Best companies for motorcycle insurance in Florida

Best Companies for Motorcycle Insurance in Florida

The Sunshine State is ripe for adventures like swimming with manatees, snorkeling for scallops, and legally riding a motorcycle without a helmet. If you’re willing to risk riding helmetless, even if it isn’t required, it’s probably a good idea to have solid motorcycle insurance coverage. We’ve done our research to help you find the best companies for motorcycle insurance in Florida so you can get on to your next thrill.

Get Motorcycle Insurance in Florida Tip: compare 2-3 companies The Best Motorcycle Insurance in Florida:

• Best Overall in Florida: Progressive
• Cheapest Motorcycle Insurance in Florida: GEICO
• Best Coverage for Multiple Bikes: Farmers
• Best for Military Families: USAA

 

Florida Motorcycle Insurance Overview

• Approximate number of riders per household in Florida is 12.8.
• Minimum state insurance requirements
• $10,000 for bodily injury for 1 person per accident
• $20,000 for bodily injury for 2 or more people per accident
• $10,000 property damage coverage per accident
• The average rate with a clean driving record is $690.91.

Florida Motorcycle Insurance Law Explained

Unlike any other state in the nation, you can legally ride a motorcycle without a helmet in Florida. It’s inadvisable, but if you decide to let your hair blow freely in the wind, you must be 21 or older. You also must have a motorcycle insurance policy with a minimum of $10,000 in medical insurance coverage for injuries you may sustain in an accident.

Medical insurance coverage is optional in Florida, but it is mandatory for motorcyclists who don’t wear a helmet.

All Florida motorcycle riders — even those who wear helmets — must have liability insurance. That means at least $10,000 for bodily injury or death of 1 person per accident and $20,000 coverage for bodily injury or death to 2 or more people per accident. The state also requires motorcyclists to carry at least $10,000 for property damage.

If you ride a motorcycle in Florida, you also must also have a motorcycle license, which is called a motorcycle endorsement. Riding a motorcycle without a license is a 2nd-degree misdemeanor, and can lead to consequences that include:

• A fine of $500
• Up to 60 days in jail
• 6 months of probation
• Impounding of your motorcycle

Florida Motorcycle Traffic Laws You Should Know

If you break a motorcycle law in Florida, it usually is considered a civil infraction. While violations are not treated as crimes, they could negatively impact your driving record and be devastating for your budget. But sometimes an offense such as drunk driving could lead to criminal charges.

Here are some other Florida motorcycle traffic laws you should know:

Protective eye gear: Eye protection is required for motorcycle riders in Florida.

• Helmets: Florida law requires helmets to be worn by all motorcycle riders. An exception to that is if the rider is 21 or older and covered by an insurance policy with at least $10,000 in medical benefits for injuries sustained in an accident. Children younger than 16 must wear helmets.
• Headphones: It is illegal to ride a moped or motorcycle while wearing headphones in Florida. Helmets with speakers and single earbud cell phone headsets may legally be worn.
• Handlebars: Hand grips on handlebars can’t be above the rider’s shoulders.
• Passengers: Any passenger must have a seat, legs on both sides of the seat, and footrests.
• Lane use: In Florida 2 motorcycles may ride side-by-side in the same lane, but it’s illegal for 3 motorcycle to simultaneously rider in the same lane.
• Lane splitting: Just as it is in all states except California, the practice of riding between 2 lanes of traffic is illegal in Florida.
• Headlights: Florida riders must drive with a headlight on at all times, even during daylight hours.
• Equipment: All bikes must be equipped with footrests, handlebars, brake and signal lights.

Florida Motorcycle Insurance Rates per Bike

With year-round riding conditions and large events such as the Daytona Bike Week

that draw hundreds of thousands of riders from around the nation, motorcycles are popular in Florida.

Whether you ride a Harley hog or a Honda crotch rocket, the rate you’ll pay for a motorcycle insurance policy varies depending on your ZIP code, how you ride, your age and how frequently your type of bike is stolen or wrecked.

The average rate for a motorcycle in Florida is about $690 annually or $57.50 per month.

Your motorcycle insurance rate also could be affected by:

• A bad driving record
• The coverage options you select
• Your riding experience
• Your motorcycle’s make and model
• Your credit score

If you ride a speedy sports bike like the Yamaha R6, your motorcycle will be much higher to insure than a touring bike like a Harley Davidson Ultra Classic. You’ll also pay more for your insurance if you ride to work every day instead of only for weekend recreation.

To lower your insurance rate, select a carrier that offers discounts, affordable add-on policy options and bundling options, like adding your auto, life and homeowners insurance together.

