The impetus for a shift away from gasoline motorcycles comes in part from the experiences of the nation’s neighbors in South and Southeast Asia.
Vietnam: The Boldest Move in the Region
While Manila debates how to regulate e-bikes on major thoroughfares, Hanoi is preparing to ban petrol motorbikes from its city centre altogether.
Vietnam’s motorcycle culture is unlike anything else on earth. The country has approximately 72–77 million registered motorcycles for a population of around 97 million — roughly 770 motorcycles per 1,000 people, one of the highest ratios globally.
In Hanoi alone, there are some 6.9 million motorbikes, of which around 6.4 million run on gasoline. In Ho Chi Minh City, the figure approaches 8.5 million.
Under a draft resolution submitted to Hanoi’s People’s Council in late 2025, the city plans to apply time- and area-specific restrictions on petrol motorbikes beginning in 2026. The zone will expand the following year to cover more districts. The plan is part of Vietnam’s national goal to phase out gas-powered two-wheelers entirely by 2045.
The market has already responded dramatically. Sales of electric bikes surged 89 percent for smaller models and 197 percent for full-sized models during the first eight months of 2025, according to industry data. VinFast, Vietnam’s flagship EV manufacturer, saw sales more than quadruple. By late 2025, Vietnam’s electric two-wheeler market share had reached 21.7 percent — second globally only to China, and a dramatic jump from roughly 10 percent in 2024.
Critics warn, however, that the transition carries risks of displacement rather than elimination. Millions of petrol bikes banned from central Hanoi are likely to be relocated to the city’s outskirts or to neighbouring provinces, temporarily shifting the pollution burden rather than removing it. Waste management concerns have also been raised: millions of discarded two-stroke engines and lead-acid batteries in rural areas could create an environmental legacy of their own.
India: The World’s Largest Two-Wheeler Market Moves Haltingly
India is home to an estimated 221–271 million registered two-wheelers, making it by far the largest motorcycle market in the world by volume. In 2024, India produced 23.88 million motorcycles and sold 19.6 million units — figures that dwarf every other country.
At the national level, India has not announced a blanket ban on petrol two-wheelers. But city-level action has been aggressive. Delhi’s draft EV Policy 2026–2030 — released for public feedback earlier this year — proposes banning new registrations of petrol-powered two-wheelers from April 1, 2028, making electric models the only option in the capital’s new vehicle market. For commercial aggregators and delivery fleets, no new gas powered vehicles would be allowed from January 2026. Purchase incentives of up to Rs 30,000 (approximately ₱28,000) for electric two-wheelers are proposed to ease the transition.
The practical obstacles to India-wide transition remain formidable. Charging infrastructure is concentrated in major cities; rural India still depends heavily on affordable petrol bikes for livelihoods. Electric two-wheelers remain significantly more expensive than their gas-powered equivalents, and the absence of reliable charging at home — most low-income urban families lack private parking — is a persistent barrier.
Indonesia: Scale Without Speed
Indonesia is the third-largest motorcycle market globally, with an estimated 106 million registered motorcycles and annual sales of around 6.5 million units. Like the Philippines, it is a sprawling archipelago where motorcycles are essential for inter-island mobility at the local level.
Indonesia has ambitions to phase out conventional motorcycles, and the government has backed EV adoption with subsidy programs. In 2024, the country sold over 100,000 electric motorcycles — a meaningful number, though still a small fraction of total sales. But in 2025, EV motorcycle sales declined sharply due to a temporary halt in government incentive disbursements, underscoring how fragile demand remains without sustained policy support.
Jakarta, the country’s largest city, faces air quality crises that rival Hanoi and Delhi. Environmental pressure groups have long advocated for restrictions on petrol two-wheelers in the city’s core, but no formal ban timeline has been announced at either the national or city level.
Thailand: A Production Hub Hedging Its Bets
Thailand produces around 2 million motorcycles annually — the third-largest output in the ASEAN region — and has some 21 million registered units. It is simultaneously a major gas-powered motorcycle manufacturer and a growing EV market. The government’s “30@30” plan targets 30 percent of new vehicle registrations being electric by 2030, with EV production targets for motorcycles set for incremental growth through 2025 and beyond.
Thailand’s approach has been incentive-led rather than ban-driven, with trade-in schemes, purchase subsidies under the EV 3.0 and 3.5 programs, and tax incentives for EV manufacturers. In 2024, Thailand sold over 70,000 EVs across all categories, capturing 12.25 percent of its market — a figure ahead of most regional peers.