Gearing up in leathers and hitting the road on two wheels can be the perfect thrill-seeking adventure for some. But does securing the right level of cover leave you in a spin?
To help ensure you don’t end up paying for benefits you won’t use, we’ve reviewed MCE Insurance’s different cover levels. And it’s not just for leisure bikers – if you’re a courier or food delivery rider, MCE can offer insurance, too.
MCE Insurance has been around since 1975 and prides itself on understanding bikers.
MCE offers three standard types of cover but these policies can be customised to suit your personal requirements.
The legal minimum level of cover required in the UK, third party protects you if your motorbike is involved in an accident and ends up damaging another vehicle (and it covers any injuries to someone else). What it won’t cover is the costs related to repairing your bike or medical bills relating to personal injuries.
You’ll get protection if you’re in an accident that damages or injures a third party and their property, and you’ll have cover if your bike is destroyed by fire or even stolen. Be aware that although this provides slightly more cover, you still won’t have any protection for damage to your bike or personal injuries after an accident.
You’ll get the most cover with this. It provides the same protection as third party fire and theft but it will cover your bike if it’s damaged after an accident, provide money for a new bike if yours is declared a write off and cover you for any personal injuries.
MCE will allow policy holders across all three cover levels to ride any bike as long as they hold a full bike licence and ride a bike with an engine size that is 351cc or above.
It’s worth noting that you might not be insured to carry passengers or ride other motorbikes not listed on the policy. If in doubt, check your policy details carefully or contact MCE Insurance directly to ask.
MCE’s speciality is bike insurance and it will insure any bike regardless of age or model. Here’s a list of some of the different types of bike cover available with MCE:
Here’s a breakdown of the benefits and features to each level of cover offered by MCE:
| Cover benefits | Third party | Third party, fire and theft | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liability to other people | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Legal expenses cover | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Personal accident cover in the event of death | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Breakdown cover in UK and Ireland only (offered to policy holders with a full bike or driver’s licence) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Helmet and leather cover | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 183 day European cover (only for policyholders with a full driver’s licence) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fire and theft | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Courtesy vehicle | – | – | ✓ |
| Lost key cover | – | – | ✓ |
| Track-day cover | – | – | ✓ |
MCE Insurance offers a range of optional extras that might be appropriate if you’re after a little more peace of mind in certain areas, depending on your circumstances. Some of the additional cover options that MCE offers are:
Your insurance excess is the amount of money you have agreed to pay towards a claim. Your insurer won’t pay out for a claim that costs less than your excess. The amount of excess will vary depending on the age of your bike and your riding experience.
It also varies between the third party fire and theft and comprehensive levels of cover provided by MCE. If you think the excess is still too high, MCE offers excess reducer cover that can bring it down by up to 50%.
You’ll find details about any excesses in your policy document.
If you find yourself in an accident or your bike has been stolen, you’ll need to call MCE Insurance on 01933 351528. This is a 24-hour claim line open seven days a week so you shouldn’t have to worry about any unnecessary delays in informing your insurer about an incident and subsequent claim. Claims do need to be made over the phone.
Note that (at the time of writing) there’s currently no option to make a claim to MCE via email.
Keep the following details to hand in order to process a claim:
Once you’ve provided these details, you should get your completed claim form sent to you in the post. You’ll be able to check all the details, sign if correct and then return.
If your damaged bike needs fixing, MCE Insurance has approved repairers across the UK and can even sort out pick-up and drop-off for you.
If your vehicle can’t be repaired, or the costs to fix it up outweigh its current market value, your bike will be declared a total loss and moved into storage.
Before a claim can be settled, MCE Insurance may require the following documentation from you:
An MCE engineer is then likely to get in touch with you to decide on the value of your vehicle, taking into account the deductions for any policy excess, outstanding insurance premiums yet to be paid and any finance still owed.
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