Someone else is riding my moped. Is he even insured?

Moped insurance is tied to the vehicle, not to the person who purchased the policy. This means you can let someone else ride the moped, but only if the driver is authorized to do so. He or she must therefore have a driver’s license or a moped certificate. The question is whether it’s a good idea.

Do you let someone younger drive it? If so, you run the risk of a higher deductible in the event of a claim. Suppose you’re 24 years old and you lend your moped to a 23-year-old friend. With some insurers, this can have major consequences for the amount of your deductible in the event of a claim. If the borrower causes damage, insurers may increase the deductible for that claim by up to €1,000, on top of your existing deductible. There’s also another issue to consider. If the borrower causes damage, the claim will count against your no-claims years. As a result, you may end up paying more for your moped insurance.

The insurer may not provide coverage for younger drivers

For younger drivers, the insurer may charge a higher deductible, but the consequences can be even more severe. The insurer may exclude claims caused by drivers under the age of 25. In that case, the consequences of damage caused by a young driver are incalculable. The insurer will either refuse to pay or seek reimbursement from you for the damages it has paid to the other party. Suppose the accident caused permanent physical injury to a pedestrian. The resulting claims would be prohibitively expensive. So be very careful about lending your car to someone younger than you.

What if the borrower damages the moped?

An accident can cause serious damage to your moped. If you aren’t insured for damage to your own vehicle, you’ll run into a problem. Who will pay for the damage to your moped? Does the person who borrowed it have the money to compensate you financially? Is that person even willing to reimburse you for the damage? So it remains to be seen whether you’ll actually be reimbursed by the person to whom you lent the vehicle.

You can lend out a bicycle, but don't do that with a moped. In most cases, moped insurance provides coverage, but the risks are too great.