The cheapest insurance most Indians ever buy, and the one most often left to lapse. Third-party is legally compulsory. Own-damage is optional and costs a few hundred rupees a year, which is less than a single set of body panels.

Premiums and claim-settlement ratios are illustrative until sourced from the insurer of record.

Read this before you buy.

• Riding without a valid licence, or carrying more than the permitted pillion
• Riding under the influence — the entire claim is void
• Tyre and tube damage without accompanying accident damage
• Using a private two-wheeler for commercial delivery work

Two-wheeler claims are small and frequent, which makes the No Claim Bonus arithmetic decisive: claiming for a scratch often costs more than the scratch.

1. 01

   Report and photograph

   · within 24 hrs

   Photos from all sides before moving the bike. For theft, an FIR the same day is compulsory and non-negotiable.

2. 02

   Surveyor or self-inspection

   · 1–2 days

   Most insurers now accept photographs through an app for damage under about ₹25,000, which avoids a garage visit entirely.

3. 03

   Repair at a network garage

   · 3–7 days

   Cashless inside the network. You pay the compulsory deductible, typically ₹100, plus depreciation on plastic parts unless you have zero-dep.

4. 04

   Bonus resets to zero

   · at renewal

   Five claim-free years earn 50% off. One ₹4,000 claim wipes that out, which over the next two renewals costs more than the repair.