000 for accidents that are not your fault.
Their Irish and European breakdown cover includes home start assistance and up to 6 call-outs per year with no excess payable. Included in this feature are motorcycles of all ages as well as assistance when you run out of fuel, plus onward travel if your bike cannot be repaired.
And regarding their €130,000 motor legal expenses cover, this can cover a variety of legal costs. These are costs should you want to reclaim expenses from loss of earnings and other expenses as well as compensation for any injury incurred after the accident.
Their services don’t end here. Carole Nash also offers an insurance policy for multiple bikes—in other words, you can register several motorbikes under one insurance policy.
Plus, you can have your motorcycle gear such as helmets, leathers, boots, and gloves insured with them.
Meanwhile, Carole Nash also provides personal accident insurance which pays out up to €20,000 upon death and disability such as loss of sight, speech, hearing, and limbs.
| INSURANCE COMPANY/ BROKER | INSURANCE POLICY | INCLUDES | COST |
| Carole Nash | Classic bike Custom bike Performance bike Scooter & moped Multi-bike | (For all motorcycle insurance policies) -European travel cover of up to 90 days -Irish & European breakdown and accident recovery, including Homestart -Up to 10% off for insurance-approved security -€130,000 legal expenses cover in the event of an accident which was not your fault -Dedicated Irish call centre | Need to request a quote |
| Helmet & leathers cover | Offers cover of up to €1,500 to replace damaged gear beyond repair | €39.99 | |
| Personal Accident | Offers financial support of up to €20,000 in the event of an accident | €34.99 |
Pros
- Has repair service for motorcycles
- Has personal accident and motorcycle gear insurance
- No mileage restrictions for classic bikes insurance
- Offers one insurance policy for multiple motorbikes
- Open until Saturday
Cons
- Closed on Sundays
- Only one branch
- Limited insurance offerings
Customer Reviews
The comments below are from Carole Nash’s clients. Take a look at the good things they have to say:
“Great value insurance and pleasant to deal with.” -Eire Jim
“I have had my motorcycle insurance with Carole Nash since April 1999 and found them very helpful with great staff.” -Andrew Moore
“Straight to the point. Very good to deal with. Definitely recommend.” -John Lindsay
“Very efficient, friendly and competitive for motorbike insurance, recommended.” -Bill Lynch
2. Principal Insurance
| SERVICES | Motorcycle insurance, car insurance, van insurance, home insurance, and dealer scheme |
| WEBSITE | https://www.principalinsurance.ie/ |
| ADDRESS | Unit 45, Block 5, Northwood Court, Santry, Dublin 9 |
| CONTACT DETAILS | 1890 945 950 (Quotations) 1890 945 947 (Customer service) |
| OPERATING HOURS | 8:30 am to 6:30 pm (Monday – Friday) 10:00 am to 2:00 pm (Saturday) |
Principal Insurance is an insurance broker that first started offering motorcycle insurance before expanding to include car, van, and house insurance.
Although they’re not technically an insurance company, one advantage clients have in dealing with insurance brokers like Principal is that they’ll have a wider range of options.
Principal Insurance sources its quotes from insurers in the country. Hence, clients can have more options in finding the best insurance policy for their needs.
Principal Insurance can help you find insurance for classic and custom motorbikes, trikes, mopeds, and scooters.
Some of the features included in their policies are up to €100,000 of legal fees and expenses covered in an accident not your fault, discounts, salvage retention rights, no limit to road-legal modifications, among others.
They can also help clients avail of multi-bike insurance and can arrange insurance for multiple kinds of bikes under one premium.
As for Principal’s other insurance policies, some of the features that can be included in their car insurance are a courtesy car (if your vehicle is stolen, written off, or not roadworthy following claim) and legal expenses cover of up to €100,000 for accidents not caused by you.
And concerning their van insurance, they’ve got up to €6,500,000 accidental property damage cover, among other features. For their home insurance, it includes buildings cover for fire, flood, theft, and other damages, plus other coverages.
We also give them a thumbs up for their customer service as they set no time limits for their calls. Hence, there’s not much pressure in talking with them to discuss your needs.
