Velosurance is a national bike insurance specialist founded by two cyclists in response to the insurance needs of bicycle riders nationwide. We partnered with an A.M.Best “A” rated, US insurance company to provide a multi-risk policy offering protection to all types of cyclists.
Uninsured Motorist Insurance for Cyclists
Built for cyclists facing the real risks of sharing the road
Free instant quote
When Safe Riding Isn’t Enough
When you ride, you follow the rules. You use lights, ride predictably, and stay aware of your surroundings. Yet many crashes are caused by factors outside a cyclist’s control. Drivers without valid licenses or adequate insurance remain a serious risk on public roads. In New York City, recent data shows unlicensed drivers are involved in roughly one out of every four serious traffic crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists.
That risk is not limited to one city. Across the United States, millions of drivers are uninsured or underinsured, and many continue to drive despite suspended or revoked licenses. For cyclists, a collision with one of these drivers can mean medical bills, missed work, and long recovery periods with little or no financial support from the at-fault party.
The cyclist-focused Uninsured Motorist Coverage (UM) is designed to help protect you financially when a driver causes an accident but cannot fully cover the damage they leave behind.
Your Financial Safety Net When the Driver Doesn’t Have One
Uninsured Motorist Coverage is designed to protect cyclists when a crash involves a driver who has no insurance or not enough coverage to pay for the harm they cause. While it is similar in concept to UM or UIM in auto insurance, this coverage is built specifically around bicycle use and the risks cyclists face when sharing the road with motor vehicles.
Coverage includes support for:
- Medical expenses from the collision - May help cover emergency care, hospital visits, diagnostic imaging, specialist treatment, and follow-up medical care related to the accident.
- Physical therapy during recovery - Can assist with rehabilitation costs when injuries require ongoing treatment to restore mobility, strength, and function.
- Mental health services related to trauma - May help support counseling or therapy related to the emotional impact of a serious crash, such as anxiety, fear of riding, or post-accident stress.
- Lost wages if you’re unable to work - Can help replace a portion of income if injuries prevent you from working during recovery.
- Other accident-related costs tied to being hit by a vehicle - May help with additional necessary expenses, such as transportation to medical appointments or other recovery-related services.
The goal is to reduce the long-term financial impact of a crash caused by a driver who cannot fully cover the damage they leave behind.
Essential Protection for Anyone Who Rides Near Traffic
Sharing the road with cars introduces risks that skill alone cannot eliminate. Whether you are training on open roads, commuting through busy streets, running errands on an e-bike, or riding with children on a cargo bike, even brief interactions with traffic can have serious consequences. Intersections, driveways, and distracted drivers remain unavoidable realities for most cyclists.
This risk is not limited to high-mileage riders. Many crashes happen close to home on familiar routes during short, everyday trips. Recreational riders, weekend cyclists, and social riders are often exposed to the same hazards as daily commuters, even if they ride less frequently.
For anyone who rides where motor vehicles are present, UM coverage provides an added layer of financial protection. It helps reduce the impact of an incident caused by a driver who lacks adequate insurance, so one unexpected encounter does not become a long-term financial setback.
Covered in a Car. Exposed on a Bicycle
UM coverage does not work the same way everywhere, and for cyclists, that difference matters. In some states, it follows the person. In others, it only applies while you are occupying a covered vehicle. That means if you are hit by an underinsured driver while riding a bicycle, your auto insurance may not respond, even if you have paid for UM or UIM for years.
States such as Colorado, California, New York, and Washington generally treat UM and UIM as person-based protection. In contrast, states including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina allow insurers to limit UM and UIM to people inside a covered vehicle, leaving cyclists and pedestrians unprotected.
E-Bikes and Uninsured Motorist Coverage
E-bikes often follow the same traffic rules as traditional bicycles, but for auto insurance purposes they are generally treated as motorized vehicles. As a result, standard auto UM/UIM coverage typically does not apply when an insured is injured while riding an e-bike. Even in states where UM or UIM follows the person, that protection usually ends when the insured is operating a motorized vehicle not listed on the auto policy.
