An expensive helmet isn't necessarily a helmet that protects better. That's the first thing independent testing shows, and it's what makes "top 10" lists so misleading: they often rank finish, noise and brand, not protection.
This comparison tackles the problem in the right order. First what protects (approval and published impact tests), then what makes a helmet bearable day to day (weight, anti-fog, ventilation), and finally price. For the basics — helmet types, measuring your head, reading the label — start with our guide to choosing a motorcycle helmet.
How this comparison is built
No in-house testing, no "feel": we haven't ridden 25 helmets. Each model is selected on five verifiable criteria.
| Criterion | What we look at | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Approval | ECE 22.06 required to be included | label sewn onto the chin strap |
| SHARP rating | 1 to 5 stars, linear and oblique impacts | sharp.dft.gov.uk |
| Weight | manufacturer's claimed weight (usually size M, ±50 g) | manufacturer spec sheet |
| Anti-fog | Pinlock supplied, Pinlock-ready (optional) or none | manufacturer spec sheet |
| Price | UK RRP recorded by SHARP at test, plus EU street price where useful | SHARP, retailers |
Two honest caveats. A SHARP rating only exists for full-face and modular helmets tested by the scheme: an untested helmet isn't bad, it's unrated. And prices move with colourways and sales: the RRP at the time of the test is a reference point, not today's till receipt. Shop around — UK prices are often well below RRP.
What approval guarantees, and what it doesn't tell you
New helmets have been approved to ECE 22.06 since July 2022, and the sell-off of 22.05 stock ended in early 2024 in most European countries. In the UK, ECE 22.05 and 22.06 both remain legal to wear on the road, alongside BS 6658:1985 with the Kitemark (per GOV.UK) — but anything you buy new today should be 22.06. The standard tightened things up: more impact points, an oblique (rotational) impact test, tests at several speeds. Everything it changes is covered in our article on the ECE 22.06 standard.
But approval is a threshold: a helmet passes or fails. It doesn't say by how much it beats the minimum. That's SHARP's job, funded by the Department for Transport, which tests at least seven samples of each model at three speeds (6, 7.5 and 8.5 m/s) over 32 impacts, and weights the result by real crash data (side and rear impacts count for a lot). The method and how to read the stars are explained in our SHARP 5-star helmet ranking.
Under £150: entry level that holds its own
This is the band where the gap between price and protection is most striking. Several full-face helmets with an RRP under £150 score 5 SHARP stars in their 22.06 version.
| Model | Type | SHARP | Claimed weight | Anti-fog | UK RRP at SHARP test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MT Stinger 2 | full-face | 5 stars | 1,450 g | depends on version | £59 |
| Airoh Connor | full-face | 5 stars | 1,450 g | Pinlock-ready | £119 |
| AGV K1 S | full-face | 5 stars | 1,500 g | Pinlock 70 optional | £150 |
| MT Braker SV | full-face, sun visor | 5 stars | 1,500 g | depends on version | £99 |
What you give up at this price: the shell is thermoplastic (injected polycarbonate), often in one or two shell sizes for the whole size range. The result: in XS or S the helmet looks big and feels its weight. Noise at motorway speed is higher than on a premium lid, the comfort padding compresses faster, and the Pinlock isn't always in the box (budget roughly £20-30 to add one).
What you don't give up: measured protection. The MT Stinger 2, at £59 RRP when SHARP tested it, gets 5 stars, while the HJC V10, sold for nearly four times as much, gets 3. That's not an argument against HJC, it's an argument for checking the rating before the logo.
£150 to £400: the best all-round value
This is the band of helmets you keep for five years without hating them: sun visor, Pinlock supplied, better interior finish, sometimes a composite shell.
| Model | Type | SHARP | Claimed weight | Anti-fog | UK RRP at SHARP test |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airoh Spark 2 | full-face | 5 stars | 1,590 g | Pinlock 70 supplied | £185 |
| Nexx Y.100 | neo-retro full-face | 5 stars | — | depends on version | £159 (Y.100 and Y.100R differ) |
| HJC i80 | modular P/J | 4 stars (90% latched) | 1,750 g | Pinlock | £199 |
The HJC i80 deserves a mention: a modular approved P/J (usable open while riding), its chin bar stays latched in 90% of SHARP impacts. On a modular, that percentage matters as much as the stars: a chin bar that pops open on impact no longer protects your chin. For more on this format, see our feature on touring modular helmets.
