Insurance-approved locks: what UK insurers actually ask for

What do motorcycle insurers actually ask for?

For a motorbike, get a lock rated Sold Secure Powered Cycle Gold or Diamond, declare it when you get a quote, and call your insurer if it isn't on their list.

Motorcycle insurers rarely publish a required grade. Each keeps its own list of approved security, and you choose your lock from it when you get a quote.

• Bennetts says some certified locks may be missing from insurers' lists, and that discounts aren't guaranteed. For some riders, extra security is the only way an insurer will quote at all.
• Confused.com notes that every insurer has its own approved list, and you can usually declare only one device per quote.
• Lexham Insurance advises: "Many insurance providers only accept certain locks, so make sure to give them a call before purchasing."

Sold Secure rates motorcycle locks in its Powered Cycle category, from Bronze up to Diamond, and its motorcycle test toolkit is based on insurance and police information. That's why a rated lock is the safest thing to declare, and Gold or Diamond leaves you covered if your insurer names a minimum grade. Some policies also ask for a disc or wheel lock whenever the bike is left, so read the security section of your schedule.

Bicycles and e-bikes

Cycle insurers are more specific: almost all name a Sold Secure grade, and the specialist cycle insurers increasingly ask for Gold whatever the bike is worth. What six UK cycle insurers ask for (checked October 2026):

• Laka: Sold Secure Gold or Diamond when the bike is locked out and about. Laka says a missing Gold lock is the most common reason it turns down theft claims: "If you fail to use a gold-rated lock, we sadly cannot pay out your claim."
• Bikmo: Gold or Diamond "regardless of the value of your bike" for policies bought from 1 July 2025. "Using a Silver or Bronze lock may invalidate a theft claim."
• Yellow Jersey: any lock must be Sold Secure rated. Silver for bikes up to £1,500, Gold above £1,500. Lock through the frame to an immovable object, and keep the lock's receipt.
• Pedal Cover: Silver for bikes under £1,500, Gold or Diamond from £1,500. The bike must be locked through the frame to an object that can't be removed without extreme force.
• Cycleplan (underwritten by Aviva): under £500 Bronze; £500 to under £1,000 Silver; £1,000 or more Gold or Diamond.
• Eversure: up to £250 Bronze; over £250 to under £1,500 Silver; over £1,500 Gold.

So an e-bike worth £2,000 needs at least Sold Secure Gold with all six, and Laka and Bikmo ask for Gold even on a cheaper bike. Most also expect the lock to go through the frame to something fixed.

Will a better lock lower my premium?

Sometimes, but it isn't guaranteed. Some riders tell us their premium fell after they declared a Sold Secure Diamond lock. Others saw little change, or found the lock wasn't on their insurer's list yet.

"It's well worth checking with your insurance to see if having this beefy bad boy will affect your premium, as mine was reduced by pretty much the cost of the lock."

Tomas B., X3 Moto

"Such a highly rated lock only reduced my insurance by about £2.50 for the year."

Derek T., X3 Moto

For cyclists, the lock is more often a condition of cover than a discount: "my insurance requires a gold or diamond rating" (Suzanne H., X1).