If you’ve ever visited Southeast Asia, you’ve likely noticed that scooters and motorcycles are everywhere. From the narrow alleyways of Hanoi to the crowded streets of Jakarta, motorcycles dominate the roads. But why are they so popular compared to cars? The answer lies in a combination of practicality, affordability, and cultural influence.
One of the biggest reasons scooters and motorcycles thrive in Southeast Asia is their ability to navigate through heavy traffic and narrow streets. In cities like Bangkok and Manila, where gridlock is a daily reality, cars often get stuck for hours, barely inching forward while motorbikes can easily weave through tight spaces and bypass traffic jams getting you to your destination in minutes.
Even if traffic jams are not a concern, many older Southeast Asian cities such as Hanoi consist of narrow winding streets, particularly in older parts of town, which cars simply cannot navigate.
Affordability also plays a huge role in their popularity of motorcycles. For many people in the region, buying a car is financially out of reach, but a scooter or motorcycle is a much more affordable option costing as little as USD$250 for a decent one.
Not only are they cheaper to buy, but they are also a fraction of the cost to maintain and run. Scooters and smaller motorcycles are incredibly fuel-efficient, only requiring a couples of litres of fuel a week and a $10 oil change every 5000km.
Another factor is living in such a high density urban design is where do you park! Like in major Western city’s such as London, accommodation and places you visit cannot just be assumed to have plentiful free car parking.
On the other hand parking a motorcycle is often far easier, able to be parked up on the side of even narrow streets or in motorcycle parking bays designed to park thousands of motorcycles.
Culturally, scooters and motorcycles are deeply embedded in daily life and as practical versatile tools that can do anything. It’s common to see entire families—sometimes three or four people and more —crammed onto a single scooter! For small businesses, they are used to deliver goods, transport materials, and even serve as mobile food stalls with a side cart attached. With such versality many simply do not require a car.
To wrap it up, scooters and motorcycles are the backbone of transportation in Southeast Asia for good reason. They’re practical and easy for getting around congested streets, affordable for the average person, and versatile enough to serve both personal and professional purposes. In a region where space is limited and traffic is intense, two-wheelers offer the freedom and flexibility that cars simply can’t match.
