UK: motorcycle registrations +5.77% for first eight months
It is odd to be pointing to a downward trend in a market where YTD new motorcycle registrations are +5.77% (78,216 units) for the first eight months of the year, but despite the most recent available data from the MCIA (the motorcycle industry trade association in the UK) showing that August was the first month of market growth since April (+2.30%/8,171 units), that is the inescapable conclusion of a YTD analysis.
The UK saw statistically anomalous increases of +68.38% (5,789 units) and +87.12% (4,706 units) in January and February respectively. That was followed by +35.26% (15,704 units) in March - traditionally the best month for motorcycle sales in the UK - a drop to +3.86% (10,627 units) for April and -11.02%/11,237 units, -15.59%/11,801 units and -11.90%/10,181 units for May, June and July.
The year-to-date sales trend for motorcycles has declined every month of the year since January and now sits at +5.77% so far in 2022. Though at 78,216 units YTD, 2022 has still seen the best market performance for the first eight months of the year in the UK since 2016.
Total new PTW registrations were +2.66% (8,768 units) and -11.39% in July (10,925 units) and running at +6.01% for the first eight months - 83,210 units compared to 78,492 last year.
Within that data, total scooter sales in the UK were +2.9% for the first eight months at 23,065 units; the top selling scooter in the UK in August was the Honda PCX 125.
Honda was market share leader in August (1,509 units sold), followed by Yamaha, BMW, Triumph, Lexmoto, KTM, Royal Enfield, Piaggio, Benelli and Kawasaki.
For the record - motorcycle registrations for the full year 2021 in the UK were +10.17 at 106,355 units - the best UK annual market since before 2009. Total PTWs were +9.39% at 113,397 units. Scooter sales were 26,154 units (+17.5%).
