The Return of the 125: Why Small Motorcycles Are Booming

From January to September 2026, 55,630 light motorcycles and light scooters were newly registered in Germany, 37.9 percent more than in the same period of 2025. That is what the German motorcycle industry association (IVM) reports, based on the official figures. The 125s are the segment carrying the market this year. Here you can read how solid the upswing is, what role the B196 code plays, what a 125 costs and where its limits lie.

In short

• Numbers: 55,630 new registrations from January to September 2026 (light motorcycles and light scooters combined), already as many as the forecast for the whole year, according to the IVM.
• Access: with category A1 from age 16, or with category B plus code 196 from age 25.
• Costs: vehicle tax is 9.20 euros a year. Every other item depends on you.
• Limits: 11 kW of power, little reserve with a passenger and luggage, and B196 is valid only in Germany.

125 registrations: what the numbers show

The following figures come from the IVM monthly reports. The association evaluates data from Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) but counts only single-track vehicles of class L, so its totals can differ from KBA tables. By “125s” I mean light motorcycles and light scooters together, as the IVM does in its market analysis.

I added up the totals in the last column from the IVM tables. According to the IVM, the overall market for motorcycles and scooters grew by 24.2 percent to 173,137 new registrations from January to September 2026. Large motorcycles (the “Kraftrad” class in the IVM table) rose 16.8 percent, but according to the IVM they had not quite reached the previous year's level of new and day registrations.

How to read the numbers

The picture is less clear-cut than “boom” sounds. 2025 was a weak year, including for 125s. As early as 2025 the IVM wrote that the phase-out of the Euro 5 emissions standard on 31 December 2024 brought many motorcycles and scooters onto the market, with December 2024 up 678.5 percent. That distorts the comparison with the previous year. A cleaner yardstick is 2024 as a whole: at 74,407 it was still above the 55,630 from the first nine months of 2026. On the other hand, the nine months of 2026 are already above the whole of 2025 (47,004).

In short: the 125s are growing clearly, and the IVM now calls B196 a “lasting support” for the market. It also says its importance has not yet reached the level seen in southern European countries. On the used market, the IVM says 125s are at last year's level. I did not find KBA stock figures for 125s, meaning how many machines are registered in total, so I give none.

The role of B196 and category A1

Two routes lead to a 125. Both have the same vehicle limit: up to 125 cm³, at most 11 kW and at most 0.1 kW per kilogram. That is how the German driving licence regulation (FeV) sets it out for category A1 (section 6) and for B196 (section 6b).

Category A1: from 16

A1 is a motorcycle licence in its own right with a minimum age of 16 (FeV, section 10). How training and tests work is explained in our article on the licence categories A1, A2 and A.

B196: category B plus training

If you already hold a car licence, you can have code 196 added. The requirements under section 6b FeV:

• You have held category B for at least five years.
• You are at least 25 years old.
• You have completed rider training. According to Annex 7b that is at least nine teaching units of 90 minutes, of which at least four theory and five practical, at a driving school with a category A licence.
• No more than one year passes between the end of the training and the entry.

There is no test; the training ends with a certificate of attendance. The IVM points out that the number of newly issued A licences is again above 80,000 a year and that category A has grown by almost ten percent since B196 was introduced in 2020. It reads this as showing that many people found their way in through B196. That is the association's interpretation, not proof of cause and effect.

Whether B196 stays as it is remains open. In October 2026 the IVM reports talks with the federal government and the states, according to which no licence test is currently on the cards. What the ongoing driving school reform changes is covered in Driving licence reform: what changes for motorcyclists. How the EU directive treats B196 and what the digital licence has to do with it is in Digital driving licence: EUDI wallet and B196 explained.

Costs: why a 125 looks so cheap

Part of the cost argument is fixed by law. Under section 9 of the German Vehicle Tax Act, tax on motorcycles is 1.84 euros per 25 cm³ of engine capacity or part thereof. At 125 cm³ that is five steps, so 9.20 euros a year. For insurance, tyres, fuel and depreciation there is no reliable flat figure. An open calculation with example values that you can replace with your own is in What does a motorcycle cost per year?.

Manufacturers help with the start in part: some brands give discounts to new licence holders, including for B196. Which ones and under what conditions is in the overview Motorcycle licence discounts from manufacturers.

What a 125 is good for

These are general experience values, not statistics:

• Commuting and city: Light machines are manoeuvrable and easy to park.
• Country roads: On twisty side roads power is rarely lacking, but on long straights it is.
• Getting started: If you are returning or want to test whether riding suits you, you start with little risk.
• Second bike: For short trips alongside a big motorcycle.

Which type you prefer is a separate question. Our overview is in the article on motorcycle types, and for the purchase itself there is the buying guide for your first motorcycle.

Limits of a 125

Motorway

Legally, motorways may only be used by motor vehicles whose design maximum speed exceeds 60 km/h (StVO, section 18). 125s usually manage that. In practice, though, 11 kW is a limit there: little reserve against wind and gradients and a large gap to the rest of the traffic. Ask the dealer how the machine behaves on fast roads, and test ride it before buying.

Passenger and luggage

The 11 kW limit applies regardless of load. With a passenger and luggage, expect noticeably less acceleration. Whether the machine is designed for a passenger, you can see from the seat and footrests. Tips for getting on are in Getting on a motorcycle: rider and passenger.

Abroad

The entitlement through B196 is valid only within Germany under section 6b FeV. If you want to take a 125 abroad, check beforehand whether your licence is valid there and ask the authorities of the destination country. B196 gives no entitlement outside Germany.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• IVM Performance 2026-10: market analysis and registration tables (Industrie-Verband Motorrad)
• IVM Performance 2026-01: 2025 annual figures (Industrie-Verband Motorrad)
• IVM Performance 2025-01: 2024 annual figures and Euro 5 phase-out (Industrie-Verband Motorrad)
• Section 6b FeV: category B with code 196 (Gesetze im Internet, in German)
• Annex 7b FeV: rider training category A1 (Gesetze im Internet, in German)
• Section 6 FeV: licence categories (Gesetze im Internet, in German)
• Section 10 FeV: minimum age (Gesetze im Internet, in German)
• Section 9 KraftStG: tax rate (Gesetze im Internet, in German)
• Section 18 StVO: motorways and expressways (Gesetze im Internet, in German)

As of November 2026. Figures up to and including September 2026. Rules can change.