the scooter market | France

1.1 Definition and scope of study

A scooter is a motorized vehicle with two (or three) wheels: the scooter belongs to the category of mopeds with a cubic capacity of between 50 cm3 and 125 cm3. If the engine capacity exceeds 250 cm3, it is called a maxi-scooter and requires a specific permit. Three-wheeled scooters are developing in the 21st century with cylinder capacities of more than 125cm3. A final segment, representative of the latest trends in the global automotive market, is that of electric scooters: electric scooters are equipped with an electric motor powered by a battery, and were launched in Asia where their popularity is growing.

The scooter market in France represents more than 60,000 registrations every year, and has been growing in recent years. Of this total, most are scooters over 50 cm3 but this segment is frequently in decline. The electric scooter segment, although it is growing every year, remains small.

The scooter market is dominated by a handful of leading manufacturers, leaving little room for new entrants. The financial difficulties of some manufacturers, led by Peugeot, point to difficult years for the scooter market.

The main challenges in the scooter market remain the development of self-service sharing (e.g. city-scoot), the growth of three-wheeled scooters, as well as eco-responsible technologies such as the emergence of low-polluting electric scooters.