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

There are dozens of different criteria that riders can use to select a helmet. Safety ratings should probably be right at the top of reasons to buy (or not buy) one, though. Basic helmet safety starts with a Department of Transportation (DOT) safety rating — a requirement for all road-legal helmets in the United States — but it graduates from there to safety tests from Snell and the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE). 

Those safety standards are where I start the search for all my helmets, and how I've guided my helmet purchases for nearly two decades of motorcycling. It's a choice that likely saved my life in a big freeway wreck in my 20s and I won't buy or use helmets with less than the latest Snell or ECE ratings. 

However, there are still some significant differences between well-rated helmets on the market today. Fit, finish, features, high-tech add-ons, and aesthetics all matter too. With all those elements in mind, I went hunting for some of the best full-face helmets — my personal preference among the different types of motorcycle helmet — currently available. 

These are my favorites currently available in the $600 to $800 price range, that have the highest safety ratings to go along with excellent comfort. And I've even thrown in a future helmet for good measure, hoping that it'll make the list in 2027. This is where I ended up. 

One of the longest-standing motorcycle helmet companies in the world, Shoei has been around since the late 1950s, hand-making helmets the entire time, and its earliest RF-labeled helmet was made back in 1984. There have been some pretty significant technological advancements in the four decades since the first RF helmet introduced ventilation to helmet design, but the name still represents quality and safety (and there's a lot more ventilation).

I've owned and used multiple versions of the Shoei RF helmet, and they've all been comfortable, well-built, and relatively reasonably priced. The current RF-1400 is no exception. Depending on the color you go with, a basic RF-1400 will set you back between $679 and $759. Weight is an admirable 3.64 lbs in the smallest shell size, and all the helmet's interior fabrics feel breathable. The RF-1400 carries a Snell M2025D safety rating, there are easy-to-open vents on the front and top of the helmet, and lovely, positively-engaged detents help open the visor to different levels depending on your desired level of air flow. The field of view isn't particularly wide on the RF-1400, so I had to turn my head a bit further than I would've liked to get a proper side view, but that wouldn't be enough to keep 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, which puts it amongst the safest helmets you can buy, and AGV says it's the "lightest full-face road helmet in the world." The smallest head sizes will see helmet weights of just 3.02 pounds – it's the lightest helmets I could find, and that's important as you size up, increasing in weight. Even full carbon helmets from brands like Schuberth and Scorpion are a few ounces heavier. The K6 S looks a lot like AGV's ultra-sleek Pista race helmet, which is a major selling point, too.

Functionally, the AGV's visor is a bit difficult to get used to. Even after having owned a few AGV's myself in the past, I still had some trouble opening it on this one, but it's a minor hurdle to clear. Open or closed, the AGV's field of view, both up-and-down and side-to-side, is excellent.

The vents above the visor are easy to slide open and closed, and while I initially thought they were strangely laid out, I came to understand it. The center vent opens forward to back, with the outer vents opening by sliding from their inner position to their outer position, which makes them easy to distinguish when you're 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 helmet on the list, especially if you buy it directly from major outlets and don't do a bit of bargain hunting. Most retailers have it around $799, with a few limited-selection options dropping prices as low as $610 in closeout-styles, depending on the size. The high price is worth it, though, when you consider the Arai's overall comfort and features.

On top of being Snell 2025 approved, this helmet is serious about providing comfort while riding. The small top vents are paired with a built-in vent that also houses the Arai logo. All three are easy to open, with lots of air moving through at speed. The Arai also features two vents on the visor itself that allow for more air flow directly to your forehead. 

The helmet is lightweight at 3.3 pounds, even if it is slightly heavier than the other helmets, but it isn't heavy enough to make a significant difference on long rides. The padding feels particularly high-quality with the Arai, and the visor is easy to remove and replace — the easiest of the three helmets listed here. The Contour-X is also a bit less race-inspired than my current Corsair-X (also pictured here), but I think that's a benefit for most riders. It's more of an everyday helmet with less outward flare.

It wasn't available for me to test out yet (my local retailers didn't have one in my size), but I wanted to give a special shoutout to the newest entry in the mid-level tier of helmets: The Alpinestars S-R7. Alpinestars isn't new to gear, but it hasn't been making helmets nearly as long as the other brands on this list (the R10 was only launched 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 look is about as aggressive as it gets and it comes in at a reasonable price of just $679.95. Maybe for a 2027 version of this test, I'll get more time with the helmet, but my initial impressions were good. Alpinestars seems to know that it's doing battle with some helmet titans, and it has stepped up its game. 

The SR-7 is ECE 22.06 rated, so the safety is built in. The helmet offers an extremely wide 220-degree field of view. It's made with what feels like high-quality materials at first touch, and designed with a comm system in mind so you can simply plug-and-play if you're looking to add music to your ride. Finally, the weight for a medium-sized S-R7 is just 3.06 pounds. I'm definitely looking forward to testing this one in 2027.

To find the best helmets available in 2026, I started by narrowing down my choices, only picking full face helmets that offer Snell or ECE rated protection. No half-helmets were even considered. I focused on helmets that weren't classified as budget choices, but also weren't so upmarket as to be prohibitively expensive — something in the middle. Generally, racetrack-ready helmets from major brands have features or designs that just aren't necessary on the street, and as a result they cost significantly more.

After identifying some top brands based on reputation, safety ratings, and user reviews, I tested 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 in public stores. More than just looking for a helmet online, there was in-person use. I didn't crash test anything, but I tried them on, rode with them, and got a sense of how they performed on the road. Several helmets didn't make the cut, even if they had the proper safety ratings, because the materials felt sub-par, the outward visibility was bad, or they were too heavy for me to consider them for long-distance rides or regular use. All that in-person experience led to this list.