DECEMBER ROUNDS OFF DISAPPOINTING YEAR FOR PTW REGISTRATIONS AS NMDA CALLS FOR CLARITY FROM GOVERNMENT IN NEW YEAR

“December’s figures round off what has been a disappointing year for PTW registrations. Whilst models such as adventure, naked and road sport saw an increase on 2022 figures, it appears that uncertainty around the economy and supply chain issues have had a considerable impact on registrations throughout 2023,” says Symon Cook, Head of National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) commenting on the latest MCIA registration figures.

In December, there was a -11.6% decrease in total registrations, going down to 5,236 from 5,926 units. The market ended the year with 113,589 units registered, a -2.5% decrease when compared to the 116,534 units registered in 2022.  

Total moped and motorcycle sales have decreased by -13.9% and -10.7% respectively.

The majority of motorcycle categories saw a decrease in registrations in December. However, the ‘adventure’ category witnessed a particularly interesting month, rising from 1,015 to 1,119 units, equating to a 10.2% increase. Looking at the year-to-date figures, the majority of motorcycle categories continue to see growth. 'Naked' models increased by 5.5%, rising from 23,641 to 24,951 units, while 'competition' models grew by 7.1%, climbing from 5,780 to 6,189 units.

In the current market landscape, ICE motorbikes remain dominant to their electric counterparts, with electric registrations at 4,062 for 2023 year-to-date figures, a decrease of -37.8% from 2022 year-to-date figures. In December, a noticeable decrease for electric was recorded, from 398 units to 256 units (-35.7%).

Year-to-date figures reveal a decrease in 126-500cc motorbikes from 1,007 to 684 units, with the Beta RR 2T 300 remaining the leading model in the category.

Honda remains the top-selling brand in the market, with 863 units sold in the month of December. Yamaha comes in at second with 651 units. BMW completes the top three with 604 units, whilst Ducati completes the top 10 with 137 units.

Symon Cook concluded “December is traditionally a less busy month for retail of PTW however total registrations fell behind those figures in 2022. In terms of electric, motorcycle OEMs are not subject to the same quotas that car and van OEMs will be subject to with the ZEV mandate coming into force last week. As such, we urge the Government to not allow the motorcycle sector to fall behind in its net zero plans to stimulate consumer confidence in electric and motorcycles in general.”