EU records 1,065,413 ICE motorcycle registrations in 2019 for +7.3% growth; Italy +5.0% as largest market According to ACEM, the Brussels based international motorcycle industry trade association, new motorcycle registrations in EU markets in 2019 (ICE/Internal Combustion Engine units only) totalled 1,065,413 units for a reported +7.3% increase over 2018 (992,967 units).
Although national reporting variables sometimes make direct comparisons tricky, the ACEM data is reporting Italy as the largest market in the EU with 230,039 machines registered, +5.0% up from the 219,122 registered in 2018.
France was the second largest market at +10.9% (194,919 units), with Spain third (+9.0%, 171,156 units), Germany fourth (+6.1%, 164,994 units) and the UK market essentially flat in fifth place (+0.5%, 100,742 units). The UK remains in ACEM's EU data for the full year 2019, having left the EU on 31st January 2020).
These 'Big Five' markets accounted for 861,850 units, which was 80.9% of the EU total and, between them, slightly down on their overall share of the 2018 market (81.3%).
Reflecting the pace of its wider economic recovery, Greece was the sixth largest EU motorcycle market in 2019 with +14.0% growth (37,132 registrations), the fastest growth rate among those markets posting registrations of over 20,000 units in the year.
Total ICE & EV PTW units +8.7%
Portugal was seventh (+5.4%, 29,837 registrations); Austria eighth (+5.5%, 27,150 registrations); a broadly flat Belgian market was ninth largest at +0.5% (23,877 units registered), and with by far the strongest growth rate of those markets reporting more than 5,000 registrations, Poland was in tenth place with 19,032 units registered for a +31.3% growth rate in new unit sales to add to the strong import market it has of used units receiving their first registration in Poland.
The EU was also worth some 243,376 ICE mopeds, which was +4.7% over 2018 (France the largest market at 77,190 units, +23.4%), to make total EU ICE two-wheeler sales 1,308,789 units - a 6.8% growth rate combined.
The electric two-wheeler market continues to grow strongly in percentage terms, but is still at a very early stage in its development. Total EV sales were 73,887 units in the EU (+57.7%), with France the largest market with 16,404 units (+37.8%), Belgium was the second largest market, followed by the Netherlands, Spain and Italy.
Of the total of EV registrations, 59,776 were classified as mopeds (+49.7%), with only 14,111 described as motorcycles (+104.48%). Spain was the largest market for electric motorcycles (+102.2%), followed by France. Belgium was the largest market for electric mopeds, followed by France.
Taking EV and ICE mopeds and motorcycles together, the EU total PTW market was worth 1,382,676 units for +8.7% growth over 2018 (1,272,206 units).
