Who Has the Cheapest Motorcycle Insurance in Tennessee?

Tennessee's cheapest motorcycle insurance is offered by Nationwide, at $655 per year.

Compare Motorcycle Quotes in Tennessee

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Your motorcycle coverage won't just fulfill a legal requirement. It will also protect a bike you invest a lot of time and money in, as well as protect your health if you're in an accident. We collected 150 quotes from cities across Tennessee to find the best insurers for your needs.

Cheapest motorcycle insurance companies in Tennessee

Nationwide offers lowest rates in Tennessee by a significant margin. The average price for Nationwide is $655 per year, $113 less than the next-cheapest option, Geico. Nationwide's rate is 26% cheaper than the state average.

The average cost of motorcycle insurance in Tennessee is $888 per year.

The most affordable motorcycle insurance in Tennessee

Compare Motorcycle Insurance Quotes in Tennessee

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Cheapest motorcycle insurance companies in Tennessee

Company
Average annual cost
Nationwide logo
Nationwide$655
Geico logo
Geico$767
Progressive logo
Progressive$776
Dairyland logo
Dairyland$945
Allstate logo
Allstate$1,298
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Best motorcycle insurance for most riders: Nationwide

  • Editor rating

  • Annual rate

    $655 ?

Why it's great

Nationwide has Tennessee's lowest rates by more than $100 per year, along with a good set of coverage options.

Nationwide is the most affordable motorcycle insurance option we found in Tennessee. With rates that are 15% cheaper than any other company we surveyed, Nationwide customers can get a good range of coverage options.

The average rate we found from Nationwide in Tennessee is $655 per year, which is $113 per year cheaper than any other option and $234 per year cheaper than the state average.

You can reduce those already low rates even more with the wide suite of discounts Nationwide offers, such as:

  • Having anti-lock brakes on your bike
  • Being part of certain riding associations
  • Paying off your policy in full
  • Insuring multiple vehicles or having multiple policies with the company
  • Taking a safety course.

Nationwide has a modest array of coverage options, with a few particularly useful ones. Customers can get OEM parts coverage, roadside assistance, custom equipment coverage and access to a disappearing deductible.

Nationwide's customer service in Tennessee leaves a bit to be desired. The company has a National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Complaint Index score of 1.05, meaning customers file complaints at a slightly higher rate than average.

Best for complete coverage: Progressive

  • Editor rating

  • Annual rate

    $776 ?

Why it's great

Progressive isn't the cheapest option in Tennessee, but it has the widest array of options to add to your policy.

Customers looking for complete coverage in Tennessee can find their best option with Progressive. The company offers cheaper-than-average rates, with a wide range of add-ons to a policy.

Beyond basics like liability, comprehensive and collision, a standard Progressive policy includes full replacement cost coverage for parts, $3,000 in coverage for accessories and custom equipment, plus original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts if your bike needs repairs. Customers can also purchase:

  • Total loss coverage for a new bike
  • Roadside assistance
  • Carried contents coverage
  • Enhanced injury protection

Access to that set of options is on the affordable side, as we found Progressive had below-average prices in Tennessee for full coverage. The company's average rate of $776 per year is 13% less than the state average.

Those rates can come down even more with a range of discounts Progressive offers. That includes price breaks for taking a safety course, joining the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) or bundling with another policy from the company.

Finally, Progressive has the best-rated customer service we found in Tennessee. The company's Complaint Index from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) was an impressive 0.22 last year. That means Progressive gets only 22% of the complaints expected for a company its size, indicating policyholders are happy with their coverage.

Best for daily riders: Dairyland

  • Editor rating

  • Annual rate

    $945 ?

Why it's great

If your bike is your primary vehicle, Dairyland has several coverages that can keep you on the road.

If you rely on your bike to get around on a daily basis, Dairyland is an option to consider in Tennessee. The company offers two coverage options that together can keep you on the road after an accident.

  • Roadside assistance: includes service for events such as battery issues, a flat tire or mechanical problems, as well as 24/7 towing.
  • Rental reimbursement: while your motorcycle is being prepared, provides money to rent a vehicle for up to 30 days.

These together can quickly get your bike to a repair shop and help you secure another form of transit until it is fixed.

Those features will cost extra, on top of Dairyland's higher prices for full coverage policies. The average rate we found for the company in Tennessee is $945 per year, 6% higher than the state average.

Riders can cut down on those costs with discounts for switching to the company, anti-theft devices installed on the vehicle, insuring multiple motorcycles and taking a safety course.

Best-rated Tennessee motorcycle insurers

Having motorcycle insurance you can rely on is often as valuable as getting a good rate. In high-stress situations after an accident, a good claims experience can make a considerable difference. Two key ways we measure that level of service for a company are the NAIC Complaint Index and the AM Best Financial Strength Rating.

Insurer
NAIC Complaint Index
AM Best rating
Allstate0.87A+
Dairyland Insurance2.69A+
Geico0.67A++
Nationwide1.05A+
Progressive0.22A+
USAA0.85A++

Your experience with a motorcycle insurance company will be heavily impacted by the quality of service, and it should be factored into your purchase decision.

The NAIC Complaint Index compares the number of complaints a company receives with its share of the market. The average score is 1.0 and lower numbers indicate better performance. The NAIC combines car and motorcycle insurance into a single industry category. This means scores are based on each company's combined premiums for motorcycles and cars.

AM Best grades companies on their financial stability. Higher grades mean the company will be in a better position to pay out claims to all its customers in the event of a massive calamity.

Tennessee motorcycle insurance rates by city

The price of motorcycle insurance varies widely by city in Tennessee. The difference between the cheapest city we found, Morristown, and most expensive, Memphis, is $494 per year.

Where you live impacts insurance rates because of factors such as road quality and motorcycle theft in the area. Bad roads and higher rates of theft will raise your rates.

City
Annual rate
Difference from statewide average
Athens$8991.2%
Chattanooga$879-1.0%
Clarksville$9021.5%
Cleveland$883-0.6%
Columbia$839-5.5%
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Tennessee motorcycle insurance requirements

To ride in Tennessee, you need to carry a minimum amount of motorcycle insurance to prove financial responsibility. That limit matches the amount of coverage needed to drive a car legally:

Coverage
Limits
Bodily injury liability (per person)$25,000
Bodily injury liability (per accident)$50,000
Property damage liability$15,000

Methodology

ValuePenguin gathered 150 motorcycle insurance quotes from five major companies that offer coverage in Tennessee: Allstate, Dairyland, Geico, Nationwide and Progressive. For a sample rider, we used a 45-year-old married man who owns a 2021 Harley-Davidson Street Glide. We used the following coverage limits, which exceed the state minimums:

  • Bodily injury liability: $100,000 per person/$300,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $50,000
  • Collision: Included/$500 deductible
  • Comprehensive: Included/$500 deductible
  • All other coverages: Not included unless legally required