The latest data available from the MCIA, the motorcycle industry association in the UK, shows that new motorcycle registration growth in the UK in 2019 slowed from a good start to end of the year at +0.7% YTD (100,472 units, compared to 99,751 in 2018).
Many in the UK are pointing to Brexit and general uncertainty, with consumer confidence low, as the reasons for the decline in the growth of recent years. Having been -2.75% in November (5,512 units), the UK market was -3.44% (4,573 units) in December.
Moped market volumes remain low in the UK, but there was growth of +14.73% in 2019 (6,216 units) to put total new PTW registrations at +1.44% YTD (106,688 units) for the strongest overall performance since 2016. Six years in the last decade have seen PTW sales of over 100,000 units.
The largest single market sector in the UK remains 'Naked' style bikes, with 34,320 units sold in 2019 (+2.2%). The Adventure Sport sector is the second largest, growing at +5.9% YTD (18,918 units). In percentage terms, the biggest losers are the relatively small Sport/Tour (-16.9%) and Touring (-12.8%) sectors; Trail/Enduro bikes were +5.8% for the year (6,480 units); custom style bikes were -7.0% (7,700 units).
Honda was again the market share leader in the UK in December (767 units), followed by BMW (515 units), Yamaha (461 units), Triumph (351 units), KTM (344) and Kawasaki at 343 units.
The BMW R 1250 GS was the top selling Adventure Sport model in the UK in December (91 units), with the R 1250 RT still leading the Touring sector and the Kawasaki Ninja 650 replacing the best selling Sport/Tour model. The CCM Spitfire topped the Naked style bike rankings in the UK in December, selling 72 units.
The MCIA points to the positivity of any growth in the UK under current circumstances, stating: "In contrast to many retail markets, sales of motorcycles, scooters and other Powered Light Vehicles (PLVs) grew in 2019. The year saw the continuation of the trend seen since the financial crisis. Demand for traditional motorcycles from enthusiasts remained stable, but growth was particularly evident among smaller vehicles, often used by commuters and delivery services."
