These are the best winter gloves to keep you riding all winter, as reviewed by our team

Published: 14 September 2023 Updated: 08 March 2024

The best winter gloves, tried and tested by MCN staff

A good pair of winter motorcycle gloves is essential through the colder months. Riding a motorbike with cold hands can be uncomfortable, painful or even dangerous once numbness sets in and affects your ability to use the controls. Good gloves can mitigate this by keeping the elements out: wind- and water-proof layers help protect your hands from the worst of the weather.

Even if it doesn’t feel particularly chilly when you leave the house, the combined chill and wind blast can make your hands freeze up as speeds increase, especially on the motorway. Then, a fleece or thermal lining can trap heat inside the gloves to keep your hands from getting cold. Other features to look out for are long cuffs and something to remove rain from your visor with – either an absorbent pad or plastic wiper.

On the flipside, thick, bulky gloves can leave you feeling just as detached from the bike’s controls, so it’s worth seeking out a pair that balances warmth with dexterity. Luckily for those who ride a motorbike in winter, there are loads of options out there for keeping your fingers warm, and the MCN team has racked up some considerable miles and saddle time weeding out the best of the bunch. Check out our guide to three season and heated gloves too.

Held Cold Champ Gore-tex

Price: £224.95

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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Tested by Richard Newland, for six years, 25,000 miles. While many three-season gloves are akin to ski gloves, Held have managed to develop a glove that looks great, feels more like a thick sports glove and performs like one, too. The Cold Champ is protective (certified to EN 13594:2015), functional and warm enough to cope with all but prolonged sub-zero use (and how often do you ride when it’s below freezing?).

They feel plush but well-fitted, with a luxurious 3M Thinsulate quilted liner and Thermoplush fleece on the back of your hands – but they don’t feel baggy or overly thick. The Gore-Tex liner has proved 100% effective, and while they’re windproof, they’re also breathable so you don’t get sweaty hands.

The goatskin palm is tough but soft and flexible – the Velcro closures and leather stretch panels that haven’t lost any of their bite. The wrist and cuff closures are perfect for coverage and operation and are still holding fast after years of use. The visor wipe is useful, and the black Scotchlite reflectors are subtle but effective. The fact that they come with a 5-year guarantee speaks volumes for their quality.

Pros

Comfy
Protective
Waterproof
Look great

Cons

Not warm enough for seriously cold rides

Quality

5.0
Value

5.0

DXR Winter Carbon CE leather gloves

Price: £49.99

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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Tested by Ali Silcox for nine months, 2000 Miles. These are keenly-priced, at under £50, and are ideal for cooler rides. With a leather outer, they have a Thinsulate thermal liner and a membrane, that's both waterproof and breathable.

I've ridden in cold and damp conditions and they've been comfortable and kept my hands dry. And, unlike some winter gloves, they are not too bulky.

They are approved to CE Level 1 and have hard knuckle and finger armour, plus extra protection on the palm. I'm a cuff-over-sleeve kind of girl and I do have a couple of criticisms - the cuff is slightly too short, leaving a small draught around the wrist; my other slight moan is that I'd prefer the left thumb visor wipe to be on the forefinger.

Quality

4.0
Value

5.0

Richa Street Touring Gore-Tex Lady

Price: £139.99

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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Tested by Emma Franklin for six months, 3000 miles. They’re impressive both in terms of their quality, which is really top notch thanks to great materials and double-stitched seams, but also their fit. Richa haven’t just scaled down the men’s version of their Street Touring GTX glove, but rather created a whole new pattern based on typical womens’ hand dimensions. The result is a glove that, for me at least, is a perfect fit in all areas.

Performance wise, they’ve kept out the rain during heavy showers, and the visor wiper on the left index finger is a real boon. However, they do become a little sweaty on the hottest of days. And, when it comes to protection, thanks to their great fit, quality construction, decent knuckle armour and wrist restraint, I’ve every confidence they’d keep my hands safe in a spill.

An impressive pair of waterproof leather gloves, geared towards all but the coldest of weather.

Quality

5.0
Value

5.0

Rev'it Summit H20

Price: £109.99

www.getgeared.co.uk

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Tested by Ali Silcox for 4 years, 3500 miles. I’ve worn these textile and leather gloves for thousands of miles, in all manner of conditions and they’ve proven to be incredibly comfortable and hardwearing. They have moulded knuckle and scaphoid protection and extra padding on the fingers.

A fully waterproof and breathable membrane keeps hands dry and the natty slide adjuster at the wrist, combined with Velcro ensures a snug fit. I have slim hands, with long fingers, and opted for a size large, which fit well and needed very little breaking in.

Mine are the Summit 2 version, which have now been superseded by the Summit 3.

Quality

5.0
Value

5.0

Spidi TX-T CE Lady

Price: £84.99

www.mandp.co.uk

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Tested by Saffron Wilson for 12 months, 3,300 miles. I tend to have an issue with ladies’ gloves not fitting my long fingers properly, but these Spidi gloves have proved that it is possible to get a comfortable pair. The High Tenacity elastic fabric means that provide a snug fit, while also giving extreme abrasion resistance too. This is backed up by the CE rating. There is padding on the back, the side, and the palm of the hand as well as along the fingers which don’t impede the comfort. It has level 1 knuckle protection and a variable-density polyurethane shield which is claimed to help with shock absorption as well.

