European Motorcycle Market Drops Drastically In First Half Of 2025, What's Up?

JAKARTA The motorcycle industry in Europe's five largest markets is facing difficult times. Sales of new motorcycles fell more than 11 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to the previous year. The latest data from the European Motorcycle Manufacturers Association (ACEM) shows a total of 542,361 new motorcycles registered in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK between January to June 2025. This figure is far below 611,145 units recorded in the same period in 2024.

Of the five countries, only Spain showed positive growth, with registration of new motorcycles reaching 111,363 units, an increase of 5 percent year-on-year. This makes Spain the only bright spot amid the bleak European market.

Although Italy remains the largest motorcycle market in Europe with 195,025 units, this figure still reflects a 4.2 percent decline compared to 2024. France sees registration drop to 98,499 units, a 14.8 percent decline. Meanwhile, the UK recorded a 19.8 percent sharper decline with only 47,464 motorbikes registered.

However, Germany experienced the most significant contraction among these groups. Only 90,010 new motorcycles registered there in the first six months of this year, showed a sharp decline of 29 percent from the previous year.

A similar situation also occurred in the MOped segment. Registration in six main European markets from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain fell 19.2 percent from year to year, from 84,974 units in 2024 to 68,690 units so far in 2025.

Each MOped market monitored by ACEM has decreased. Spain suffered the best with a decrease of only 2 percent (5,628 units), followed by Germany (8,333 units, down 5.9 percent), Belgium (13,304 units, down 9.7 percent), and the Netherlands (13,199 units, down 17.4 percent). France reported 21,607 delayed registrations, a decrease of 27.7 percent, while Italy experienced the sharpest decline with 32.4 percent to 6,619 units.

The Euro 5+ Transition Is The Trigger

Antonio Perlot, Secretary-General of ACEM, acknowledged the slowdown and attributed it to the expected adjustment after the transition to Euro 5+ emission standard.

The first phase of 2025 confirms expected market adjustments after the transition to Euro 5+, with a decrease in overall registration volume in several major European markets, Perlot said, quoted from Visordown, Friday, July 25.

"Despite this short-term decline, motorcycles remain a popular choice for individual mobility in many parts of Europe," he added.