European bike registrations drop: Only one market growing
European motorcycle and moped sales dipped in 2025 as the industry adjusted to post–Euro 5+ regulations, with Spain standing out as the only market still in growth.
Motorcycle sales across Europe have slowed in 2025, with registrations in the five biggest markets (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK) down by just over seven per cent compared to last year.
According to the latest data from ACEM (the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers), a total of 823,786 new bikes hit the road between January and September 2025. That’s a noticeable dip from the 887,451 units registered during the same period in 2024.
Spain is the only major market bucking the trend, where registrations are up an impressive 11.1 per cent year-on-year, totalling 183,014 units. Everywhere else, though, it’s red arrows: Italy down 1.1 per cent (282,407 units), the UK down 4 per cent (73,343 units), France down 12.4 per cent (144,888 units), and Germany down a hefty 24.4 per cent (140,134 units).
The moped market hasn’t escaped the downturn either. Across six key countries — Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain — total registrations reached 110,641 units, down 16.4 per cent from 132,303 last year. Germany is the only country showing a sliver of growth, up 1.3 per cent with 12,772 mopeds sold. Everyone else is sliding backwards: Spain down 3.4 per cent (9,494 units), Belgium down 10.1 per cent (20,123 units), the Netherlands down 19.1 per cent (19,386 units), France down 21.8 per cent (37,874 units), and Italy taking the biggest hit by dropping 27.3 per cent (10,992 units).
ACEM’s Secretary General, Antonio Perlot, said the drop was expected after a busy start to the year caused by the industry’s shift to Euro 5+ regulations.
“The figures for the first nine months of 2025 confirm that the surge in registrations driven by the Euro 5+ transition earlier this year is being progressively absorbed ... What we are now seeing is a market adjustment following the strong pre-registration activity that took place ahead of the new regulatory stage.”
With EICMA and INTERMOT just around the corner, manufacturers are gearing up to show their latest models — and the industry will be watching closely to see how the market stabilises heading into the 2026 riding season.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
