Motorcycle registrations outpaced passenger cars in Q2 2025

Motorcycle numbers on Malta’s roads rose faster than passenger cars between April and June, official data published on Friday shows.

There were 1,267 more motorcycles in Malta in June compared to the previous quarter, data published by the National Statistics Office shows, with passenger cars increasing by 1,217 during the same period.

Over the past two years, passenger car numbers have comfortably increased at a faster rate than motorcycles, with the data for several quarters showing that the number of cars rose at twice the rate of motorcycles.

In 2023 and 2024 alone, Malta’s stock of cars typically increased by 1,300 every three months, compared to just under 700 motorcycles.

The last time motorcycle increases outpaced that of cars was in early 2023.

However, the new figures suggest that road users might increasingly be turning to two wheels for their transportation choices.

Maltese transport authorities typically issue around 1,000 new licenses for motorcycles every three months, the data shows. However, there were 1,989 new licensed motorcycles on Malta’s roads last quarter, more than double the typical figure.

In total, there are now just over 47,600 motorcycles and registered e-bikes on Malta’s roads, the data shows.

While the bump in motorbikes coincides with a raft of new government plans to get people out of their cars and on to two wheels, the promised measures have yet to come into effect.

37 new vehicles each day

In total, the stock of motor vehicles rose by 3,339 by June compared to March, an average of 37 vehicles each day.

Although motorcycles are now a more frequent sight, the number of passenger cars also continued to rise, reaching 315,763.

There were also 49 new buses on the road, for a total of 564 route buses, an increase of 124 over the past two years.

There are now 450,794 licensed vehicles on Malta’s roads, nearly three-quarters (73.8%) of which passenger cars.

Of those, 5,072 were 'garage hire' cars - in other words, Y-Plate ride-hailing vehicles. That number remained largely unchanged from the first quarter of 2025. 

Just over one in ten vehicles (11.3%) are motorcycles, e-bikes, electric scooters or quad bikes.

Meanwhile, hybrid and electric vehicles are growing at a faster rate than petrol or diesel vehicles, the data shows, although overall numbers remain low.

There were 4,849 hybrid petrol-electric vehicles on Malta’s roads by June, an increase of 3% over the previous quarter, while fully electric vehicles now reached 14,555, 6% more than in March.

Meanwhile, petrol vehicles increased by 0.7% to reach 262,047, while the number of diesel vehicles declined marginally.