Results of NMDA’s Dealer Attitude Survey – Spring 2025 Edition

The National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) represents franchised motorcycle retailers across the UK. The sector serves the UK’s 1.4 million riders, accounting for approximately 5,000 riders per UK Parliamentary Constituencies.

NMDA’s Dealer Attitude Survey (DAS) gauges the relationship between franchised motorcycle retailers and manufacturers across the UK and serves as a crucial indicator for understanding the complex dynamics between these retailers and their manufacturers.

The Spring 2025 edition of the survey was conducted throughout July, with dealerships responding to questions about key aspects of their business relationship with their respective motorcycle manufacturers.

The survey received a response rate of 46%, representing a 16% increase vs the previous edition. The survey results included data from 10 manufacturing brands. Please note that whilst Lexmoto and KTM did participate in the Spring 2025 survey, their responses did not meet the minimum threshold required for inclusion in the final results. Meanwhile, Ducati Franchise Dealers, who did not participate in the previous edition, have requested to be included this year, reflecting evolving engagement across the manufacturer base.

 

Key takeaways:

• BMW achieved the highest overall manufacturer rating in the Spring 2025 survey, securing the top spot with a score of 7.8. This marks an improvement from second place in the previous edition.
• Harley Davidson recorded the lowest overall score manufacturer rating with a score of 3.4.
• Suzuki was the only brand to see a decline in its overall rating, dropping by -0.2 points compared to the last survey.
• Royal Enfield demonstrated the most significant improvement, with its overall score increasing by 3.2 points.

The Dealer Attitude Survey is organised into various sections covering a diverse range of topics and pressing industry issues relevant to franchised motorcycle dealers. For this edition NMDA has once again collaborated with Metryx, ensuring the data is presented in a clear and concise format.

“The National Motorcycle Dealers Association is delighted to announce the release of our Spring 2025 Dealer Attitude Survey. In this edition, we are pleased to continue our partnership with data analytics company, Metryx, who have presented the data in a clear and concise manner, whilst also providing storyboards detailing noticeable trends across several editions of the NMDA DAS. This survey provides an in-depth overview of dealer satisfaction within the motorcycle retail sector, with a particular focus on the core business areas that shape relationships between retailers and manufacturers” commented Symon Cook, Head of NMDA.

 

Key points from the survey as well as the full DAS can be found below.

• Overall manufacturer rating

This DAS revealed an overall average rating of 6.4, representing a 1.4-point increase from Spring 2024’s score of 5.0, a 29.4% improvement year-on-year. This marks a positive shift in dealer sentiment across the sector.

BMW claimed the top spot with a score of 7.8, followed closely by Royal Enfield and Honda, who tied with scores of 7.5.

At the other end of the scale, Harley-Davidson (3.4), Piaggio Group (4.5) and Yamaha (5.8) recorded the lowest ratings.

Suzuki was the only manufacturer to see a decline in its overall score, while Royal Enfield delivered the most significant improvement, rising by 3.2 points compared to the previous edition.

• Current and future profit

Scoring revealed positive movement regarding both current and future profitability, with scores increasing across both measures. Notably, there is more optimism for the future, as ratings for future profitability exceeded those for current returns, suggesting a cautiously optimistic outlook for the industry.

Question 17 - "Profit return by representing your franchise" saw a 27.1% increase overall, reflecting improving perceptions of current profitability. Triumph achieved the highest score at 3.4, their satisfaction with current returns. Surprisingly, BMW scored in the bottom 3, alongside Piaggio Group and Harley-Davidson, despite its overall strong performance in other survey areas.

Conversely, Question 18a - "The future profitability of your business" recorded a 19.1% increase, reflecting growing optimism about long-term prospects. Royal Enfield achieved the highest score at 3.4, while BMW showed improvement compared to its performance in the current profitability question.

• Electric

There has been modest improvement in dealer sentiment regarding electric vehicles (EV) since the last edition of the DAS, but EV-related questions continue to receive some of the lowest scores across the survey. These results indicate persistent concerns among dealers about both the current and future viability of manufacturers' electric product strategies.

Across the board, manufacturers scored at or below average for their current electric product offerings. BMW achieved the highest score at 2.6, while Harley-Davidson recorded the lowest at just 1.0, suggesting significant dealer dissatisfaction.

In terms of manufacturer support for EV transition, including charging infrastructure, training, and customer education, BMW again led with a score of 3.2. For future product plans, particularly proposed EV/plug-in ranges over the next two years, Honda scored with a rating of 3.1, indicating some growing dealer confidence in its electric roadmap.

Despite slight gains, the overall picture suggests that dealers remain cautious and, in many cases, unconvinced by current EV strategies, highlighting an area requiring continued focus and improvement across the industry.

 

Further comments:

Symon Cook concluded: “So far, 2025 has proven to be a challenging year for the Motorcycle industry. Year-to-date registrations have been inconsistent, largely driven by weak consumer confidence under ongoing economic uncertainty, making it difficult for many dealers to match 2024’s performance.

Congratulations to BMW, who have moved up the rankings to surpass Honda and become the overall winner in this edition of our Dealer Attitude Survey.

The NMDA DAS remains an essential resource for the motorcycle industry. It provides valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by dealerships, while also serving as a key indicator of the overall health and direction of the sector.”

Find the full NMDA Dealer Attitude Survey Spring 2025 HERE