Christy Balita
Research expert covering the Philippines
Motorcycle industry in the Philippines - statistics & facts
Motorcycles are a quintessential part of the daily lives of commuters in the Philippines. This two-wheeled vehicle provides an easier way to navigate the roads and highways of several metropolises in the country that are notoriously traffic-congested. Compared to purchasing and owning cars, motorcycles are cheaper and are better for the environment as they use less gas. Perhaps unsurprisingly, motorcycles ranked next to public transport, such as buses, jeepneys, and trains, as the most preferred modes of transportation in the country. However, the nation ranks far below its Southeast Asian neighbors regarding motorcycle ownership.
Sales in the domestic market remained constant in 2022 and 2023, reaching about 1.56 million motorcycles and scooters, just slightly higher than the sales volume in 2021. These figures represent the collective sales of the Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association (MDPPA), an association of the four major motorcycle manufacturers and assemblers in the country, namely Honda, Kawasaki Motors, Yamaha, and Suzuki. Although there are other motorcycle brands in the country, only these four companies release production and sales figures that are used to represent the entire motorcycle market. Across the different types of motorcycles, automatic transmissions or scooters generate the most sales, with unit prices averaging around 1,580 U.S. dollars in 2023.
The production volume of motorcycles and scooters, on the other hand, slightly recovered, according to year-to-date values for 2023, even surpassing the number of units produced in 2019. Despite domestic production, the Philippines remains a heavy importer of motorcycles, mostly supplied by Indonesia and China.
Domestic motorcycle sales and production
As the daily traffic volume in Metro Manila continues to grow each year, motorcycles and scooters provide an alternative to navigating the traffic situation. In 2022, there were about 8.5 million registered motorcycles, tricycles, and non-conventional or three-wheeled motorcycles in the country – with the highest number of registrations reported in Region IV-A. Meanwhile, for tricycles alone (or motorcycles with a sidecar attached), Region 3 had the highest number of license registrations.Sales in the domestic market remained constant in 2022 and 2023, reaching about 1.56 million motorcycles and scooters, just slightly higher than the sales volume in 2021. These figures represent the collective sales of the Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association (MDPPA), an association of the four major motorcycle manufacturers and assemblers in the country, namely Honda, Kawasaki Motors, Yamaha, and Suzuki. Although there are other motorcycle brands in the country, only these four companies release production and sales figures that are used to represent the entire motorcycle market. Across the different types of motorcycles, automatic transmissions or scooters generate the most sales, with unit prices averaging around 1,580 U.S. dollars in 2023.
The production volume of motorcycles and scooters, on the other hand, slightly recovered, according to year-to-date values for 2023, even surpassing the number of units produced in 2019. Despite domestic production, the Philippines remains a heavy importer of motorcycles, mostly supplied by Indonesia and China.
The future of motorcycles in the Philippines
Motorcycles are expected to continue to dominate the roads and highways in the Philippines, despite the increasing number of people getting involved in road crash accidents daily. Motorcycles and tricycles continue to play a significant role in providing alternative modes of transportation and a cheaper way to own a private vehicle. Motorcycle ownership and usage are also driven by the ride-hailing and food delivery industries, allowing for reduced travel time when navigating heavy traffic. To boost motorcycle production in the Philippines, the government continues to attract foreign investments and encourages manufacturing companies to position their production hubs in the country. A new law is also being pushed to legalize motorcycle taxis as alternative public transport.
