Winter motorcycle gloves: how to keep your hands warm through a UK winter

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Your hands are the first thing to get cold on a bike: they sit right in the wind and barely move. Cold hands mean less feel on the clutch and brake, so a good winter glove is about safety, not just comfort. And in the UK, winter usually means cold and wet at the same time.

What a winter glove needs

1. EN 13594 certification, ideally with KP (certified knuckle protection). See how to choose motorcycle gloves.
2. A waterproof, breathable membrane: keeps rain out and lets sweat escape. Gore-Tex is the best known; brands also have their own, such as Alpinestars’ Drystar.
3. Thermal insulation: a lining that holds the heat.
4. A long or mid-length cuff that closes over your jacket sleeve, so no air or rain gets in.
5. Enough feel: a glove that is too bulky costs you sensitivity on the controls.

Mid-season or full winter?

• Mid-season (autumn, spring, rain): a membrane and some lining. For many UK riders this covers most of the year.
• Deep winter (frost, early commutes, long motorway runs): thicker insulation or heated gloves.

Heated gloves or heated grips?

Heated grips warm your palms; heated gloves warm your fingers and the backs of your hands, where you feel the cold most. We compare both in heated gloves vs heated grips.

Tricks for warmer hands

• Heated grips plus a mid-season glove is a very effective combination.
• Handlebar muffs: not pretty, but brilliant on scooters and commuters.
• Thin liner gloves in silk or synthetic under your gloves, if there is room.
• Start with warm gloves: keep them indoors, not in the garage or top box.
• Relax your grip: squeezing the bars cuts circulation.
• Hand guards on the bars keep the wind off your fingers.

What about a long sports glove?

A long-cuff sports glove such as the Dainese Carbon 4 Long stops air getting in at the wrist, but it has no membrane or insulation. Fine for a crisp dry day, not for a wet January.

See every glove we rate in our motorcycle glove guide.