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Want to escape being chauffeured around by your parents and get some freedom?
Motorbikes, mopeds and scooters are a great way to get around, without breaking the bank. But how much is moped insurance for 16-year-olds going to set you back?
Here’s what you need to know about getting your hands on cheap moped insurance if you're a young rider.
Moped insurance covers you against risks you could face while riding your moped on public roads. As with all vehicle insurance, moped insurance is a legal requirement in the UK.
It protects you against financial costs if you’re involved in an accident and injure someone else or damage their property.
Depending on the level of cover you choose, insurance could also cover fire damage, theft, repairs after an accident, and injuries to you.
While it falls under motorbike insurance, mopeds are usually cheaper to insure. This is because they have smaller engines, are slower and normally less valuable than motorbikes.
However, they’re usually driven by young riders, and age is a factor in the cost of your insurance. That’s why moped insurance for 16-year-olds can be more expensive than for a more experienced rider.
When you’re first starting out, you should expect to pay more for your moped insurance than older, more experienced riders. This is because insurance providers consider 16-year-olds a higher risk on the roads.
Why? Because lack of experience could mean young, teenage riders are less able to handle complex traffic situations and spot hazards, for example miscalculating stopping distances or failing to anticipate other drivers’ actions.
Because of their young age, they may also be overconfident in their abilities. This could result in taking unnecessary risks.
That’s why the best moped insurance for 16-year-olds shouldn’t be based on price alone. Having the right level of cover is important to ensure you have as much protection as possible.
According to Compare the Market's latest data, 51% of young riders between 16-17 years old could achieve a quote of £1,161[2] a year for their motorbike insurance.
When calculating the cost of your insurance premium, your age is one of the main factors that providers will consider.
Other factors that can affect the cost of your premium include:
The type of job you do
Where you live
The type of motorbike licence you have
Your riding and claims history
How many miles you ride
Whether you use your bike for commuting during rush-hour traffic
Your bike’s value
The make, model and engine size of your bike
Where you store your bike
Any bike modifications you’ve made
Security features.
[2] 51% of young riders between 16-17 years old could achieve a quote of less than £1,160.07 per year for bike insurance based on Compare the Market data in June 2026.
The cost of moped insurance if you're 17 is unlikely to be much different to when you were 16. As a teenage rider, you’ll still be considered high risk.
But if you started riding at 16, you’ll now be one year older, and have a year of experience. This means you can start building your no claims discount (NCD).
After one claim-free year, you may earn a slight discount when your moped insurance is due for renewal. As long as you don’t make any claims, the discount could increase, year on year.
The levels of motorbike and moped insurance available are the same as for car insurance:
Third-party – the minimum legal requirement, this covers damage to other people’s vehicles and property
Third-party, fire and theft – the same as above, but also covers your bike/moped against fire damage and theft
Comprehensive – covers your bike/moped against damage, fire and theft, as well as other people’s vehicles and property
There are also a variety of policy extras you can take out for additional cover.
These are some of the policy options that might be included as standard by insurance providers. With others, these may be optional add-ons, but they could all be useful for bikers:
Breakdown cover – if your motorbike or moped breaks down, you’ll be rescued by roadside assistance as a minimum
Legal expenses insurance – your legal costs could be covered if you need to make a claim, or if a driver makes a claim against you
Personal accident cover – if you’re injured in an accident, you could be paid a lump sum to help you through any resulting financial difficulties
Helmet and leathers cover – bikers’ gear can be expensive, so this can cover the cost of replacements if they’re damaged in an accident.
As a young rider, we’ve seen that it’s not easy to find cheap moped insurance for 16-year-olds. But there are some things that could help cut the cost of your premium:
Storing your bike overnight on a driveway and off the street could reduce the risk of theft or damage. This could mean a cheaper premium.
Additional security devices like a Thatcham-approved alarm tracker or immobiliser could help cut the cost of your moped insurance.
According to the Metropolitan Police, even simple measures like a disc lock, chain and cover could reduce the risk of your moped being stolen.
Some insurance providers offer a discount to riders who’ve taken an accredited motorbike riding safety course.
Unapproved modifications to your bike that could increase its speed or value will typically increase the cost of your premium.
The less time you spend on the road, the lower your risk of having an accident.
Excess is the amount you’ll need to pay towards a claim before your insurance provider pays the rest. A higher voluntary excess could reduce the cost of monthly insurance payments. Just make sure you could afford the higher excess should you need to make a claim.
Adding an older, more experienced rider to your policy might help you get a lower premium. Just make sure you’re named as the main rider if you use the bike most of the time. Otherwise, you could be charged with fronting, a type of fraud.
Adding unnecessary extras can hike up your premium. For example, there’s no point in paying for pillion cover if you don’t take passengers.
Comparing cheap motorbike and moped insurance for young riders is always a good idea. There are plenty of different providers out there. That’s why it pays to shop around, to make sure you’re getting a good-value policy.
If you’re new to the road, we can help you compare 50cc insurance for 16-year-olds too.
We offer quick and easy motorcycle insurance comparison to help you find a range of quotes, so you can search for an insurance policy that's right for you.
To find the right moped insurance quotes for you, we’ll need some details about you and your bike. These may include:
Name
Address
Marital status
Job
Email address
Riding history – whether you have a full or provisional licence and how long you’ve been riding for, including any claims or driving convictions.
Make and model
Registration number – if you haven’t bought it yet or can’t remember the reg, you can select the type of bike manually using our lists
The year it was manufactured
Any modifications after manufacture
The value of your motorcycle
The date you bought it.
As soon as we have all the details we require, we’ll send you a list of suitable quotes to compare. You’ll be able to check the features of each policy, to help you find the right deal to suit your needs.