Spidi’s H2Out range is great an effective bit of affordable kit and they can cope with some pretty sever downpours. My only small niggle came to light on extremely cold days when the temperature dropped below freezing. But, for most chilly days where you actually want to go out riding, the polar fleece and polar microfleece is enough to keep you relatively warm without being heavy. They feel comfortable to wear all day, and they could even do you well on an English spring day too as they are effectively breathable.

There is a leather patch at the top of the index finger which does work on a touchscreen phone, but when you have the gloves on, you almost have to touch the phone at an awkward angle, which can be difficult if you’re checking the SatNav quickly. But that’s a small price to pay as they wear well in general and after 3000 miles they clean up as good as new.

Quality

4.0
Value

5.0

DXR Brookite

Price: £39.99

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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Tested by Simon Brown for six months, 500 miles. More Spring/Autumn wear than full-on depths of winter, unless your bike is fitted with heated grips, but just look at that price… a penny less than forty quid is pretty astonishing value. Construction is goatskin leather and they have a waterproof membrane, clearly you aren’t going to get the latest Gore-Tex for such a modest outlay but they have been up to the job when I have been caught in sudden showers.

There is a visor wipe too, which is a welcome addition on any glove. Comfort is fine, they felt a tiny bit on the tight side at first (I went for the mediums) but they soon wore in and I have been wearing them on my naked Ducati for Autumn rides now conditions are becoming more chilly.

They fasten securely enough with wrist and cuff Velcro and I don’t find they compromise feel for the controls in any way since they aren’t excessively bulky. If you are after a pair of value gloves, these are well worth a punt.

Quality

4.0
Value

5.0

Knox Storm Winter Gloves

Price: £99.99

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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Reviewed by Dan Sutherland for one month, 2000 miles. These have almost everything I look for in a winter glove.

Thick without sacrificing too much feel, genuine waterproofing, a visor wipe, quality construction and even touch screen finger pads, they have been ideal for my winter commute - providing just enough warmth for an hour-and-a-half in the saddle when combined with heated grips.

What's more, the minimalist high-viz reflectors on the fingertips and wrists genuinely do work. The simple wrist closure is also ideal, with no tiny straps to deal with once wearing the gloves. That said, they are slightly too thick to be worn inside my Furygan jacket sleeves, meaning the occasional unwelcome draft of cold air sneaks in.

Quality

5.0
Value

4.0

Richa Carbon

Price: £54.99

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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These are the top rated winter gloves on the MCN Shop by our users and they're under £45! They're waterproof, reinforced with Kevlar and come complete with a Thinsulate liner to keep the worst of the cold out. There's also a suede visor wipe to keep your visor clear of winter grime. Sizes These are the top rated winter gloves on the MCN Shop by our users and they're under £40! They're waterproof, reinforced with Kevlar and come complete with a Thinsulate liner to keep the worst of the cold out. There's also a suede visor wipe to keep your visor clear of winter grime.

Sizes

XS-2XL

More winter gloves

Merlin Catton Outlast Leather

Price: £59.99 (was £89.99)

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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Waterproof and breathable leather riding gloves with knuckle impact protection.

Alpinestars Valparaiso Drystar

Price: £109.24 (was £114.99)

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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These touring gloves use Alpinestars' excellent Drystar waterproof and breathable membrane. The Velcro closure system is designed for a weather-tight fit and reflective details keep you visible at night, too. As well as protection from the weather, the Valparaiso will protect you in a crash with knuckle armour, suede palm reinforcement and third and fourth finger bridge.

Sizes

XS-XL

Rev'it Taurus GTX

Price: £229.99

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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A luxury winter glove with an impressive warmth-to-weight ratio, reinforced with waterproof protection from Gore-Tex. By using Primaloft Gold Eco as the primary insulator these gloves give great warmth without sacrificing feel. Weatherproofing is further reinforced by way of a double cuff, and there's a visor wipe on the finger. There's also decent crash protection thanks to a goatskin palm with scaphoid protector, Seesoft knuckle protector, and a wrist retainer.

Sizes

XS-4XL

Richa 9904 Waterproof Gloves

Price: £44.99

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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Offering plenty of weather protection for not a lot of cash, these Richa gloves are a brilliant solution for winter riding. With 70g of Thinsulate providing the insulation and a Hipora membrane taking care of the waterproofing and breathability side of things, they should keep your hands pleasantly warm and dry during winter riding conditions. There's leather at the palms and backs of the hands, a zip closure at the cuff and a large easy-to-use Velcro wrist restraint.

Sizes

XS-2XL

Rev'it Stratos Gore-Tex Leather

Price: £79.99 (was £119.99)

www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

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Waterproof and breathable Gore-Tex gloves with Thinsulate thermal lining

About the author: Justin Hayzelden is MCN’s resident products guru and keeps a finger on the pulse of all that’s new and important in bike kit and accessories.

- Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us.

By Justin Hayzelden

Product Specialist for MCN and global adventurer.

The best winter gloves, tried and tested by MCN staff

The DXR Winter Carbon gloves

Press shot of the DXR Winter Carbon gloves

Press shot of the Knox Storm gloves