The European motorcycle market in 2025 will present an unprecedentedly complex landscape, driven by policy initiatives, consumer differentiation, and technological change. While Southern Europe is experiencing a strong recovery driven by the scooter boom, Northern European countries are facing the pain of electrification due to policy shifts. Traditional giants still dominate, but Chinese brands are cracking the high-end market with technological breakthroughs. This article will introduce the overall status of the European motorcycle market, the motorcycle market in Southern Europe, and Europe’s electrification progress.
Current Situation of European Motorcycle Market
In the first half of 2025, the European motorcycle market showed signs of a weak recovery amidst fluctuations. According to industry monitoring data, the overall European market size stabilized at around 1.84 million units, with large-displacement models over 250cc accounting for nearly 60% of the market share. Sales in this segment were expected to reach approximately 1.08 million units in 2024.
Regional differentiation emerged as a core characteristic: Southern European countries such as Italy and Spain saw a strong rebound driven by demand for scooters, while Northern European countries such as the Netherlands faced stagnant growth in electric models due to changes in subsidy policies. Notably, the European market is relatively low in concentration, with the combined CR3 (the top three brands’ market share) reaching only 33% in 2024, providing structural opportunities for Chinese brands to break through.
Southern European Countries Lead the Two-Wheeler Market
Italy: Scooters Drive Recovery.
Driven by strong scooter sales (+19.3% year-on-year), the Italian motorized two-wheeler market achieved positive growth for the second consecutive month. The market rebound was primarily driven by a 19.36% surge in scooter sales (26,610 units), the best performance of the year. However, traditional motorcycle sales still declined by 5.28%, and mopeds saw a 14.26% drop.
Thanks to the July recovery, the year-on-year sales gap narrowed to -3.4% for the first seven months of 2025, reaching a total of 246,273 units. Scooters were the only category to achieve positive growth (139,661 units, +7.63%), while motorcycles (97,983 units, -13.57%) and mopeds (8,629 units, -27.01%) continued to experience negative growth. Despite the overall decline, the Italian market still outperformed the European market (-9.25% in the first half of 2025).
What is worrying is the continued slump in the electric sector: sales of electric two-wheelers in July were only 1,124 units, a year-on-year decrease of 15.17%. The cumulative sales in the first seven months of 2025 were 5,613 units, a decrease of 16.42% compared with the same period in 2024.
Spain: Europe's Growth Champion
Netherlands: Policy Shift Triggers Uncertainty in Electrification
The new 2025 tax system deals a double blow to electric motorcycles: it eliminates the purchase tax exemption (increasing the tax burden by approximately 4,640 euros for a €25,000 electric motorcycle) and ends subsidies for new purchases. This shift, occurring against the backdrop of an already small market (with approximately 700,000 units, ranking 12th in Europe), could lead to stagnation or even decline in electric motorcycle sales.
Europe's Electrification Process
Despite the EU’s stated goal of banning the sale of gasoline-powered motorcycles by 2035, actual progress has been slow and uneven. The core challenges currently lie in the following:
Technical bottlenecks: Lithium-ion battery vehicles generally boast a range exceeding 150km, and 30-minute fast charging to 80% is becoming increasingly common, but high costs (which account for approximately 40% of the vehicle’s total cost) remain unresolved. Improved electric motorcycle battery performance also increases overall vehicle costs, making high prices a major challenge facing Europe’s electrification efforts.
Policy fluctuations: The Netherlands allocated €3.5 million in 2024 to promote the adoption of electric mopeds (with a goal of replacing 3,500 gasoline-powered vehicles), but a tax reversal in 2025 created obstacles.
Consumer inertia: European consumers have a strong cultural affinity for large-displacement gasoline-powered vehicles, particularly in the leisure motorcycle sector, creating significant resistance to electric substitution.
Performance of Chinese Motorcycles in the European Market
From January to June 2025, Chinese motorcycle exports to the European market performed as follows:
- Export value reached US$960 million, a year-on-year increase of 39.97%, second only to Africa (74.20%).
- Export volume reached 793,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 34.60%, demonstrating a significant increase in demand in the European market.
- The European market contributed 17.4% of total export value, making it the third largest regional market after Latin America and Africa.
Conclusion
The European motorcycle market in 2025 stands at the historic intersection of traditional fuel culture and the electric revolution. As Italian consumers embrace the convenience of scooters, Spanish riders embrace Chinese performance models, and Dutch policymakers grapple with electrification subsidies, a new landscape brimming with tension and opportunity is unfolding.
Leveraging technological advancements and strategic fortitude, Chinese brands are making a powerful impact on the European electric motorcycle market. The top 10 electric motorcycle manufacturers in the world are also eyeing this rapidly growing market, which holds enormous potential. A transformation in European transportation is underway.
