Who Makes the Best Motorcycle Helmet? We Tested Full Face Models From 3 Top Brands

There are a number of different criteria riders can use to choose a helmet. Safety ratings should be high for reasons to buy (or not buy) one, though. Basic helmet safety begins with the safety rating of the Department of Transportation (DOT) – a requirement for all legal helmets in the United States – but ends when it goes to safety tests from Snell and the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).

Those safety principles are where I start my search for all of my helmets, and how I’ve guided my helmet purchases for nearly two decades of motorcycling. A choice that will likely save my life in a major highway accident in 20 years and I will not buy or use helmets with ratings below Snell or the latest ECE.

However, there are still important differences between the best rated helmets on the market today. Fit, finish, features, high-tech additions, and beauty all matter. With all those factors in mind, I went hunting for some of the best full face helmets – my personal choice among the different types of motorcycle helmets – available right now.

These are my favorites currently available in the $600 to $800 price range, with very high safety ratings combined with excellent comfort. And I even threw in a future helmet for good measure, hopefully it will make it onto the list in 2027. That’s where I ended up.

One of the longest running motorcycle helmet companies in the world, Shoei has been around since the late 1950s, handcrafting helmets all the time, and their first RF helmet was made back in 1984. There have been significant advances in technology in the four decades since the first RF term, design and safety. (and very windy).

I’ve owned and used many versions of the Shoei RF helmet, and they’re all comfortable, well-built, and relatively inexpensive. The current RF-1400 is also different. Depending on the color you go with, the basic RF-1400 will set you back between $679 and $759. The weight is an impressive 3.64 lbs for a very small shell size, and all the inner fabrics of the hat feel breathable. The RF-1400 carries the Snell M2025D safety rating, there are easy-to-open vents on the front and top of the helmet, and the attractive, well-grip fasteners help open the visor to different levels depending on the desired level of airflow. The field of view isn’t very wide on the RF-1400, so I had to turn my head a little more than I’d like to get a decent side view, but that wouldn’t be enough to stop me from recommending the RF.

Another storied brand, AGV has made helmets since the 1940s, and its K6 S is priced at just $599 — a relative bargain. The K6 S carries an ECE22.06 rating, placing it among the safest helmets you can buy, and AGV says it’s “the lightest road helmet in the world.” Smaller head sizes will see helmet weights of only 3.02 pounds – the lightest helmets I can find, and that’s important as you get older, gain weight. Even full carbon helmets from brands like Schuberth and Scorpion are a few ounces heavier. The K6 S looks very similar to AGV’s ultra-sleek Pista helmet, which is a big selling point, too.

Functionally, the AGV visor is a bit difficult to get used to. Even after having a few AGVs myself in the past, I still have trouble getting it to open on this one, but it’s a small hurdle to clear. Open or closed, the AGV’s field of view, both up and down and side-to-side, is excellent.

The holes on the top of the visor are easy to slide open and close, and while at first I thought they were oddly placed, I got the hang of it. The middle hole opens from front to back, the outer holes slide open from their inside to their outside, making it easy to separate when wearing thick gloves.

My top choice for mid-range full face helmets is the Contour-X from Arai – another long-standing manufacturer in the helmet world. Unfortunately, it’s also the most expensive hat on the list, especially if you buy it directly from supermarkets and don’t do a little hunting. Most retailers have it for around $799, with a few limited selection options that bring prices down to $610 on closeout styles, depending on size. The high price is worth it, however, when you consider the Arai’s comfort and features.

In addition to Snell 2025 approval, this helmet is committed to providing comfort while riding. The small upper pipes are paired with a built-in center that also features the Arai logo. All three are easy to open, with plenty of wind speed. Arai also has two vents on the visor itself that allow more airflow directly to your forehead.

The helmet is light at 3.3 pounds, even if it’s a little heavier than others, but it’s not heavy enough to make a big difference on long rides. The padding feels very high quality with Arai, and the visor is easy to remove and replace – three of the easiest helmets listed here. The Contour-X is also less race-inspired than my current Corsair-X (also shown here), but I think that’s a plus for most riders. It is more of an everyday helmet with a small outer opening.

It wasn’t available for me to test yet (my local dealers didn’t have one in my size), but I wanted to give a special shout out to the entrants in the mid-level of helmets: The Alpinestars S-R7. Alpinestars isn’t new to gear, but they haven’t been making helmets for as long as some of the other brands on the list (the R10 was introduced a few years ago) and this S-R7 comes in at about half the price of their other full-face helmet, the R10.

The S-R7’s looks are about as aggressive as it gets and it comes in at a reasonable price of just $679.95. Maybe for the 2027 version of this test, I’ll get more time with the helmet, but my first impressions were good. Alpinestars seem to know they are up against other helmet titans, and have stepped up their game.

The SR-7 is ECE 22.06 rated, so safety is built in. The helmet offers a very wide 220-degree field of view. It’s made of materials that feel like high quality at first touch, and it’s designed with a comm system in mind so you can plug and play if you want to add music to your ride. Finally, the mid-size S-R7 weighs just 3.06 pounds. I look forward to testing this one in 2027.

To find the best helmets available in 2026, I started by narrowing down my choices, choosing only full face helmets that offer Snell or ECE rated protection. No half-helmets were considered. I focused on helmets that could be classified as budget options, but were also so underdeveloped that they were expensive – something in between. Often, race-ready helmets from major brands have features or designs that aren’t just needed on the street, and are therefore more expensive.

After identifying some top brands based on reputation, safety ratings, and user reviews, I checked out some of the best helmets out there. Some were sent to me by the manufacturers for testing, others I had to get my hands on at thrift stores. More than just looking at the helmet online, there was personal use. I didn’t test anything, but I tried them, rode with them, got a feel for how they worked on the road. Several helmets didn’t make the cut, even if they had the right safety ratings, because the materials felt low, the visibility was poor, or they were too heavy to consider for long-distance riding or general use. All that manual work led to this list.