Motorcycle registrations down in December but strong for the year

“As December is always a low volume month as the weather closes in it was not surprising to see all brands record low registration,” said Stephen Latham, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) which represents motorcycle retailers across the UK.

4,995 new motorcycles were registered in December, a reduction of -2.9% or 147 less units than the same period last year in what was an economically uncertain month due to the first December General Election in 100 years.

Growth was seen in registrations of sub-50cc mopeds, with 461 new vehicles showing a 18.5% increase on December 2019, with similar change seen in 126-650cc engine units up 9.5%. 51-125cc engine motorcycles faired differently, with a 17.9% decrease in registrations.

Honda again topped sales in December with 767 units sold, followed by BMW with 515, with Yamaha in third with 461.

The highest selling individual unit in December continued to be the Yamaha NMAX 125, seeing 194 registrations, with the BMW R 1250 GS following with 91 units.

2019 overall saw year-end registrations up modestly on 2018, with 107,408 units registered in 2019 compared to 105,816 in 2018 – a 1.5% growth. The biggest increases came from 0-50cc units, growing 19.9% with 6,764 registrations in 2019, and 126-650cc motorcycles increasing by 12.2% with 22,451.

Latham added, “Dealers are hoping the improvement in economic and political stability will improve consumer confidence in 2020, releasing some of the pent-up demand that is believed to have held customers back from ordering a new motorcycle.”