THE SHORT ANSWER
A motorcycle that is registered for use must have motor third-party insurance, even when it is standing still. According to Konsumenternas, every motorcycle that is not registered as off the road must have third-party insurance. Swedish Motor Insurers (TFF) says the vehicle must be insured even if you do not use it.
Third-party insurance is only the legal requirement. Partial and comprehensive cover apply to more events, and the terms may set requirements for locks, night parking and protective gear. This guide covers the levels, what taking the bike off the road for winter means for the policy and what applies to mopeds. The basics of the levels are in the guide to third-party, partial and comprehensive cover. [2][5]
Keep these points in mind
- A motorcycle that is not registered as off the road must have third-party insurance, even when it stands still.
- An annual policy gives no premium back for months when the bike is off the road.
- The terms may set requirements for locks, night parking and protective gear.
STEP BY STEP
How to check your cover
Check whether the motorcycle is on or off the road
The third-party requirement follows the vehicle's status in the road traffic register. TFF says a vehicle must be insured for as long as it is registered for use, and that vehicles registered as off the road do not need third-party insurance as long as they are not used. The Swedish Transport Agency says you then avoid paying both vehicle tax and third-party insurance.
You take a vehicle off the road with the Swedish Transport Agency, for example through your account pages on its website, in its e-service or with the registration certificate. It cannot be done by calling customer service. It applies from the day a complete notification arrives and cannot be backdated. If you put the vehicle back on the road within 15 days, the agency says you pay tax from the day it was taken off the road instead of the day it went back on.
[5][7]Read which level the motorcycle has
According to Konsumenternas, third-party insurance is compulsory and pays for all personal injury and the property damage you cause others in traffic with the motorcycle. It pays for no damage to your own motorcycle, and the excess is often 1 000 kr. Injuries to the rider and passenger are paid regardless of who caused the accident; more on this is in the guide to personal injury in traffic.
According to Konsumenternas, partial cover includes third-party, theft, fire, glass, rescue and legal expenses insurance. Comprehensive cover consists of partial cover plus own-damage insurance, and own damage is only paid if the motorcycle is comprehensively insured. Where all-risk cover is included, it applies to damage to or loss of the rider's and passenger's personal property. Rescue insurance normally does not apply when the stop is caused by running out of fuel.
[1]Find out what applies over the winter
According to Konsumenternas, motorcycle policies are often annual policies. You then pay for third-party insurance all year even if you take the motorcycle off the road, and you get no premium back for the months it is off the road. Instead, the premium for an annual policy is usually higher in the summer half of the year and, in the winter half, corresponds to the price of a laid-up policy. An annual policy keeps applying as before when the motorcycle is taken off the road.
Without an annual policy, most insurers turn partial or comprehensive cover into a laid-up policy, often called garage insurance, when you take the motorcycle off the road. According to Konsumenternas, it normally covers fire, theft, glass and legal expenses, and sometimes own damage if the motorcycle was comprehensively insured. A motorcycle that is off the road may only be ridden the shortest suitable route to or from the nearest inspection, and it must then have third-party insurance. If you ride it anyway, the policy does not apply.
[3][2][7]Read the requirements for locks, night parking and protective gear
According to Konsumenternas, you may receive less for a theft if the motorcycle is not kept locked away at night. In one insurer's terms from March 2026, the motorcycle must be locked with two independent locks of at least class 3/C when it is left, and the steering lock counts as one. The lock requirement does not apply in a locked space that only you or your family can access, and the key may not be kept near the motorcycle. If a stolen motorcycle is recovered with the help of a tracker or marking, theft cover applies there without an excess, provided the other requirements are met.
The terms may also set requirements for protective gear. In the same terms, you choose between helmet and riding gear, or helmet only. Helmet and riding gear means a legally required helmet, protective motorcycle clothing with reinforcement for elbows, shoulders and knees, and reinforced boots or shoes and gloves. If the rider or passenger does not meet the chosen requirement, the excess for personal injury is raised to 10 percent of the price base amount.
[1][8]
Class I and class II mopeds
For mopeds, the requirement depends on the class. TFF says class I mopeds, that is EU mopeds and moped cars, must have third-party insurance and be registered with the Swedish Transport Agency with a number plate. According to Konsumenternas, a class I moped must always be insured as long as it is not registered as off the road. With an annual policy, taking the moped off the road for part of the year does not affect the premium.
Class II mopeds do not need to be registered and therefore have no number plate. You must still have third-party insurance when you use the moped, TFF says. Konsumenternas points out that the policy only applies to the person who actually owns the moped. A minor or someone without a moped licence usually cannot be registered as the sole owner, and a guardian is then normally registered in the road traffic register. Once you have a licence or turn 18, you are responsible for insuring the moped yourself.
