Gloves are the gear you reach for on every single ride, and your hands are almost always what hits the ground first in a spill. The good news: this is one of the easiest places to get properly protected on a budget. Here are the ones worth buying in the UK for under £50, with the honest catches.
What to look for
Two things matter more than anything else:
- CE Level 1 certification. This is the minimum safety benchmark and it will be printed on a tag inside the glove. Plenty of cheap “motorcycle-style” gloves online are not certified at all, so check.
- Hard knuckle protection. A moulded or armoured knuckle is the bit that saves you in an off.
After that it is about season: summer gloves are vented and short or mid-cuff for airflow, winter gloves are insulated, waterproof and usually gauntlet-style to seal out cold and rain. Most riders end up owning a pair of each, but if you are buying one to start, match it to the weather you will ride in most.
Summer picks
Oxford Brisbane Air (around £30)
A brilliant starter glove. Short, flexible and breathable, with a reassuring leather palm and a hard knuckle, all at a genuinely budget price. If you want one summer glove that ticks the safety box without fuss, start here. We cover it in full in our Oxford Brisbane Air review. Check price at Amazon UK →
RST S1 Mesh CE (around £30 to £40)
A sensible warm-weather pick built around airflow, with mesh construction and enough protective structure for everyday road riding. A good choice for commuters and newer riders who want their hands cool in summer traffic. Check price at Amazon UK →
Spada Wyatt (around £30)
One of the better budget all-rounders. Properly certified as protective, with real UK support behind it, which is more than a lot of cheap online gloves can say. Check price at Amazon UK →
Winter picks
Oxford Polar 1.0 (around £45 to £50)
A lot of cold-weather glove for under £50. A gauntlet-style winter glove with Oxford’s Dry2Dry waterproof membrane and Primaloft insulation, with a clever 3-finger section that pairs two fingers together to keep them warmer. Bulkier than a summer glove, as all winter gloves are. Check price at Amazon UK →
DXR Winter Carbon (around £50)
A strong-value winter leather glove with CE Level 1 approval, hard knuckle and finger armour and palm protection, that stays comfortable in cold, damp conditions without feeling overly bulky. A good first proper winter glove. Check price at Amazon UK →
Which should you buy first?
If you mostly ride in milder months, the Oxford Brisbane Air is the easiest, cheapest place to start. If you are commuting through a British winter, spend the extra tenner on the Oxford Polar 1.0 or DXR Winter Carbon, because cold, wet hands genuinely affect how safely you can control the bike. Whatever you choose, check the CE tag and grab the right size, as gloves want to be snug without cutting off circulation.
For the rest of your first kit, see the complete beginner motorcycle gear guide.
More beginner guides: Complete beginner gear guide · What to wear for your CBT · Best first helmets