Scooter / moped insurance

Whether a small scooter needs registration and insurance depends on engine size and state; when it does, the injury exposure is the motorcycle's.

Tailor this checklist

1Core coverage lines 5
2With every usage option 7
3Liability on the road Own policy
4Lines explained 14

Whether a scooter needs insurance at all depends on the state's definition: below a certain engine size or top speed many states treat it as a moped with lighter rules, above it as a motorcycle with full insurance requirements.

When insurance is required, the exposure is a motorcycle's — an unprotected rider in traffic — so UM/UIM and medical payments are worth more than collision on a low-value scooter.

Scooters are easy to steal and hard to recover; comprehensive is cheap on a low-value machine and pays the claim that is most likely to happen.

The checklist for a scooter / moped

Liability (bodily injury and property damage)Pays others for injuries and damage you cause. The state-required part of a motorcycle or motorhome policy; a towable trailer usually inherits liability from the tow vehicle's auto policy.
Uninsured / underinsured motoristYour injuries when the at-fault driver has no or too little insurance. On a motorcycle, where the rider absorbs the crash, this is the line most worth buying at a real limit.
Medical payments / PIPMedical bills for you and passengers regardless of fault; personal injury protection in no-fault states. Many motorcycle policies exclude PIP that auto policies include.
CollisionRepairs your own vehicle after a crash with another vehicle or object, less the deductible. Lenders require it on financed RVs and bikes.
ComprehensiveTheft, fire, hail, flood, falling objects and animal strikes. For a stored RV or a motorcycle in a shared garage, this is the coverage most likely to be used.

Lines that depend on how you use it

These are added when the scooter / moped is financed, lived in full time, stored for part of the year, or carries custom parts:

Storage / lay-up optionIt reduces the premium while the vehicle is stored by suspending road coverages, while comprehensive stays in force.
Custom parts and equipmentIt pays for aftermarket parts and equipment beyond the small amount a standard policy includes, at the value you schedule.

Rider risk where you live

Injury drives powersports claims. For on-road motorcycles, each state page gives that state's rider deaths per 10,000 registered bikes and its helmet law; the highest rates are in Mississippi (18.9), Texas (17.9), District of Columbia (15.8).

Other vehicles

MotorcycleTwo wheels and no crumple zone: injuries, not property damage, drive motorcycle claims, which is why UM/UIM...ATV / UTVMostly ridden off-road, where an auto policy does not reach and a homeowners policy often excludes motorised...SnowmobileSeasonal by nature; a lay-up option keeps theft and fire cover through the summer at little cost.

Coverage descriptions are general, written from standard RV and motorcycle policy forms; your policy's wording governs. No premiums are shown — rates are filed by insurer and state. Checked 2026-10-23. Methodology.