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Read more…Motorbike statistics
How has motorbike popularity among Brits changed?
There are a number of reasons to choose a motorbike: as well as potentially making your commute easier and more thrilling, they tend to be cheaper than owning a car. They also give you the freedom to cover new ground while welcoming you into a community of friendly bikers.
However, motorbikes can be very dangerous if you are involved in a serious accident and just like a car, owning a motorbike means that you must have third party cover in case anything goes wrong.
Quick overview
- In 2017, the region with the highest number of licensed motorcycles was the South East, with 216,000 vehicles.
- This is over 5 times the number of registered vehicles in the North East (39,200).
- The number of motorcycles registered in 2019 was 1,250,000 – 131% more than the number of motorcycles registered in 2000.
- The number of motorcycle riders involved in road accidents decreased from 29,523 in 2003 to 19,204 in 2017 – a decrease of 34%.
- In 2019, the total expenditure on motorcycles in the UK was £599 million.
- The consumer price index (CPI) of motorcycles was highest in 2019 at 105 – a 30% increase on 2007’s CPI value of 81.
The most popular motorbike brands
The number of motorbikes per brand owned in the UK from 2016 to 2019 is presented below. In 2019, the most popular brand was Honda, with 453,000 motorbikes in 2019.
Some brands have seen considerable increases in number of owners. BMW ownership has increased by 164%, from 118,000 owners in 2016 to 311,000 owners in 2019. This now makes BMW the second most popular motorbike in the UK. Aprilia has also seen a huge jump in popularity, with ownership increasing 178% since 2016.
| Motorbike brand | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda | 453,000 | 302,000 | 237,000 |
| Suzuki | 184,000 | 154,000 | 162,000 |
| Yamaha | 196,000 | 148,000 | 138,000 |
| Kawasaki | 138,000 | 143,000 | 105,000 |
| BMW | 311,000 | 131,000 | 142,000 |
| Triumph | 98,900 | 92,000 | 96,000 |
| Aprilia | 125,000 | 86,000 | 23,000 |
| Ducati | 80,200 | 77,000 | 124,000 |
| Harley Davidson | 88,700 | 73,000 | 64,000 |
| Piaggio | 102,000 | 50,000 | 39,000 |
| Vespa | 69,500 | 41,000 | 65,000 |
| Peugeot | 66,200 | 25,000 | 28,000 |
| Other | 236,000 | 204,000 | 201,000 |
The number of motorcycles sold in the UK by type
At 34,320 sold, naked bikes were the most popular type of motorcycle sold in the UK in 2019, making up over a third of all motorcycle sales. A fifth of all motorcycle sales are scooters, followed closely by adventure sport bikes at 19% of all motorcycle sales.
| Type of motorcycle | Number sold |
|---|---|
| Naked | 34,320 |
| Scooter | 20,177 |
| Adventure sport | 18,918 |
| Supersport | 8,099 |
| Custom | 7,700 |
| Trail/enduro | 6,480 |
| Sports/tour | 2,560 |
| Touring | 2,151 |
| Unspecified | 67 |
The number of motorcycles sold by engine size
Motorbikes with 51–125cc engines were most commonly sold in 2019, making up 32% of all motorcycles sold. In second place, making up 22% of all motorcycles sold, were motorbikes with engines 651–1,000cc. This was closely followed by 126–650cc (21%) and then over 1,000cc (20%), while 0–50cc had the lowest proportion of sales at just 6%.
| Engine size | Number of motorcycles |
|---|---|
| 0–50cc | 6,764 |
| 51–125cc | 33,874 |
| 126–650cc | 22,451 |
| 651–1,000cc | 23,251 |
| Over 1,000c | 21,068 |
The top reasons motorbikes fail their MOT
In the 2018/2019 year, 23% of motorcycles initially failed their MOTs. Of these failed motorcycles, 38% failed due to lighting and signalling issues, making it the most likely reason to fail. Brakes were the second biggest reason for these motorcycles failing their MOTs, with almost a fifth of all failed motorcycles failing for this reason. Steering and suspension and tyres and wheels closely followed as the next most common causes for failing an MOT, with a 14% and 12% occurrence, respectively.
| Reason | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Lighting and signaling | 38% |
| Brakes | 18% |
| Steering and suspension | 14% |
| Tyres and wheels | 12% |
| Drive system | 5% |
| Reg plates and vin | 5% |
| Fuel and exhaust | 4% |
| Body and structure | 3% |
| Driving controls | 2% |
Which age group is best at passing the practical motorcycle road test?
The pass rate for the practical motorcycle road test is shown for 3 years, from 2015 to 2018. With an average of a 73% pass rate over the 3 years, the 21- to 30-year-old age bracket has the highest pass rate. Despite the jump in 2017/2018, the 61+ age group has the lowest average motorcycle pass rate, at 64%.
| 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17–20 | 67% | 66% | 67% |
| 21–30 | 73% | 73% | 74% |
| 31–40 | 72% | 71% | 70% |
| 41–50 | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| 51–60 | 66% | 65% | 66% |
| 61+ | 61% | 59% | 73% |
Sources
Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact:
Matt Mckenna
UK communications manager
T: +44 20 8191 8806
UK communications manager
T: +44 20 8191 8806
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