Motorcycle Insurance Articles
Three Differences Between Car and Motorcycle Insurance
2010-07-28
Car insurance and motorcycle insurance have much more in common than what differentiates them. Motorcycle insurance quotes, for the most part, are based on the same criteria as car insurance quotes (type of vehicle, age of the driver, amount of tickets/at-fault-accidents on the driver's record), but there are a few minor, and a few major, differences.
Generally, motorcycle insurance is less expensive than car insurance. If the motorcycle in question is an extremely powerful one and the driver is very young, it's possible the motorcycle insurance quote will be substantially higher than the car insurance quote. Still, since liability insurance is based on the damage that is likely to result in case of an accident, the fact that a motorcycle weighs considerably less than an automobile means it will cause significantly less damage. This means a lower motorcycle insurance quote. Also, if the motorcycle is in a region of the country where winters are long and usually snowy, the driver can secure a lower premium due to the lesser amount of time the motorcycle would be on the road.
The biggest difference between the two types of insurance is what's covered and what is not. Motorcycle insurance will cover add-on equipment such as saddlebags, helmets, leather riding gear or custom parts, whereas car insurance does not. Weather damage to a car can be covered under a policy, but for a motorcycle (unless it was properly garaged) weather damage is excluded. The most important area not covered by motorcycle insurance that is covered by car insurance, is medical costs incurred by the driver in the case of an accident. A car's driver is automatically covered, but a motorcyclist must purchase this coverage separately. Also, passengers in a car involved in an at-fault accident are also covered, but again, a motorcyclist must purchase coverage for passengers separately.
One advantage motorcyclists have over car drivers is the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF). All major American insurance companies that write motorcycle policies offers discounts if you graduate its training courses. These discounts generally last only three years after graduation, but it's a small thing to take the course once every three years, and keep the discounts continuous.
Last but not least, every state that mandates no-fault insurance either excludes motorcycles from these provisions or allows insurance companies to exclude them. This is due to the asymmetry of liability costs. When shopping for motorcycle insurance, to get the best motorcycle insurance quote, the bike owner needs to weigh what he wants to cover, how he wants to use the bike, and how careful he needs to be in the operation of his machine.