[5][4]Age, experience and who rides
According to Konsumenternas, the premium depends on how great the risk is that the motorcycle is damaged or that you injure someone else with it. Questions that affect it include your age, how long you have held a motorcycle licence, the age of the motorcycle, whether people other than you will ride it, how you park it at night and which personal protective gear you use. Pricing is free, and different insurers can take different factors into account.
Also read who may ride. In the insurer's terms from March 2026, you choose whether no one other than you and your spouse or partner, riders aged 30 or over, or riders of any age may ride. If the chosen rule is not followed, the excess for third-party insurance is raised to 10 percent of the price base amount, and payment for own damage can be reduced. Konsumenternas says the terms normally also require the policyholder to own the motorcycle and be its main user.
[2][3][8]See the level and requirements in your own documents
Keep the motorcycle's policy document, terms and pre-purchase information in My Forsio. You then have the level, the excesses and the requirements for locks and protective gear in one place, and each detail shows the passage it came from. If the terms are missing from your documents, the requirement is shown as Not verified, not as confirmed absent.
Forsio does not check whether the motorcycle or moped is on or off the road with the Swedish Transport Agency. Nor does Forsio decide which level you need, whether a lock meets the terms or whether damage is paid for. The insurer decides that. Forsio is not an insurance intermediary and does not provide insurance advice.
Fictional example
Insured all year, one question about the night.
Jonas takes his motorcycle off the road in October and reads the documents before winter.
- Type of policy
- Annual policy, partial cover
- Protective gear requirement
- Not verifiedThe terms are not in the documents.
- Night parking
- The policy says locked space; the bike stands in an open yardPotential gapRead what the terms say about payment after a theft.
The policy keeps applying while the motorcycle is off the road. How a theft is paid depends on where the bike stands at night and on the requirements in the terms.
Common questions
Does a motorcycle that is off the road need third-party insurance?
No. TFF says vehicles registered as off the road in the road traffic register do not need third-party insurance as long as they are not used. As a rule, a vehicle that is off the road may not be driven, except the shortest suitable route to or from the nearest inspection. According to the Swedish Transport Agency, it must then have third-party insurance, and there may be no unpaid vehicle tax. [5][7]
What does partial cover for a motorcycle include?
According to Konsumenternas, it includes third-party, theft, fire, glass, rescue and legal expenses insurance. Own damage is only included in comprehensive cover. Exactly what your policy contains is stated in your policy document. [1]
Is riding gear paid for if I crash?
According to Konsumenternas, damage to protective gear such as a helmet and protective clothing is paid from the motorcycle's third-party insurance. In one insurer's terms from March 2026, damaged clothes and personal belongings you were wearing can also be paid in connection with a personal injury, but not valuables such as mobile phones, jewellery or money. In the same terms, all-risk cover applies to personal property during a ride, up to 15 000 kr and with a deduction for age. Read more in the guide to excess and deductions for age. [1][8]
Does a class II moped need third-party insurance?
Yes, when it is used. TFF says a class II moped does not need to be registered and therefore has no number plate, but that you must have third-party insurance when you use it. According to Konsumenternas, a class I moped must always be insured as long as it is not registered as off the road. [5][4]
Do I get the premium back if I take the motorcycle off the road for winter?
Not with an annual policy. According to Konsumenternas, you then pay for third-party insurance all year and get no premium back for the months off the road. The premium is usually higher in the summer half of the year instead. Konsumenternas also says you can usually cancel a motorcycle policy only once a year, on the annual renewal date, but that you have the right to cancel it when the need for insurance ends. How to read a price change at renewal is covered in the guide to price and renewal. [3][2]
What happens if the motorcycle is on the road but uninsured?
TFF then charges a fee for each day the vehicle is uninsured. In TFF's table, last updated in October 2026, the fee is 224 kr per day for a motorcycle with an engine over 125 cm³ or an output over 11 kilowatts, and 34 kr per day for a motorcycle of at most 125 cm³ and at most 11 kilowatts. The least you can owe is 200 kr. [6]
MY FORSIO
See what the motorcycle policy actually contains.
Bring the motorcycle's policy document and your other policies together in My Forsio. Read the level, excess and requirements with the passage each detail came from. Free for individuals.
Sources and references
Sources checked
This guide explains general principles of Swedish insurance. Your policy schedule and terms set out what applies to you.
- Konsumenternas: motorcycle insurance, what it includes
- Konsumenternas: motorcycle insurance rules and facts
- Konsumenternas: choosing motorcycle insurance
- Konsumenternas: moped insurance rules and facts
- Swedish Motor Insurers: compulsory insurance, vehicles off the road and mopeds
- Swedish Motor Insurers: charge for uninsured vehicles
- Swedish Transport Agency: taking your vehicle off the road
- Example of an insurer's motorcycle insurance terms, March 2026