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Best motorcycle cities

These are the best motorcycle cities in the UK

Owning a motorcycle can be one of the most liberating experiences on the road. But which are the best UK cities to ride a motorbike in? To answer the question, we’ve used an index methodology to rank each major city on a range of factors, including motorcycles per capita, average price for a litre of petrol, number of service stations, and of course, the average number of rainy days per month.

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Read on to see how major UK cities stack up in terms of being motorcycle-friendly. We’ll also tell you which cities have the highest number of rainy days and give you some expert tips to ride safely on a motorcycle in adverse weather conditions.

  • Plymouth is the UK's best city for motorcycle riders
  • 8/10 of the best motorcycle cities in the UK are in England
  • The lowest-rated city to own a motorcycle in is Manchester

The top 10 UK cities for motorcycles

Motorbike insurance

The number one city for owning a motorcycle in the UK is Plymouth. As one of the smallest cities on our list, it makes sense that a motorcycle would be a great choice for getting around quickly. Plymouth also isn’t too rainy, with only 12 days of rain on average per month, the seaside location has great conditions for two-wheelers. It ranks well in our index because it also has a high number of motorcycles per capita, cheaper fuel than larger cities like London, Manchester and Glasgow, and an ample number of MOT test centres available in the area.

Derby comes in at second place for the best UK city to own a motorcycle, and it’s largely propped up by being one of the dryer locations on our list, with only 10 days of rain per month on average. With fuel also on the cheaper side at an average of £1.54 per litre, and an ample number of service stations and MOT test centres, Derby’s got everything a motorcycle rider could need!

In third place is Swansea, one of only two non-English cities to make our top 10. Newport in seventh is the other. Swansea has a high number of service stations and ample MOT test centres, enough for its higher-than-average proportion of motorcycle users. It has more rainy days than the cities above it in our index (with 13 rainy days on average per month) but this is still on the lower end overall. It’s the same case for its average price of petrol, which comes in at £1.55. Unfortunately, there aren’t any cities in Scotland or Northern Ireland in our top 10.

Rank City  Motorcycles per 10,000 people  Average price of petrol (1L) *  No. of service stations per sq mile  Average no. of days with rain per month  No. of MOT test centres
1 Plymouth 295.92 £1.54 0.83 12 13
2 Derby 181.17 £1.54
 0.28 10 20
3 Swansea 163.14 £1.55
 2.42 13 9
4 Sunderland 122.24 £1.51
 0.47 10 4
5 Southend on Sea 121.91 £1.52
 0.26 9 8
6 London 151.91 £1.56
 1.29 10 73
7 Newport 91.25 £1.54
 1.30 11 10
8 Leicester 53.05 £1.56
 0.91 10 18
9 Bradford 230.53 £1.57
 0.72 13 6
10 Coventry 122.47 £1.56
 0.33 10 9

*Fuel prices are accurate at the time of publishing (9th December 2023)

 

The lowest-ranked UK cities for motorcycles

It might come as a surprise, but the UK’s lowest-ranked city to own a motorcycle in is Manchester. The city has fewer motorcycle users on average than most other cities in our list, and for good reason it seems. Manchester has one of the highest costs of fuel anywhere in the UK, and the second highest number of rainy days per month on average, meaning it’s really not a whole lot of fun to be a motorcycle user in the aptly named ‘Rainy City’.

Scotland’s two biggest cities are also in our top 10 lowest-ranked places in the UK to own a motorcycle, with Glasgow the second lowest. It also has much fewer motorcycle users than other locations we’ve looked at, with a surprisingly high cost of fuel (£1.68 per litre on average). It has the highest number of average rainy days per month (15), so it’s no wonder most people are put off using a motorcycle in Glasgow.

The UK’s third lowest-ranked city to own a motorcycle in is Belfast, which is the only Northern Irish entry in our study. It has a high number of motorcycle users on average, and relatively cheap fuel (£1.55 per litre on average), but other than that, it doesn’t have a lot going in its favour, with a low number of service stations, MOT test centres and 13 days of rain per month on average.

 

Rank City  Motorcycles per 10,000 people  Average price of petrol (1L) *  No. of service stations per sq mile  Average no. of days with rain per month  No. of MOT test centres
1 Manchester 70.79 £1.70 0.16 14 17
2 Glasgow 64.23 £1.68
 0.90 15 16
3 Belfast 112.82 £1.55
 0.33 13 5
4 Liverpool 37.03 £1.56
 0.54 12 13
5 Edinburgh 111.83 £1.67
 0.65 11 10
6 Cardiff 91.66 £1.54
 0.35 13 8
7 Sheffield 105.05 £1.57
 0.34 11 12
8 Bristol 139.32 £1.65
 0.39 11 23
9 Birmingham 87.37 £1.58
 0.85 11 15
10 Reading 84.90 £1.63
 0.18 9 4

 

Cities with the highest number of rainy days

Floods rain splashes

Riding a motorcycle can be an amazing experience, but maybe not so much when the weather isn’t on your side. In the UK, riding a motorcycle in the cold and rainy months isn’t just unpleasant, but significantly more dangerous than riding in fair or dry conditions. This is why certain new motorcycles are being released with a specialised ‘rain mode’, which helps to smooth out the acceleration and driving experience overall.

Our apologies go out to the Scots, who will have to be quite brave to opt for a motorcycle over another method of transportation. With 15 days of rain on average per month, Glasgow residents are dealing with some of the worst conditions for driving a motorbike in the UK. Manchester doesn’t fare much better though, with 14 days of rain on average per month.

To find out how best to tackle rainy conditions on a motorcycle, read on for our top tips.

Rank City  Average number of days with rain per month
1 Glasgow 15
2 Manchester 14
3 Preston 13
4 Bradford 13
5 Leeds 13
6 Belfast 13
7 Cardiff 13
8 Swansea 13
9 Plymouth 12
10 Stoke on Trent 12

 

Our expert tips for riding a motorcycle safely in the rain

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1. Turn your headlights on

Rule 113 of the Highway Code states that all drivers must use appropriate 

headlights when visibility is seriously reduced, which generally means when you cannot see for more than 100 metres. Failing to use the appropriate lights in this situation could earn you a £50 fine.

Almost all modern bikes have AHO (Auto Headlight On) systems, for those that don’t have this feature, having lights on your motorbike isn’t a requirement for passing an MOT, but you shouldn’t ride your motorbike after daylight hours or in low visibility.

2. Leave twice as much space between you and the vehicle in front

Rain significantly reduces the traction between your tyres and the road surface, increasing the distance it takes for your motorcycle to come to a complete stop. To account for this reduced stopping distance, it's crucial to maintain a safe following distance behind the vehicle in front of you. 

3. Ride slowly and steadily to avoid losing control

In the rain it can be easier to experience a loss of traction and control. It usually happens when you are driving too fast for the road conditions. To avoid an accident, it's crucial to ride at a reduced speed during rainy weather and avoid sudden movements such as rapid braking or sharp steering inputs.

 

Methodology

Index methodology using the following metrics:

  • Motorcycles per 10,000 people
  • Average price of petrol (1L)
  • Number of service stations per square mile
  • Average number of days with rain (per month)
  • Number of MOT test centres per 10,000 people

Each of the above metrics was then ranked and given a score out of 10. The rankings of all metrics were combined to give an overall score and determine the ranking.