This creates a clear gap. E-bike riders share the road with cars, often at higher speeds, and face the same distracted drivers, yet auto insurance excludes this coverage.
UM coverage from a specialty bike insurance is designed to help address this gap. It may help with medical expenses, lost income during recovery, and other accident-related financial impacts when an uninsured or underinsured driver is involved.
Who Is The Uninsured Motorist Insurance For?
Daily Commuters
If your bicycle is part of how you get to work, school, or daily obligations, a crash can disrupt far more than your ride. UM coverage helps protect you from the financial fallout when a driver without adequate insurance causes an accident.Road and Performance Cyclists
Training rides, early mornings, and long miles increase exposure to traffic. When speed and distance amplify the consequences of a collision, this coverage helps address medical costs and lost income after a crash with an uninsured or underinsured driver.E-Bike Riders
E-bikes share the road with cars but fall outside the protection of auto insurance in many cases. Cyclist-specific UM coverage is designed to help close that gap when an e-bike rider is struck by an underinsured motorist.Cargo Bike and Family Riders
When you ride with children, passengers, or heavy loads, the stakes are higher. This coverage helps protect against the financial impact of serious injuries caused by a driver who cannot pay for the harm they cause.Transportation-Dependent Riders
If your bicycle supports your daily mobility, being unable to ride can mean lost wages. UM coverage helps provide financial support during recovery when a crash interrupts your ability to work.Recreational and Weekend Riders
Many crashes happen close to home on familiar routes. Even occasional riders benefit from protection that helps prevent one unexpected encounter with an underinsured driver from becoming a lasting financial setback.Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but it depends on the type of policy. UM coverage on auto insurance may protect cyclists in some states, but in many cases it does not apply when you are riding a bicycle, and it often excludes e-bikes entirely. UM coverage offered through a specialty bike insurance is designed specifically to protect cyclists when a driver without adequate insurance causes a crash.
Depending on the policy terms, UM coverage for cyclists may help with accident-related medical expenses, physical therapy, lost income during recovery, and other financial impacts tied to being hit by an underinsured driver.
No. While it works on a similar concept, cyclist-specific UM coverage is built around bicycle use, not car occupancy. Auto UM coverage is governed by state law and policy language, which often limits or excludes protection for cyclists and e-bike riders.
Yes. Unlike auto UM insurance, which typically does not apply when riding an e-bike, specialty bike insurance can extend uninsured motorist protection to e-bike riders, subject to the policy’s terms and definitions.
Coverages and Features
Velosurance offers must-have protection such as accidental damage, theft, or loss in transit. Each policy can be customized by adding additional coverages such as liability protection, uninsured motorist, and medical payments.
Total loss by theft
Bicycles are very easy to steal and equally difficult to recover, and even a hefty U-lock doesn’t guarantee your bike is still there when you return. Velosurance provides peace of mind if it is stolen or damaged in the process.
Any crash or accidental damage
Our policy will pay to replace your ride if it is accidentally damaged and beyond repair, including damage that occurs while being carried on or in your vehicle. If it can be repaired, we will pay all the costs associated with the bike's repair, including tax, labor, and shipping, minus the deductible. Cosmetic damage that does not affect safety is excluded.
Our shop or yours
When filing a claim, you’ll need to provide a repair estimate from a repair shop. We have a nationwide network of partner shops familiar with our process to help you move things along quickly. Prefer your favorite local shop? That works too.
Gear and apparel
If you go down in a crash, we cover your ride as well as your apparel, such as helmet, shoes, glasses, or riding kit that are torn up, and pay up to $500 per accident and $1,000 per term. Spare parts that are not installed, such as a spare wheelset, are also covered up to $500 per loss and $1,000 per year.
