Scooter / Moped Insurance

Have you got a small scooter for commuting to work or purely for fun? In most states, if the engine displacement is larger than 50cc, you need to carry liability insurance on your scooter to ride it legally on public streets.

We sometimes tend to overlook insurance coverage on these small machines — until we get pulled over by the police or wreck them, that is. Occasionally, scooters can be tough to find coverage for, but we can help. Fortunately, we work with motorcycle insurers who also cover scooters, and the coverage is generally quite affordable. Enter your zip code to begin reviewing coverage options and prices in your area.

Scooter / Moped Definitions

Believe it or not, each states defines what a scooter and/or moped is by their own definition. In some states, such as Georgia, the state doesn’t differentiate between scooters and motorcycles. If the engine displacement is greater than 50cc, then the scooter or moped is subject to the very same license, registration, and insurance regulations as motorcycles.

On the other hand, states like California make a distinction between motorcycles, motor-driven cycles, motorized scooters, mopeds, and various classes of electric/motor-driven bicycles. All of these categories have differing license, registration, and insurance requirements. For instance, motor-driven cycles and mopeds require motorcycle licenses, while motorized scooters do not.

Generally, scooters are defined by the fact that the engine is mounted beneath the seat and attached directly to the rear axle — unlike a motorcycle, which uses a chain, belt, or shaft drive. They may be gas or electric. A moped, on the other hand, typically has pedals in addition to a gas or electric engine. But again, different states define these machines in different ways.

As you can see, it’s really a quite dizzying subject. Probably the easiest, safest approach is to contact a motorcycle/powersports insurer that operates in your state and find out what the requirements are for your specific make/model of machine, as the insurance companies are up-to-date on these regulations.

Types of Scooters / Mopeds

Some of the more common scooters and mopeds include…

• Honda Metropolitan
• Honda Ruckus
• Italjet Dragster
• Kymco Like
• Piaggio BV
• Suzuki Burgman
• Tao Tao Thunder 50
• Vespa 946
• Vespa Elettrica
• Vespa Primavera
• X-Pro 150
• Yamaha Zuma

Insuring a Scooter:  Coverage Options

In some states, you aren’t required to register or insure a scooter with a 49cc engine unless the top speed is 30+ mph. In the vast majority of states, if insurance is required, it’s only liability coverage. As you probably know, liability only covers the damage or injury to third parties or their property in an accident — it doesn’t cover your actual scooter or moped.

If you want your scooter to be protected from accident damage, theft, fire, vandalism, or other issues, you’ve got to look beyond liability coverage.

• Collision: Protects your scooter after an accident regardless of the circumstances. Collision may or may not include uninsured/under-insured coverage. If it doesn’t, you should consider adding UM/UIM coverage, as the percentage of uninsured motorists on the roads these days is very, very high.
• Comprehensive: Protects your scooter from fire, wind, water, vandalism and theft.

Scooter Insurance Rates

It’s nearly impossible to estimate what the rates will be for any one individual, as so many factors go into the equation: location, age, driving record, marital status, multi-vehicle bundles, make/model/year of scooter, coverage options…the list goes on. That said, we did survey some real-life scooter owners to give you an idea of what to expect.

• Male, 20s, Colorado, Honda Ruckus, Liability, Progressive: $96 / year
• Male, 20, Honda Ruckus, Liability, Liberty Mutual: $819 / year
• Male, 20s, Texas, Honda Ruckus, Liability: $77 / year
• Male, 20s, Yamaha Zuma, Full Coverage: $140 / year
• Male, 23, Texas, 150cc Generic, Liability, Progressive: $77 / year ($330 for Full Coverage)
• Male, 24, Tennessee, SYM HD 200, Full Coverage, Geico: $216/ year
• Male, 24, Texas, Lance Cali Classic, Full Coverage, Progressive: $665 / year
• Male, 27, California, Honda Ruckus, Liability, Progressive: $75 / year
• Male, 28, Tennessee, Yamaha Zuma 125, Full Coverage, Geico: $250 / year

As you can see, rates vary hugely. For that reason, it’s critically important to shop around, comparing quotes and policies from various insurers in your area. Enter your zip code to begin…

Keeping Your Premiums Affordable

If you’re requesting quotes and finding them too high, or else trying to bring down the rates on your existing policy, there are a few steps you can take.

• MSF: Attend a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Course. Graduating from a weeekend MSF course won’t just teach you life-saving riding skills and let you skip the skills portion of the motorcycle licensing test in most states, but it also lowers your premiums. Here’s the MSF website (www.msf-usa.org) to find courses in your area.
• Good Student: If you’re a high school or college student, one of the biggest discounts you can get is for maintaining a high GPA. For most insurers, this requires a GPA of 3.0 or higher, and typically translates to a discount of 10-15%.
• Multi-Vehicle: Most insurers will give you a slight discount if you insure multiple vehicles with them, such as your car or home and your scooter.
• Shop Around: The single best way to keep your rates affordable is to shop your coverage around every year. We can help. All you have to do is enter your zip code to begin exploring rate and coverage options from scooter insurers in your area.