UK’s Best and Worst Cities for Bikers Revealed

New data has revealed the UK’s best and worst cities in which to own a motorcycle.

The data, taken from a study conducted by the AA, measured the UK’s cities against each other based on the following parameters: motorcycles per 10,000 people, average price of petrol per litre, number of service stations per square mile, the average number of days with rain per month, and the number of MOT test centres per 10,000 people.

The UK’s Best Motorcycling Cities

Overall, the results revealed Plymouth to be the best UK city in which to own a motorcycle, thanks to its almost 296 (295.92) motorcycles per 10,000 people, £1.54 average price of petrol per litre, 0.83 service stations for every square mile, 12 days of rain (on average) per month, and 13 MOT test centres per 10,000 people.

Derby also fared well, ranking second thanks to its high number of test centres (20) and motorcycles (181 per 10,000), while Swansea was third, mostly thanks to its exceptionally high number of service stations per square mile (2.42). Only Bradford (230.53), which ranked ninth, joined Plymouth in having more than 200 motorcycles per 10,000 people, while second to Swansea in terms of service stations per square mile was Newport, ranking eighth overall, at 1.3.

London, was sixth overall, with its high number of MOT test centres (73 per 10,000 people) pulling it up the rankings. Second in this regard was Leicester (18 per 10,000), but it had by far the lowest number of motorcycles of the top 10 ranking cities at only 53.05 per 10,000 people.

The list of the UK’s top 10 cities for motorcyclists is in the table below.

The UK’s Worst Motorcycling Cities

Although Scottish and Northern Irish cities were included in the study, none made the top 10. However, the Northern Irish capital of Belfast is ranked as the third-worst city for motorcycles in the UK, while Scotland is represented twice in the top five worst cities, with Glasgow second and Edinburgh fifth.

Worst of the worst, though, was Manchester, with only 0.16 service stations per square mile and petrol costing an average of £1.70 per litre. 

Glasgow, meanwhile, was dragged down by its chart-topping 15 days of rain (on average) per month, and Belfast made the podium on the ‘worst’ list thanks to its lowly five MOT centres per 10,000 people. 

The Welsh capital, Cardiff, fared much worse than its compatriot city, Swansea, as the sixth-worst city in the UK in which to own a motorcycle, with only 0.35 service stations per square mile, eighth MOT centres per 10,000 people, and 13 days of rain (on average) per month.

The full top 10 for the UK’s worst cities for motorcycles is in the table below.

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