The motorcycle insurance definition of garaged | Bike security explained

When you take out a motorcycle insurance policy, every bike insurer – Bennetts included – will ask if your motorbike or scooter is garaged. But not all brokers have the same classification of a garage, so understanding your policy is vitally important…

What do insurers class as ‘garaged’?

When you take out bike insurance, you’re typically dealing with a broker – like Bennetts – which will work with a panel of underwriters (the insurers), to find the one that offers the best cover for your needs.

To the customer, that’s usually a fairly transparent process, but it’s why policy prices can change – each underwriter is constantly assessing what it considers to be a ‘risk’ based on its latest data; while one underwriter might come to love covering riders with a custom motorcycle as part of a multibike policy, another might suddenly decide it’s too risky for them.

Quick tip: If your renewal price is higher than expected, it can be due to an underwriter’s changes, so it’s worth checking all of your details to make sure they are fully up to date and if they aren’t, get in touch with your broker to update them and allow them to check against the entire panel for the best price.  

As for garaging, most underwriters have traditionally considered this term – which can sometimes attract a discount, or for some underwriters covering some parts of the country, mean the difference between offering cover and not – as being of brick construction with a roof, locked door and concrete base.

But that leaves out shipping containers, which are arguably the most secure way to store a bike (if the least attractive), wooden sheds, and even – in some cases – metal sheds like the Asgard.

However, Bennetts understands that if its customers are willing to secure their bikes as best as possible, a brick-built garage isn’t the only way to store it. For that reason, Bennetts has made changes so that the following can be classed as ‘garaged’, as long as they’re locked:

• Shipping containers

• Metal sheds

• Wooden sheds on a concrete base

This makes sense, as a basic garage door can be very easy to break into if no extra security is used, so a reasonable quality wooden shed can offer equivalent (or greater) protection. There are a few things you need to know though:

• Any garage, shed or container must be kept locked

• It must be on your property

• If it’s a wooden shed, it must be on a concrete base – that might be concrete paving slabs or a single large concrete slab, but the shed must either have its own wooden floor securely attached to the walls, or if there’s no floor, the walls must be secured to the base; the point is, a thief mustn’t be able to lift the shed or in any way get under it easily.

This shed has the walls bolted to the base, but you can also have a shed with a wooden floor classed as ‘garaged’

If you simply can’t get any form of garaging on your property, don’t worry – it doesn’t mean you can’t be insured, but these new classifications make it easier for far more people to see their security recognised when buying insurance.

Remember, while a light-weight shed could be classed as garaged, it’s well worth investing in something that will last longer and be more of a deterrent to would-be thieves.

How can I make my garage or shed as secure as possible?

With a brick-built garage, the weak point is the door – some will have three-point locking, but they generally have very weak locks. Thinner metal doors can also be readily peeled up from the corners, so consider adding extra bolts like these garage door bolts, which are very subtle and don’t scream ‘I’ve got something to hide in here’, or more obvious but heavy duty security like this Squire garage door protector.

Without even some relatively-low cost additional security, a standard garage can be easy to break into

If you have a shipping container, all you need to consider is the quality of the lock – get one that’s approved by Sold Secure or Secured by Design.

If you’ve bought a quality metal motorcycle shed (like the Asgard), it will likely have its own decent locks built in, so all you need to think about is where to put it. Any ‘garage’ should ideally not be in such a position that passers-by can easily see what’s inside, but the approach to it is best being overlooked by your house and neighbours.

Cheaper metal garden sheds must be locked firmly, and they also need to have their own floor that’s secured to the walls, or be fixed down to the ground.

The same goes for wooden sheds – while the underwriters insist it sits on a concrete base to be considered a ‘garage’, that could be concrete paving slabs. But a thief must not be able to lift the shed, so it either needs its own floor fixed solidly to the walls, or it needs to be firmly bolted down to a concrete base.

Make sure the door is well locked – the Pragmasis Heavy Duty Hasp and Staple is a great option – and also ensure that the hinges are solid and well fixed; screws can be quickly removed or prized out, so use coach bolts or perhaps the Pragmasis Shed Door Beef Up Kit.

If your shed has windows, don’t let people see what’s inside – venetian blinds are a good choice. Also consider fixing some bars to the inside, but the best place for a shed is tucked away in your garden behind a locked gate.

Once your storage space is ready, fit a ground anchor and use the best chain and lock you can afford; read our motorcycle security product reviews here. This video gives a full idea of everything you need to know to make your shed as secure as possible:

How to make a secure shed

From location and construction to door and internal security – everything you need to know.

Am I covered if my bike is stolen from outside my house?

Some garaging clauses can be a thorny subject for many riders. While it’s true that if you’ve declared your bike as garaged when at home and it gets stolen from outside of (or very close to) your own house, some underwriters might reduce or deny a theft claim, it’s not quite as black and white as it sounds.

If, for example, your bike was taken from outside while you were within reach of it (maybe washing it), shouting at the thieves to leave it alone, the claim would almost certainly be upheld. If an underwriter didn’t want to pay out in a situation like this, it’s likely that the broker and / or the Insurance Ombudsman would get involved.

However, if your policy has a garaging clause that states the bike must be garaged at the home address and you left it outside while going in for a cuppa or the loo, it could potentially be a different story.

To be clear, this only applies when you’re at your home address, though the exact proximity might vary by underwriter. The point is, if you ride to your mate’s house (no, not if he’s your neighbour), and your bike is stolen from there, the garaging clause won’t affect a claim. I would however strongly recommend you lock your bike with a decent quality disc lock or, better still, a chain and lock. You can read our destruction reviews of locks here.

A decent lock and anchor will make life extremely difficult for any thief

How much should I spend on security?

If you spend carefully, you don’t need to spend a lot. For instance, if you buy a heavy-duty chain that’s secured by a lock that doubles as a disc-lock when you’re out and about, you’ve got twice the value. Use our lock review league table to choose the right kit for your needs.

Buy the best you can afford as decent security kit should last a lifetime – it’s an investment. And if you’re a Bennetts Rewards member, make sure you check out the discounts available, like 10% off Pragmasis, 20% off Squire and much more…

Insulating your shed will help prevent damp inside

If I’m insured for theft, why should I worry?

By law, every UK rider must at least have third-party insurance. That means you’re covered for damages should you ride into another vehicle for instance. But despite having this insurance, you probably try to avoid this scenario, right?

Consider theft the same way – while motorcycle and scooter crime is a real problem, our data shows that even using a basic disc lock can make you three times less likely to suffer a theft. Using heavy-duty security can make your bike less likely to be stolen than a car!

The sad fact is that, should your bike be stolen, it’s very likely that your future insurance premiums will increase.

Insurance is there for when things go wrong, but simply taking a few extra steps – it doesn’t have to cost a fortune – can significantly reduce the chances of you going through the hassle and heartache of losing your bike.

And now, with shipping containers, metal, and wooden sheds all classed by Bennetts as garaging, it’s even easier to get the cover you need.