2023 UK motorcycle sales figures

It’s not perhaps the most rock and roll of news stories, but we do like to keep an eye on how our industry is doing. And we’ve been looking at the 2023 powered two-wheeler registrations data produced by the Motorcycle Industry Association. Last year saw a total of 113,589 bikes, scooters and mopeds sold, which was down 2.5 per cent on the year before. Perhaps the biggest story was the enormous collapse in electric powered twowheelers though: just 4062 of them were sold, which was a massive drop of 37.8 per cent on 2022.

We spoke to the director of UK motorcycle trade magazine British Dealer News, Andy Mayo (pictured), about the figures. He gave us the expert’s view on the numbers, and some thoughts on what lies behind them.

“The cost-of-living crisis has, for sure, played its part,” said Mayo. “And the conflicts in

Ukraine and the Middle East linked with the attacks on shipping in the Red Sea are impacting Europe’s access to Far Eastern goods. Traffic through the Suez Canal dropped by 90%, which has, in turn, driven up the cost of importing and showroom prices.” Mayo also took us through how the major players fared. “Honda remains dominant as the UK market leader, registering 21,390 machines and having an 18.4% UK market share; Yamaha finally sorted out its supply chain problems to sell 13,154 units, which was a year-on-year increase of 20%. The arrival of the new R1300 GS in the final quarter of 2023 certainly helped BMW on to the third step of the podium, plating 9435 machines throughout 2023, closely followed by Triumph, with KTM and Kawasaki rounding out the top six performing brands chart.”

What might this year bring? Good news for some other brands, according to Mayo. “Looking ahead, Suzuki will be one to watch thanks to a well-targeted range of new bikes at competitive price points. The company registered 4960 bikes in 2023, but many of the new models launched late in 2023, so it will be a further 12 months before we see the uplift in UK sales.”