Your choice of lock
We do not dictate what type or brand of lock must be used to protect your ride from theft – you are welcome to use any lock that you trust. The best security is provided by metal locks combined with a high-quality chain. Securing your ride to a solid and immovable object, such as a bike rack, with a high-quality lock will send the thief onto the one secured with a more vulnerable lock.
No depreciation
Depreciation is a hidden deductible that increases every year and is applied if the bicycle is stolen or totaled. No one is ever happy with an Actual Cash Value insurance settlement: the bike is first devalued, and then a deductible is applied, resulting in a reimbursement that is far less than the cost of a replacement. We reimburse without depreciation, for the cost of a replacement that is of like, kind, and quality similar to your totaled bike.
24/7/365 coverage
We cover the insured bike at all times, anywhere in the USA and Canada, and can be extended worldwide on request. There are no exclusions on the time of day or limitations on how long it can be stored away from home. 24/7/365 means every minute of every day, no matter where or when.
Standalone bike insurance
Our policy does not piggypack on any coverage you may already have, such as homeowners policies. Filing a claim won’t impact your rates with other carriers. With home insurance premiums rising each year in the U.S., it’s wise to reserve that policy for major incidents, because no matter how valuable your bike is, it’s still a lot cheaper than a kitchen fire or a flooded basement.
Permissive use
You can lend it to anyone you choose, and it will be covered. The bike and the person riding it are covered as if it were you riding it‚ this includes theft and crash damage as well as any purchased optional coverages.
Why Velosurance is best for your bike
Not all types of insurance are created equal. Velosurance levels the playing field by offering stand-alone bike insurance, where claims won’t affect your homeowner's or renter’s policy premiums.
| Policy Coverage |  | Homeowner/Renters Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Insured at Full Value | Yes | Possibly |
| Crash Damage | Yes | No |
| Theft Coverage | Yes | Limited |
| Theft by Force | Yes | No |
| Theft of Accessories | Yes | Limited |
| Theft Away From Home | Yes | Possibly |
| Vehicle Contact | Yes | No |
| Personal Liability | Yes | Possibly |
| Permissive Use Policy | Yes | No |
| Replacement Rental | Yes | No |
| Event Fee Return | Yes | No |
| Cycling Apparel Coverage | Yes | No |
| Medical Payments | Yes | Possibly |
| Racing Coverage | Yes | No |
| E-bikes | Yes | No |
| Coverage in-transit | Yes | No |
| USAC, USAT and IMBA Member Discount | Yes | No |
| FREE INSTANT QUOTE |
Not all insurance policies provide the same level of protection, and many people only discover gaps in their coverage after filing a claim. We’ve done the hard work of reviewing the fine print. To see how plans compare, check out our insurance comparison.
Customer Stories
Client satisfaction is our #1 goal. Here's what our clients say about Velosurance
"I had a really great experience with Velosurance. I communicated with Dave and he was always helpful. It’s a really bad day when something gets stolen from you, in my case it was an $1,000 Trek road bike. I’m so thankful I had insurance on the bike. After paying the deductible I would say I got about 75% of that money back. Without insurance I would have gotten nothing. I recommend velosurance to all!"
Madison L
"Your representative, Dan Madsen, was very efficient and fast on following up on my claim. This was the first time I had insurance on my bike and wondered all along about if I ever have a claim, how well it was going to be handled. Well, it was handled so well that I am recommending Velosurance to all my cyclist friends! Once I receive my new bike, I will be adding Velosurance insurance to it. Thanks to Dan and Velosurance for successfully taking care of my claim on a timely matter."
Laura G
"I have had my policy with Velosurance for several years now and can highly recommend them. I insure two road bikes with them and finding the best coverage was straightforward. If one has to file a claim, their customer service is exceptional. They are clear on what documentation is needed and extremely responsive. I also like that they offer global coverage, which is great when traveling abroad."
Thomas B
Check out Velosurance reviews to see what people are saying about us.
America's best bike insurance
Built for cyclists facing the real risks of sharing the road