You can start riding a 50cc moped/bike after successfully completing your Compulsory Basic Training (CBT), with a provisional licence, at 16 years old.
Once you reach 17, you can ride a bike up to 125cc with L-plates and a provisional licence, after you complete your Compulsory Basic Training (CBT).
Find tips for riders looking for affordable motorbike insurance and ways to cut costs
A moped is a motorbike that’s up to 50cc in power with a top speed of 28mph. Mopeds traditionally had bicycle pedals to get the engine started. Hence the name ‘moped’.
If you ride on public roads, even with a provisional licence, you’ll still need to have moped or motorcycle insurance.
If you’re taking a course at a professional training centre, you may be covered by their insurance. Make sure you check before you begin.
Most motorcycle or moped insurance policies don't cover helmets and protective riding gear as standard. But in most cases, you'll be able to add helmet and leathers as an optional extra.
Helmet and leathers cover typically includes:
Helmets
Leathers
Protective clothing
Motorcycle gloves
Motorcycle boots.
Considering how expensive helmets and riding gear can be to replace, it could be worth paying for the extra cover. Depending on the policy you choose, you could get cover for up to £1,500 for your riding gear.
There are a few reasons why moped insurance can be so expensive:
You only need a provisional licence to ride a moped, but this means you’ll be classed as a learner rider. So, moped insurance may be more expensive to reflect your inexperience.
Easy to ride and park, mopeds are often a preferred mode of transport for commuting in urban areas. This means there’s more risk of being involved in an accident during peak times of the day.
It can take seconds to steal a moped, especially if they’re not equipped with security features. This can make them an easy target for thieves.
No, you have to be 17 years old or over to ride a 125cc motorcycle in the UK.
You can only ride a 50cc moped without CBT if you passed your car driving test before 1 February 2001.
If you passed your car driving test on or after 1 February 2001, you’ll need to take CBT.
As a young rider, your age goes against you when it comes to finding cheaper motorbike insurance. This is especially true if you’re looking for moped insurance for 16-year-olds who are just getting started. But there are some things that could help cut the cost of your premium:
Choose a bike with a smaller engine – a less powerful bike with a lower top-end speed is considered less of a risk, than a more expensive model with a larger engine. For example, getting 50cc moped insurance can be cheaper than 125cc motorbike insurance.
Storing your bike safely overnight on a driveway and off the street could reduce the risk of theft or damage – which could mean a cheaper premium.
Consider taking a motorbike training course – some insurance providers offer a discount to riders who’ve taken an accredited riding safety course.
Don’t make any unapproved modifications to your bike that could increase its speed or value.
Keep the miles down – the less time you spend on the road, the lower your risk of having an accident.
Increase your voluntary excess – this could reduce the cost of monthly insurance payments. Just make sure you can afford the higher excess if you need to make a claim.
Adding an older, more experienced rider to your policy could help you get a lower premium. Just make sure you’re named as the main rider if you use the bike most of the time. Otherwise, you could be charged with fronting, which is a type of fraud.
Only pay for what you need – adding unnecessary extras can hike up your premium. For example, there’s no point in paying for pillion cover if you don’t take passengers.
Shop around – by comparing a range of quotes you’ve a better chance of finding the cover you need, at a good price.
There are different types of motorbike licence for people of varying ages, experience and types of bike. First, you’ll need a provisional Category A licence – this just tells the DVLA that you’re a new rider. You’ll then need to take a theory and practical test for each licence.
If you’re 16 or over – AM Moped licence: This means you can ride a motorbike, moped or scooter up to 50cc.
If you’re 17 or over – A1 Motorcycle licence: This means you can ride a motorbike or scooter up to 125cc.
If you’re 19 or over – A2 Motorcycle licence: This means you can ride a motorbike up to 500cc engine size.
If you’re 21 or over – Unrestricted A Motorcycle licence: This means you can ride any size and power of motorcycle or scooter.
If you’re 17 or over, you can ride a bike up to 125cc after you complete your Compulsory Basic Training (CBT), without the need to take your full licence. That is, as long as you have L-plates on the bike.
This can mean a slightly more expensive insurance premium though, because as long as you’re on a provisional licence, you’ll be classed as a learner rider.
To find the right motorbike insurance quotes for you, we’ll need some details about you and your bike. These may include: About you
name
address
marital status
job
email address
riding history – whether you have a full or provisional licence and how long you’ve been riding for, including any claims or driving convictions
About your bike
make and model
registration number – if you haven’t bought it yet or can’t remember the reg, you can select the type of bike manually using our lists
the year it was manufactured
any modifications after manufacture
the value of your motorcycle
the date you bought it
If you haven’t yet bought a bike because you haven’t made up your mind about the right model, it’s still worth comparing your options.
You’ll be able to see what impact your potential choice could have on your insurance premium, and factor this into your annual running costs.
To see more about the most popular motorcycle makes and models, check out our Motorbike Manufacturers page.
Amy helps make sure you get the best value when choosing insurance. Thanks to more than four years’ experience at Compare the Market, she understands what people look for, working closely with insurance providers to offer you deals and services that are fair, easy to understand and right for your needs.
1 Based on the % of respondents claiming they have used Compare the Market in the last 12 months vs. other leading PCWs. Source: Savanta BrandVue Financial Services, National Representative Survey of 12,257 respondents (June 2026)
What our expert says...
“Unlike car insurance, most providers don’t offer special discount policies for young riders. This means you should expect to pay more for your moped or motorbike insurance when you first start out.
“But by riding safely and responsibly, you could start to build up a no-claims bonus by the end of the first year. Over time, this could help to bring down the cost of your premium.
“Shopping around and comparing quotes can also be a great way to get a cheaper deal.”