Insurance Companies that Provide Coverage in Florida

If you ride a registered motorcycle in Florida, you can choose from 21 motorcycle insurance companies in the state:

• Hagerty
• Harley Davidson
• American Modern
• Amica
• Auto-Owners
• Markel
• Esurance
• Farmers
• Progressive
• Safeco
• AAA
• Dairyland
• Foremost
• Liberty Mutual
• MetLife
• National General
• Nationwide
• State Farm
• Allstate
• GEICO
• USAA

Motorcycle Insurance Quotes

When it comes to motorcycle insurance in Florida, you can buy a standard policy for less than a third or nearly more than double the state’s average rate. Here are 1-year policy quotes from 5 insurance providers:

Motorcycle Insurance Discounts

All carriers in Florida offer a handful of motorcycle insurance discounts, but some companies stand out from the crowd for keeping money in your pocket. Here’s a sampling of discounts that 5 carriers offer:

CompanyDiscounts OfferedOverall RatingAuto-OwnersMultiple bike, anti-lock brakes, anti-theft device, safety course4FarmersMultiple bike, loyalty, homeowner, riding group, anti-lock Brakes 4.3GEICOTransfer, multiple bike, loyalty, homeowner, rider experience, anti-theft device, safety course5NationwideMultiple bike, homeowner, rider experience, anti-theft, safety course5ProgressiveTransfer, bike, homeowner, claims-free, anti-lock brake, safety course, motorcycle Driver’s license4.3Best Motorcycle Insurance Providers in Florida

Since Florida is second only to California with the nation’s most registered motorcycles, you have more choices for your insurance coverage than many other states. For a 1-year policy, quotes range from less than $200 to more than $1,300. Depending on your individual circumstances, your rate could be higher or lower.

Here are our picks for the best motorcycle insurance providers in Florida:

1. Best Overall: Progressive

You usually have to pay more for the better things in life, and that’s true for a standard Progressive motorcycle insurance policy, which is more than the state’s average. But for the additional annual cost, standard coverage will pay to repair your damaged motorcycle with new parts without a deduction for appreciation.

For claims of $500 or less, you’ll avoid a ding on your driving record and a possible rate increase. Additionally, as long as you’ve been accident-free for 4 consecutive years, you won’t be penalized for a 1st accident. Progressive, the nation’s top motorcycle insurance carrier, offers an array of options you can add to your policy. Its 1-year policy quote in Florida is $970. 

2. Cheapest Motorcycle Insurance in Florida: GEICO

While it’s not the rock-bottom cheapest coverage you can get in Florida — that’s Dairyland for a bare-bones policy for about $197 per year — GEICO seems to offer the best deal for its price as well as healthy discount offerings. A 1-year policy quote is $357.80, but that gets you discounts on transfers, safety courses, anti-theft devices and rider experience.

You also may qualify for loyalty and multiple bike discounts. GEICO’s competitors can’t touch that price and discounts combination. Besides that, GEICO offers nearly as many options as its much pricier top-tiered competitors.

3. Best Coverage for Multiple Bikes: Farmers

With a full-service, top-tiered carrier like Farmers, you can bundle your auto, home and life insurance policies along with multiple bikes and receive a bonus multi-policy discount. Then you can count on saving more with loyalty, riding group and anti-lock brake discounts.

Besides that, roadside assistance is included. And while many carriers don’t offer all these options, you can add total loss replacement for bikes less than 2 years old, and coverage for trailers, trip interruption, rentals, helmets and accessories to your policy. Other options include medical payments, property damage, collision, comprehensive and liability for bodily injury to your policy.

4. Best for Military Personnel: USAA

While its Better Business Bureau ratings recently dropped from an A to an F because of unresolved consumer complaints, members of the U.S. Military, National Guard and Reserve, and their families still can’t go wrong with USAA. The carrier, which has been serving military members since the 1920s, still has a superior AM Best rating. Its policies are now being outsourced to Progressive.

It offers an array of options and discounts, including 5% off total policy cost, motorcycle safety courses, remaining claims-free and multiple motorcycles. Its 1-year policy quote in Florida, which includes 24-hour roadside assistance, is $478.

Be Responsible When Riding in Florida

When riding a motorcycle in Florida, you aren’t required to wear a motorcycle helmet or even purchase motorcycle insurance. But it’s important to make sure you know and understand the state’s laws and minimum insurance requirements. That’s because Florida’s motorcycle laws are unique and unlike any other state.

Ignorance of the law is not a good excuse anywhere, so remember if you decide to ride without a helmet you must carry medical insurance coverage in your policy, and data shows your risk of serious injury and fatal accidents skyrockets.

Since Florida requires such minimal coverage levels, it’s a good idea to increase your coverage. That way, you can be financially protected in the event of an accident. When you select a motorcycle insurance carrier, talk to your agent for advice on the coverage levels you should carry.

You should also be aware that some motorcycle insurance companies do not have a total motorcycle replacement option, and the ones that do may limit replacement coverage to bikes that are 2 years and newer.

Check your policy coverage levels carefully, and don’t get caught without the protection you need the most.

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