Nepali buyers are leaning more toward scooters than motorcycles, and the numbers now show that shift clearly. In the first four and a half months of FY 2026/27, scooters made up 49.13 percent of total two-wheeler imports.
Scooters near half of imports
Nepal imported 69,385 two-wheelers between April 1 and August 15 in the current fiscal year. Of them, 34,091 were scooters.
That is a big change from six years ago, when scooters made up only about one-third of total two-wheeler imports. They have moved much closer to parity with motorcycles since then.
FY 2023/24 was the strongest year for scooters in the period covered here. Out of 119,658 two-wheelers imported that year, 66,243 were scooters, giving them a 55.36 percent share.
The share then eased to 45.42 percent in FY 2024/25, when Nepal imported 187,209 two-wheelers and 85,032 were scooters. It rose again in FY 2025/26, with scooters at 47.58 percent of 250,657 total two-wheeler imports. That year, more than 119,000 scooters entered the market.
Why the shift matters
Scooters are popular for daily commuting in crowded cities. Storage space, better mileage and newer features have helped them attract more buyers.
Ride-sharing, food delivery and courier work have also pushed demand for two-wheelers. Limited public transport has added to that pressure.
Motorcycles still hold a strong place with touring fans and younger riders. Even so, scooters are now a common choice for new riders, women, students and older buyers.
Electric two-wheelers are rising too
Electric models still make up a much smaller share of Nepal's two-wheeler market than they do in passenger cars. But the trend is moving up.
EVs accounted for 0.80 percent of two-wheeler imports in FY 2021/22, or 2,441 units out of 303,237. The share rose to 4.03 percent in FY 2022/23 and 4.33 percent in FY 2023/24.
In FY 2025/26, Nepal imported 11,495 electric two-wheelers out of 250,657, equal to 4.59 percent. In the first four and a half months of FY 2026/27, that share climbed to 13 percent, with 9,502 electric two-wheelers imported out of 69,385.
Most of those electric models are scooters. Electric motorcycles still account for only a very small part of the segment.
Writes on vehicle pricing, taxation and the Nepali auto market from ongoing tracking of distributor price lists. Editorial policy.
