Motorbike Theft and Security: Locks, Trackers and Insurance

UK motorbike theft statistics 2025/2026

Freedom of Information requests by Anglo Scottish Finance, reported by Wheels Alive in July 2026, found that police reported 16,585 motorcycles as stolen to the DVLA between 1 June 2025 and 31 May 2026. That was 3.5% fewer than the 17,178 in the previous 12 months.

Monthly figures from the Police National Computer, compiled by Bennetts BikeSocial, point the same way. Powered two-wheeler thefts were below 2022, 2023 and 2024 levels in every month except July 2025. Bennetts recorded 2,064 thefts in June 2025 and 1,390 in December 2025.

Falling numbers don’t mean the risk is low. The British Motorcyclists Federation’s chair said in July 2025 that “bike theft still remains a low priority for policing generally.”

Most stolen motorbikes

According to the same FOI data, “the top ten most-stolen models were all lightweight ‘commuter scooters’” made by Honda or Yamaha.

Source: Anglo Scottish Finance FOI data via Wheels Alive, “Britain’s most stolen motorbikes” (28 July 2026).

If you ride a 125cc scooter, especially for work, security matters more than for most riders. Our scooter and moped insurance guide and delivery rider insurance guide cover the insurance side for these bikes.

Theft hotspots

Nottingham had the highest theft rate in the FOI data, at 98 thefts per 100,000 people. In raw numbers, the Metropolitan Police area recorded 601 thefts in June 2025 alone, according to Bennetts’ monthly data reported by the BMF.

Sold Secure ratings for motorcycle locks

Sold Secure is a UK testing body based in Rugby. It writes its test specifications with input from stakeholders including police and insurance bodies, then rates products by how well they resist attack.

Many guides describe four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Diamond. That scale applies to bicycle locks. Sold Secure’s own pages say motorcycle (powered cycle) products have only two levels:

• Diamond: the “highest level of security for resistance against an extra determined attack”, aimed at high-risk areas such as major cities. Testing includes angle grinders, power tools and machine-based testing.
• Gold: a “high level of resistance against the dedicated thief”, tested with an “extensive attack with heavy duty tools”.

Products tested in the motorcycle category include D-locks, chains and padlocks, disc locks, folding locks, ground and wall anchors, and storage units. If a bicycle lock is rated Silver, that rating doesn’t tell you anything about its motorcycle performance. Check the product appears in Sold Secure’s powered cycle list.

Thatcham-approved alarms, immobilisers and trackers

Thatcham security categories group alarms, immobilisers and trackers by type. Tracker firm Tracker summarised them in a 2020 guide:

• Category 1: electronic alarm plus immobiliser
• Category 2: electronic immobiliser only
• Category 3: mechanical immobilisers, including “a motorbike chain lock”
• S5: post-theft tracking with Automatic Driver Recognition
• S7: trackers previously in Category 7, or Category 6 without driver recognition

The same guide notes that “vehicles over a certain value are harder to get insured if they do not have a Thatcham approved tracker.” If you own a high-value bike, ask the insurer before you buy which tracker category, if any, it requires.

Bennetts BikeSocial’s tracker reviews, published between 2021 and January 2025, list prices such as £199 for the BikeTrac Lite and £359 plus subscription for the Datatool Stealth S5. Prices change, so treat these as dated.

What insurers require: security conditions on theft claims

Many bike policies include a security endorsement. It says theft cover only applies if the bike was locked in a specific way when you left it. Two recent Financial Ombudsman Service decisions show how strictly these are applied.

• Petrol station theft (decision issued by March 2026): the policy required “at least one of a disc lock, D-lock, griplock or armoured chain” whenever the bike was left unattended, including in a locked garage. The rider left the bike on a forecourt to pay without a disc lock. The insurer refused the claim and the ombudsman agreed: the bike was “left unattended” once he walked away.
• Missed steering lock (2025): the policy required one of those locks “plus any other lock on the bike (eg the steering lock)”. The rider used an armoured chain but not the steering lock. The claim was refused and the ombudsman did not uphold the complaint.

Before you buy, read the endorsement and check:

• Which lock types count, and whether the steering lock must also be on
• Whether the rules apply in your own garage
• Whether a tracker or alarm must be fitted and working
• Whether keys must be kept away from the bike

Do security devices cut your premium?

Sometimes. Broker Devitt says insurers it works with may give “rating discounts in recognition of security devices used, with some providing up to 15% off the premium.” Confused.com notes that quote forms often let you select only one device, so adding more locks doesn’t stack discounts. Extra devices can still make the bike harder to steal. For other ways to cut your premium, see our cheap motorbike insurance tips.

Garage vs street parking

Where you keep your bike overnight affects the price. Confused.com says locked garages and compounds generally get better rates than street parking.

The most detailed figures we found are older. Quotezone’s analysis of more than 40,000 quotes, published in May 2022, found average premiums of:

Source: Quotezone press release, 9 May 2022. These are 2022 figures; use them to compare parking types, not as current prices.

Only declare a garage if the bike is really kept there. Insurers rely on what you tell them, and a wrong answer can affect a claim.

How many stolen motorbikes are recovered?

We could not find a published 2025 or 2026 recovery rate. The most recent figure we found was on a Carole Nash guide from 2019, which cited Home Office figures of around 30,000 bikes stolen a year with 40% recovered. Treat that as a dated estimate. Carole Nash also suggests police marking your bike.

A layered security checklist

1. Use a Sold Secure Gold or Diamond motorcycle-rated disc lock or chain every time you leave the bike, even briefly.
2. Engage the steering lock as well, if your policy names it.
3. Lock to an immovable object or a ground anchor where you can.
4. Keep the bike in a locked garage or shed overnight if you have one.
5. Consider a Thatcham-category alarm or tracker, and check what your insurer recognises.
6. Use a cover in public places so the bike is less visible.
7. Read your policy’s security endorsement and keep proof of what you fitted.

For cover levels and what theft cover includes, start with our motorbike insurance guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• Wheels Alive – Britain's most stolen motorbikes (Jul 2026)
• Bennetts BikeSocial – UK motorcycle theft stats (Jan 2026)
• BMF – Motorcycle theft data June 2025 (Jul 2025)
• Sold Secure – Powered cycle ratings
• Sold Secure – Why do we test
• Tracker – Guide to Thatcham security categories (2020)
• Bennetts BikeSocial – Tracker reviews
• Financial Ombudsman – Decision DRN-5923527 (2026)
• Financial Ombudsman – Decision DRN-5723115 (2025)
• Devitt – Motorcycle insurance FAQs (Apr 2026)
• Confused.com – Motorbike security options (May 2025)
• Quotezone – Bikers missing savings, quote data (May 2022)
• Carole Nash – Protect your motorbike from theft (2019)

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