New UK registrations of L-category vehicles reached 12,111 in September 2026, up 6.8% from the same month a year earlier. That total covers motorcycles, mopeds and tricycles. Across the first nine months, 87,685 were registered, a 14.4% increase from the comparable period in 2025. Registrations count new vehicles entering use on the road; they do not measure the whole second-hand motorcycle market.
Motorcycles account for most of September’s total: 11,477 were registered, 6.4% more than a year before. The nine-month figure stands at 83,775 motorcycles, up 14.8%. Growth differs markedly by style. Naked motorcycles reached 2,417 September registrations, a 14.3% annual rise. Competition models recorded 572 registrations and a 27.1% increase, although that category is much smaller. The headline growth therefore reflects several segments rather than every type of motorcycle moving at the same pace.
The powertrain split tells a different story. Electric L-category vehicles recorded 284 September registrations, down 18.2% year on year; the nine-month total fell 11.4% to 2,251. Internal-combustion vehicles, by contrast, registered 11,827 in September, an increase of 7.6%. These are UK registration figures across several vehicle categories, so they should not be read as worldwide motorcycle sales. They do show how an expanding overall market can coexist with a declining electric segment.