Motorcycle in Europe – the latest market status

Market status of motorcycle in Europe

As of the first nine months of 2023, sales of motorcycle in Europe have shown substantial growth. According to a recent report released by ACEM, from January to September 2023, new motorcycle registrations in Europe’s five largest motorcycle markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) reached 873,985 units, which was an increase of approximately 11.8% compared to the same period in 2022 (781,839 vehicles).

By comparison, 2022 was actually already a strong year for the market of motorcycle in Europe, with 781,839 new motorcycle registrations from January to September.

In the European market, not only are there stricter emission parameters, but at the same time, the choice of motorcycles is also wider, and manufacturers need to expand their model range to produce motorcycles in the 125cc, 300cc to 500cc and 650cc categories. In the current European market, more and more people are starting to ride electric motorcycles with best motorcycle battery on the road.

As a result, sales for the first quarter of 2023 will enter the European market, where the market status is improving. Overall, the top five European markets grew by 15.5% compared to the first quarter of 2022.
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Italy is the strongest motorcycle market lately. From January to March 2023, a total of 78,997 new motorcycles were registered in Italy. Compared with the first quarter of 2022, this is an increase of 31.1%. And the second is Germany. In the first quarter of 2023, a total of 54,964 two-wheeled vehicles were newly registered in Germany, an increase of 13.2% over the same period in 2022. The third place is France, with 48,945 newly registered companies, an increase of 7.1% compared to sales in the first quarter of 2022.

As expected, electric two-wheelers have seen strong growth recently. In the first quarter of 2023, registrations increased by 1.2%, with total registrations reaching 8,890 units. The most noteworthy thing is that the German electric two-wheeled vehicle market registered 2,672 new users, an increase of 89.9%. France is vigorously promoting electrification, with sales increasing by only 1.2%, and 2,168 new two-wheel electric vehicles were registered.

Interestingly, the Italian two-wheeled electric vehicle market shrank by 2.3%, with only 2,054 new electric two-wheeled vehicles added in the first quarter of 2023.

This strong growth indicates that the market of motorcycle in Europe has experienced significant growth over the past year, likely driven by a variety of factors, including rising consumer demand, fierce market competition, and new product launches by the manufacturers of motorcycle in Europe. This provides a positive sign for the motorcycle industry that interest in and demand for motorcycle products continues to increase.

Like mentioned above, Italy appears to be the region with the strongest growth in the two-wheeler market, with a growth rate of 19.4% and a total of 271,552 new two-wheelers registered. Followed by Spain, ranked second with 154,019 units, an increase of 13.4%. Germany ranked third with 190,490 new registrations, an increase of 9.6%. France ranked fourth with a growth rate of 8.7%, with registrations reaching 168,118 vehicles. Meanwhile, sales figures in the UK were relatively stable, with 89,806 registrations down just 0.4%.

The figures indicate that Italy, Spain and Germany are the main growth drivers in the market of motorcycle in Europe, with France also showing impressive growth. However, the slight decline in the UK could be the result of certain factors in the market. This series of market performance reflects the continued interest in lithium battery two wheeler across Europe and, in some regions, increasing demand for transportation such as motorcycles and scooters.

Other electric vehicles in Europe

Although motorcycle sales have increased significantly, unfortunately, the moped market has not been so optimistic. From January to September 2023, only 155,098 mopeds were registered, a 25% drop from 206,927 in 2022. It should be noted that this statistic only includes France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Bergey and Spain.

The position of mopeds in the two wheeler industry is ambiguous as their classification varies from region to region. In Europe, mopeds are usually divided into L1eB and L2e for two-wheelers and three-wheelers, while some regions also classify L1e-A vehicles (certain electric bicycles) as mopeds.

This downward trend indicates that the moped market may face some challenges, which may be affected by regional classification differences and competition from emerging transportation vehicles such as high voltage ebike. This may also prompt the industry and government to re-evaluate and adjust the moped market.

According to the ACEM report, Secretary General Antonio Perlot said that European consumers have shown continued strong interest in two-wheelers for leisure and commuting. He also noted that strong growth in the European market in the first nine months highlights the continued long-term interest among consumers in electric two-wheelers, whether for daily commuting or leisure.

Preliminary data shows that the motorcycle market showed positive trends in October, with lightweight Motorcycle sales have partially recovered. In addition, the motorcycle market is clearly booming after EICMA 2023, with more new models (including electric and internal combustion engines) expected to be launched in the 2024 model year.

It’s worth noting that while ACEM’s report paints a favorable picture of the industry of motorcycle in Europe, it does not include all brands dominating the two-wheeler segment. The report does not cover some emerging manufacturers, especially manufacturers from China, so the sales figure may be actually much higher than the 873,985 new registrations mentioned earlier.

Above is the market status of motorcycle in Europe, if you are interested, you can also check Indonesia motorcycle market, which is another rapidly growing market.