| INSURANCE COMPANY/ BROKER | INSURANCE POLICY | INCLUDES | COST |
| Principal Insurance | Classic motorcycle | -Up to €100,000 of legal fees & expenses covered in the event of an accident that wasn’t your fault -Agreed value -Generous discounts -Salvage retention rights -European touring | Need to request a quote |
| Custom motorcycle | -Up to €100,000 of legal fees & expenses covered in the event of an accident that wasn’t your fault -Salvage retention rights available -Free agreed value -No limit to number of road-legal modifications -Generous discounts -Turbos and nitrous kits | Need to request a quote | |
| Trike | -Up to €100,000 of legal fees & expenses covered in the event of an accident that wasn’t your fault -Salvage retention rights available -Free agreed value -No limit to number of road-legal modifications -Generous discounts -Specialist schemes for disabled bikers | Need to request a quote | |
| Moped & scooter | -Up to €100,000 of legal fees & expenses covered in the event of an accident that wasn’t your fault -Commuter cover -Classic scooter and moped insurance policies. -No limit to number of road-legal modifications -Generous discounts -Specialist schemes for young riders | Need to request a quote | |
| Multi-bike | -Up to €100,000 of legal fees & expenses covered in the event of an accident that wasn’t your fault -Multi-bike insurance: modern, classic, custom and vintage bikes on one policy -Generous discounts | Need to request a quote |
Pros
- Wider range of insurance options
- No time limits for calls
- Offers dealer scheme for bike dealers
- Also offers insurance for car, van, and home
- Offers one insurance policy for multiple motorbikes
- Open until Saturday
Cons
- Closed on Sundays
- No insurance for motorcycle gear
- Only one branch in Ireland
Customer Reviews
Find out what clients have to say about their staff, services, and more:
“Great staff and unbelievably helpful. They go out of there way to help.” -Brian Carey
“Hands down the best customer service for insurance before and after getting insurance always helpful and friendly down to earth people…..aslo thanks to Kenny over the motorcycle insurance for all his help….definitely will insuring my car aslo with yourself…keep up the brilliant work.” -Gary Loonam
“Quick efficient service from a knowledgeable representative. Was sorted with a new quite in minutes and did not have to endure endless questions about “any other insurances they could help me with.” -Dave Curran
3. AXA Insurance
| SERVICES | Car insurance, motorcycle insurance, van insurance, home insurance, farm insurance, and small business insurance |
| WEBSITE | https://www.axa.ie/ |
| ADDRESS | Unit 4, Blanchardstown Plaza, Main Street, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 Click here to see other branches. |
| CONTACT DETAILS | 01 8179733 [email protected] |
| OPERATING HOURS | 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Monday – Friday) 10:00 am to 2:00 pm (Saturday) |
Headquartered in Paris, AXA Insurance is the largest insurance company on this list. In Ireland alone, they already have 24 branches which include Dublin, Cavan, Galway, Limerick, Cork, Wicklow, Louth, and more.
We like how they’ve made their services more convenient via their online platform, MyAXA. By making an account in MyAXA, clients can make payments online, download and upload documents, track claims, and so on.
They also offer motorcycle insurance discounts from 30% to 60%. They give a 30% discount if your car insurance is from another provider, 40% discount if your car insurance is from AXA, and 60% discount for 5 or more claim-free years.
Note that these discounts are subject to a €246.03 minimum premium. Concerning their motorcycle insurance, AXA has two plans: the Bikecare plan and the Easirider plan.
Their Bikecare plan is the ideal choice for mopeds and smaller engines and includes 24-hour breakdown assistance, up to 31 days of full policy cover for driving in Europe (EU and EU-approved countries), and a multi-product discount.
The multi-product discount refers to a 5% discount on home insurance if you also avail of car insurance from AXA.
Meanwhile, their Easirider plan includes all of the abovementioned benefits plus €600 for stolen safety clothing, motorcycle replacement, third party cover if you need to drive someone else’s bike and No Claims Discount protection.
The No Claims Discount protection means that if you make a claim, it won’t affect your No Claims discount. However, this comes with an additional cost.
Among our choices, AXA offers the most insurance products, with insurance policies for the home, car, van, and even farm and small business.
| INSURANCE COMPANY/ BROKER | INSURANCE POLICY | INCLUDES | COST |
| AXA Ireland | Bikecare plan | -24-hour motorcycle breakdown assistance -Up to 31 days full policy cover for driving in the EU and EU-approved countries -Multi-product discount | Need to request a quote |
| Easirider plan | -Includes all benefits above -€600 for stolen safety clothing -Motorcycle replacement -Third-party cover if you need to drive someone’s else bike -No Claims Discount protection | Need to request a quote |
Pros
- 24/7 customer support
- Widest service coverage on list
- Has online account for easier transactions
- Offers discounts
- Provides motorbike skills assessment programme
- Open until Saturday
- Offers other types of insurance
Cons
- Closed on Sundays
- No mention of multi-bike insurance
Customer Reviews
AXA has garnered both good and not so good reviews across its 24 branches in Ireland. See several positive reviews from their Blanchardstown branch:
“Very good customer service thanks you very much.” -Parma Ukugwere
“Been with AXA for few years in and out. But always when in this office for any reason, things were done, fast, professional and hustle free.” -Mattia P
“Great Customer Service from Pat, always polite, helpful and extremely fast in dealing with customers. Highly recomend! A1” -Nico F
How to Choose the Right Motorcycle Insurance Provider
Consider the following tips as you search for the right motorcycle insurance provider:
1. Compare quotes
Start by making a list of motorcycle insurance providers and then contact each one to ask for a quote. Comparing quotes can help you pick the right kind of insurance policy according to your budget.
The more options you have, the higher your chances of getting the best insurance deal for your motorcycle.
2. Compare benefits and features
Aside from quotes, make sure to compare the benefits and features of the insurance policies of these companies.
Do they offer discounts for particular bikes? Do they also offer insurance for motorcycle gear and accessories? What are their payment options?
These are some of the questions you should inquire about.
3. Multi-bike insurance
Check with your prospective insurance provider if they offer multi-bike insurance. By putting multiple motorbikes (if you own several) under one insurance policy, there’s less paperwork and more savings for you.
FAQs about the Best Motorcycle Insurance Providers in Ireland
And that’s a wrap for our list of the best motorcycle insurance providers in Ireland! Hopefully, you’ll have more protection on the road with our choices.
If you know of other motorcycle insurance providers in the country that should have been included here, please give us a call. We’ll take a look ASAP!
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