When it comes to household bills, every penny counts, and bicycle insurance can sometimes seem like an unnecessary additional cost. However, consider the potential cost of replacing or repairing a damaged or stolen bike. Not to mention any costs relating to being without a bicycle.
Protecting your valuable possessions is crucial, but as a cyclist, your bicycle is more than just a mode of transport. You also need to choose the right cycle insurance policy for your bicycle and the activities you use it for. This article compares ALA and Wiggle cycle insurance policies to help you find the best one for your needs and budget.
When comparing ALA and Wiggle cycle insurance, we comapre the policies to see which offers the best value and which is the most suitable for the commuting, touring or professional cyclist. If you’re looking for the best bicycle insurance deal, it’s clear that ALA has the edge.
Cost-Effective Coverage: ALA wins on value
Wiggle offers three levels of Cycle Insurance coverage that are non-customisable: Assist, Essential and Elite. This section compares their Essential policy to an ALA policy tailored to match Wiggle’s fixed package. A bike worth £1000 would generate the following quotes*.
Cost (yearly)
Cost (monthly)
Coverage
Wiggle
£107.95
£8.99
Public liability (up to £2m), theft & damage cover, emergency medical and dental care (up to £300) and personal accident compensation (up to £10,000).
Public liability (up to £2m), theft & damage cover, personal accident compensation (up to £10,000) and worldwide cover.
ALA’s quote is more than 25% cheaper than Wiggle bike insurance when approximately matched for coverage. If you’re looking for value, ALA is your best bet for sure. The ability to freely customise your bicycle insurance policy with ALA also allows you to add and drop coverage options so you’re not spending extra money on cover you don’t need. Who wouldn’t want an affordable bike insurance policy with travel perks as standard?
* ALA bases this quote on our middle £150 insurance excess, but you can choose from three options to best suit your budget. Wiggle don’t currently state their excess on their customer quotes, you can contact customer support to confirm your excess.
Is ALA or Wiggle better for commuters?
Many people are picking up their bikes to save money travelling between work and home, reduce pollution and their carbon footprint, or add some exercise to their busy lives. If this is you, we’ll help you find a cycle insurance plan that has your best interests at heart.
At ALA, we give commuters peace of mind with Cycle Hire Replacement – an optional add-on that offers to reimburse you for any bicycle hire costs whilst yours is being repaired. With this cycle cover, you can continue to cycle to work if something happens to your insured bike. We also offer Public Liability insurance up to either £1m or £2m in case you’re involved in a bike accident. Bike accessory cover can be added too, should you want to protect any lights, panniers, baskets or helmets. And, of course, we’ll cover bike theft, malicious and accidental damage, so you can worry less while cycling.
With ALA, a comprehensive commuter policy for a £1000 bicycle* with the following coverage could cost you £79.15 or just £7.62 per month:
Theft & damage cover
Cycle Hire Replacement (up to £500)
Bike accessories cover (up to £300)
Public liability cover (up to £2m)
Worldwide cover (for up to 30 days at a time)
*£150 excess (you can choose between £50, £150 or £250)
Wiggle’s Elite plan is also suitable for commuters. A comprehensive bicycle insurance policy for a £1000 bike would cost you £132.60 or £11.04 per month. You’d get the following non-customisable cover:
Theft & damage cover
Taxi reimbursement
Cycle Hire replacement
Public liability (up to £2m)
Medical & dental cover (up to £300)
Travel cover
Race & triathlon cover
Personal accident compensation (up to £10,000)
You can add optional bike accessory cover for an additional premium.
The best bicycle insurance policy for commuters comes down to whether it’s worth adding £51.85 to your insurance premium for additional benefits that may not be relevant to you. At ALA, we believe that any insurance policy should be flexible as well as affordable. A fixed plan can be unnecessarily expensive.
Is ALA or Wiggle better for travelling?
For cycle cover when travelling abroad, the only option with Wiggle is the Elite plan costing £132.60 or £11.04 monthly. Meanwhile, ALA offers Worldwide cover as standard for all bicycle insurance policies – yes, we mean all policies! We extend your personalised cycle coverage overseas for up to 30 days per trip, so if something happens while you’re on holiday, your insurance policy still applies. A stardard ALA policy for a £1,000 bike could be as little as £38 per year – Worldwide cover included at no extra cost.
Which policy is best for professional riders: ALA or Wiggle
You will need a specialist cycle insurance policy if you use your bike to race or compete. Some providers can protect your race fees, cover bike damage sustained during races, theft while attending an event or other competition-related costs. If you need professional cover, ALA might not be the right fit for you this time, but please bear our excellent-value policies in mind as you shop for the best bicycle insurance.
Which Cycle insurance policy is right for you?
For the price, Wiggle cycle insurance does include a number of extra features compared to ALA, however, the inflexibility of thier plans could mean paying for coverage you don’t need. At ALA, we perfer to give you value-for money and flexibility – tailor your policy to suit your cycling needs and budget. You could use the money you save on some new cycling gear!