Motorcycle and moped registrations in the EU down 1.6% during the first 9 months of 2017

Combined registrations of motorcycles and mopeds in the EU have reached 1,051,606 units during the first 9 months of 2017, representing a decrease of 1.6% compared to same period of the previous year, according to the latest figures released today by the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM).

Registrations increased in some of the largest European markets including France (206,596 units, +4.1%) and Italy (197,159 vehicles, +5.7%) but decreased in Germany (149,334 vehicles, -11.3%), Spain (120,302 vehicles, -5.8%) and the UK (85,505 vehicles, -15.7%).

Motorcycle registrations down by 5.1%

Registrations of motorcycles in the EU reached 771,327 units during the first 9 months of the year. This represents a decrease of 5.1% compared to the same period of 2016. With 177,336 units (+6.4%), Italy remains the largest European motorcycle market, followed by France (132,950 motorcycles, +2.4%), Germany (126,592 motorcycles, -11.7%), Spain (105,184 motorcycles, -8.5%) and the UK (80,222 motorcycles, -15.4%).

Registrations in the moped segment reached 280,279 units (+9.3%) during the first 9 months of 2017, although this is partially due to the Slovenian government mandating all owners of unregistered mopeds to register them in order to update its motor vehicle database.

The largest moped market in Europe was the French one (73,646 units, +7.2%), followed by the Netherlands (58,672 units, +5.9%), Germany (22,742 units, -9.2%), Poland (20,550 units, -4.1%), and Italy (19,823 units, -0.3%).

Registrations of electric vehicles in the EU up by 7.1%

Combined registrations of electric mopeds, motorcycles and quadricycles reached 23,695 units during the first 9 months of 2017. This represents an increase of 7.1% compared to the same period of 2016.

The largest European markets in terms of volume were France with a total of 7,231 electric vehicles, followed by the Netherlands (4,421 units), Belgium (4,165 units), Spain (2,501 units) and Italy (1,454 units).

A total of 3,121 electric motorcycles were registered in the EU between January and September 2017 (-13.4%). The largest European markets for electric motorcycles were: France (892, +4%), Spain (808, +51.9%) Germany (405, -32.3%), and Austria (691, -60.5%).

Registrations of electric mopeds reached 18,234 units (+60.8% compared to the first 9 months of 2016). The largest European markets for mopeds were: France (5502 units, +93.6%), Netherlands (4244 units, -16.3%), Belgium (3630 units, +293%), Spain (1578 units, +161%) and Austria (876 units, +73.8%).

Quote

Commenting on the latest figures, Antonio Perlot, Secretary General of ACEM, said:

“Vehicle registrations in Europe have slightly declined during the first 9 months of 2017 in comparison to the same period of 2016. From a longer time horizon, however, the moped and motorcycle fleet – that is the total number of vehicles circulating on the streets – increased from about 30.3 million units (2006) to 35.3 million units (2015)”.

“The reasons for this steady growth are well known. Motorcycles and mopeds are ideal for commuting, particularly in cities with high road traffic, and are easier to park, which of course saves considerable time to people. Also, they consume less fuel and are more affordable than other means of transport. These intrinsic advantages will still be there several years ahead, and therefore we expect the number of powered-two wheelers in Europe to continue increasing”.

“Furthermore, our latest registration figures show an increase in the number of motorcycles used for leisure purposes in several European markets. These vehicles are mainly bought for the pleasure of riding itself, although they also offer a ‘cross over’ function and are also often used for commuting”.

“There are also important opportunities to increase sales out of the European Union. About 80% of all motorcycles and mopeds in the world are used in Asian countries, which offer an enormous market potential for our industry. However, many of these countries have very restrictive trade policies, which harm European companies, as the European Commission pointed out in its recent GEAR 2030 report”.

“Looking forward, our sector continues to invest in new technologies and several companies are already cooperating in the field of connected vehicles through the Connected Motorcycle Consortium. In the coming years customers will increasingly see new motorcycles with advanced and innovate features”.

Documents available to download

ACEM – Statistical data – January – September 2017 [xls]

ACEM – Statistical press release – January – September 2017 [pdf]

Charts – Monthly motorcycle registrations (up to September 2017) [jpg]

Charts – Monthly moped registrations (up to September 2017) [jpg]

Charts – Monthly electric vehicle registrations (up to September 2017) [jpg]

About ACEM

• The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) represents manufacturers of mopeds, motorcycles, three-wheelers and quadricycles (L-category vehicles) in Europe.
• ACEM members include 18 manufacturing companies: BMW Motorrad, Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), Ducati Motor holding, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, KYMCO, MV Agusta, Peugeot Scooters, Piaggio, Polaris Industries, Renault, Royal Enfield, Suzuki, Triumph Motorcycles and Yamaha. ACEM also represents 17 motorcycle industry associations in 14 different European countries.
• About 156,000 jobs depend on the L-category industry in Europe. There are about 35.3 million motorcycles and scooters on Europe’s roads (2015 figures).

Press contact

For further information or to receive future market updates, news or press releases please contact:
Manuel Ordonez de Barraicua. ACEM communications officer
E. [email protected] 
P. +32 (0) 22 30 97 32