The government’s consultation on improving moped and motorcycle training, testing and licensing, which concluded on 11 May, is one of the most significant moments for the powered two-wheel sector in years. This review, driven by the Road Safety Strategy, gives us a real opportunity to modernise a licensing framework that has grown fragmented and overly complex. But reform must balance two important objectives: improving rider safety and increasing personal, accessible and legal mobility for those who rely on powered two-wheelers for work and/or everyday travel.
We cannot ignore the safety context. Motorcycles and mopeds represent a disproportionate share of those killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads relative to their traffic volume. That fact makes it understandable that policymakers instinctively consider restriction as a lever to reduce risk. However, a restriction-only approach would be a mistake. Licensing policy does not operate in isolation – it shapes accessibility, affordability, rider progression, and the long-term health of the regulated market. If reform makes lawful access harder, it risks driving users into unregulated or illegal alternatives that evade registration, insurance and safety oversight, adding to an already different, and arguably worse, safety problem.
The current system is difficult for many new riders to understand, costly to navigate and often ineffective at encouraging progression into more advanced training and licensing categories. That combination can deter people from engaging with the regulated framework altogether. Demand for low cost, flexible mobility has not disappeared; if legitimate routes into powered two wheelers become more complex or restrictive, many will seek out easier, unregulated options. We are already seeing this trend in the growth of illegal e-bikes – many capable of motorcycle levels of performance yet operating outside the protections that apply to compliant mopeds and motorcycles. These vehicles present challenges for safety, enforcement and the regulated market itself.
Reform must therefore focus on strengthening competence and standards while keeping the legal route into powered two wheelers coherent, proportionate and attractive. That principle underpins the joint submission the MCIA produced with the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) and the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA). Our submission supports measures designed to raise rider competence and standards. For example, incorporating theory and hazard perception elements into CBT, improving instructor qualification frameworks, and introducing progressive access training models that reward progression rather than force repetition.
Our aim is to create a licensing framework that supports continuous progression and reflects how competence develops in practice. Licensing should align with wider transport policy objectives, such as decarbonisation, congestion reduction and affordable mobility. It should not work at cross purposes with them. Powered two wheelers are increasingly used for commuting, urban mobility and last-mile delivery work. They tend to be smaller, lighter, and more energy-efficient than many cars and vans, and can contribute to reducing congestion and emissions if the routes into them remain accessible and well regulated.
Practical reform should therefore combine higher standards with greater clarity and progression pathways. Measures like this can increase legal compliance, improve rider competence and deliver better safety outcomes without shutting people out of legal mobility options. For government, getting this balance right supports its wider objectives: safer roads, lower emissions and a robust regulated market.
To be effective, the consultation’s outcomes must avoid adding unnecessary complexity or barriers that could inadvertently push people toward illegal alternatives. Policymakers should prioritise measures that strengthen the regulated route, encourage progression and make compliance more straightforward and affordable. In practice, that means focusing on competence-based reforms, clearer guidance, and joined-up policy that recognises the role of powered two-wheelers in modern transport systems.
Done properly, licensing reform will benefit everyone: consumers will have a clearer, more progressive route into lawful riding and be more likely to engage with structured training; government will gain greater compliance, safer outcomes and better alignment with decarbonisation and congestion priorities; the regulated market will be strengthened and better able to serve modern mobility needs.
The consultation was an important opportunity. The challenge now is to ensure reform strikes the right balance – improving safety through competence and progression, while preserving accessible, lawful mobility for the many who rely on powered two wheelers every day.
The sooner government stops treating our sector as an old school leisure pastime, the better. Our market comprises seven distinct, diverse vehicle types that play a critical role in commuting, delivery, low and zero-emission urban travel and more. Focusing solely on motorcycles and mopeds is short-sighted. Licensing must be consistent and coherent across the entire powered two-wheeler ecosystem to support safety, accessibility, and government objectives for decarbonisation and congestion. We will work constructively with government to get this reform right for motorcycles and mopeds, then turn our full attention to ensuring licensing aligns across the wider L-category market.
Tony Campbell
CEO, MCIA