How to claim on your motorcycle insurance

A motorcycle claim follows the unified motor policy, so the steps are the same with every insurer. Who pays depends on who caused the accident and whether you have comprehensive cover.

Who do you claim from?

The third-party insurer may not take an excess off what it pays an injured third party.¹ If your bike is repaired at a workshop after an accident someone else caused, the owner of a private vehicle can claim loss of use of up to AED 300 a day for 15 days, unless they take cash instead of repair.¹

What must you do after an accident?

Notify the authorities and your insurer. The third-party policy asks for notice “within a reasonable period of time”, and the loss and damage policy says “immediately” for the authorities and “promptly” for the insurer.¹² Notice can be given by email, fax or by hand to the address in the policy.¹

Do not accept liability, offer or promise payment without the insurer’s written consent.¹ Do not ride the damaged bike before it is repaired. Any extra damage that causes is not covered.²

In Dubai, a cyclist or e-scooter rider who does not report an accident that caused injury or damage is fined AED 300.³ The steps for a police report are on carinsurance.ae.

How is the repair handled?

The insurer chooses to repair the bike, pay cash if you agree, or replace it if it is a total loss.² Repairs at its approved workshops must be warranted, and you may have the bike checked at an approved inspection centre afterwards.² You can do the repair yourself if the cost stays within the amount the insurer agrees in writing.²

If the repair would cost more than 50% of the bike’s value, it is a total loss: the insurer pays the insured value less 20%, adjusted for the part of the policy year used.²

Who pays for your own injuries as the rider?

Not the third-party policy. It excludes the insured and the rider who caused the accident.¹ If another driver caused it, their third-party insurer pays your injuries as an injured third party.¹ If you caused it, you need a personal accident endorsement or a separate policy. Where a policy insures the rider, the death benefit must be at least AED 200,000.¹ GIG Gulf’s comprehensive motorcycle cover includes medical expenses of up to AED 2,500.⁴

What will you pay towards the claim?

On your own policy, the insurer can deduct a basic excess from Schedule 3, AED 350 at most for a vehicle worth up to AED 50,000, and an extra percentage if the rider is under 25 or the bike is modified.² If you ask for new original parts, you pay a share by the bike’s age.² The parts depreciation calculator works it out.

Excess amounts differ between insurer documents, so ask your insurer for yours in writing before you claim.

What if you disagree with the insurer?

If you and the insurer disagree on the value of the damage or the amount, the regulator appoints a licensed loss adjuster at the insurer’s expense.² A lawsuit under the policy must be filed within three years of the accident.²

Complain to the insurer first. If it does not resolve it, escalate to the Central Bank’s Sanadak unit, explained on carinsurance.ae.

Use the checklist on this page, and send your insurer the police report the day you get it.

The small print

• Notice duties: third-party policy Chapter Three, loss and damage policy Chapter Three (4) and (5). Late notice: loss and damage policy Chapter One (6).¹²
• No excess on third-party compensation: third-party policy Chapter Two (2). Loss of use: Chapter Two (1)(d).¹
• Surveyor on dispute: loss and damage policy Chapter Two (8). Three-year limit: Chapter One (11).²
• GIG Gulf’s motorcycle leaflet, written for several Gulf countries, lists a standard excess of AED 1,500.⁵ Its UAE motorcycle terms reproduce the unified Schedule 3 maximums, AED 350 per accident for a vehicle worth up to AED 50,000.⁴ The two documents differ. Ask GIG Gulf which excess applies to your policy.