🚗 Nice Class 12: Vehicles & Mobility
The EUIPO register holds 130,585 trademarks in Class 12, the class for vehicles and apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water (as of July 2026). (as of July 2026).
130,585
Marks in the EU register
77,198
Registered with the EUIPO
+20 %
Growth 2020–2024
55 %
Word mark share
Class 12 is the vehicle class: it covers vehicles and apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water, from cars and e-bikes to e-scooters and drones. The EUIPO register holds 130,585 trademarks in Class 12, of which 77,198 are registered (as of July 2026, EUIPO register data). And the class is picking up speed: new registrations climbed from 5,914 in 2020 to 7,080 in 2024, a 20 percent increase, with 7,132 more added in 2025. The transformation of mobility, from electric drivetrains to entirely new vehicle categories, shows up directly in the register. The top of the filing table is firmly in German hands: Mercedes-Benz leads with 1,063 trademarks, followed by Volkswagen (893) and BMW (824), with Renault (490) and Nissan (423) only behind them. Word marks account for 55 percent of the class. Any mobility startup looking to protect a model name or product line is searching against some of the largest trademark portfolios in Europe.
What belongs in Class 12?
Class 12 covers vehicles and means of transport of all kinds: cars, motorcycles, bicycles and e-bikes, e-scooters, trucks, trailers, boats, aircraft and drones. It also includes many vehicle parts and accessories, such as tyres, body panels, bicycle baskets and child seats for vehicles. Key distinctions: engines for land vehicles fall under Class 12, while stationary motors and machines belong in Class 7. Navigation devices, chargers, apps and vehicle software sit in Class 9, motor oils in Class 4, and services such as vehicle rental or transport fall under Class 39, with repair and maintenance in Class 37.
Typical examples: Vehicles, bicycles, apparatus for locomotion by land/air/water
New EUIPO registrations per year in Class 12
Most active applicants in Class 12
| # | Applicant | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes-Benz Group Ag | 1,063 |
| 2 | Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft | 893 |
| 3 | Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft | 824 |
| 4 | Renault Sas | 490 |
| 5 | Nissan Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Also Trading As Nissan Motor Co Ltd) | 423 |
| 6 | Continental Reifen Deutschland Gmbh | 405 |
| 7 | Jaguar Land Rover Limited | 385 |
| 8 | Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Also Trading As Toyota Motor Corporation) | 383 |
| 9 | Ford Motor Company | 366 |
| 10 | Honda Motor Co Ltd | 356 |
Word mark or figurative mark?
Often combined with
When in doubt, do not file Class 12 in isolation: in practice it is most often combined with Class 9 (software, electronics, chargers), Class 7 (motors and machines) and Class 35 (retail and advertising). Before filing, be clear about whether you manufacture, sell, rent out or repair vehicles, because each of those activities leads into different classes. Also check whether your name is protectable as a word mark, since 55 percent of the trademarks in this class are word marks. And search the EUIPO register carefully: Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and BMW are three extremely active filers with very watchful legal teams.
Common mistakes with Class 12
The classic mistake in mobility: confusing product and service. A sharing operator that only rents out e-scooters mainly needs Class 39 for rental services, while a manufacturer needs Class 12 for the vehicle, and many business models need both. Second mistake: forgetting the app. Modern vehicles and mobility services run on software, which belongs in Class 9, not Class 12. Third, accessories often get lumped into Class 12 even though much of it sits elsewhere: motor oil in Class 4, tools in Class 8, chargers and sat navs in Class 9. If your list of goods is not split cleanly, the gaps appear exactly where your business grows.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What belongs in Nice Class 12?
Class 12 covers vehicles and means of transport by land, air or water: cars, motorcycles, bicycles, e-bikes, e-scooters, boats and drones, plus many vehicle parts such as tyres or child seats. Vehicle software and sat navs belong in Class 9 instead, while rental and transport services fall under Class 39.
Who files the most trademarks in Class 12?
According to EUIPO register data (as of July 2026), Mercedes-Benz leads with 1,063 trademarks, ahead of Volkswagen (893), BMW (824), Renault (490) and Nissan (423). German carmakers hold the entire top three. For founders, that means one thing: search against these large portfolios before you file.
I rent out e-scooters. Do I need Class 12?
Not necessarily. Renting out vehicles is a service and falls under Class 39. You need Class 12 if you manufacture or sell vehicles under your brand. Many sharing operators combine both and add Class 9 for their app so the whole offering is covered.
Which classes are typically combined with Class 12?
Most often Class 9 for software, electronics and chargers, Class 7 for motors and machines, and Class 35 for retail and advertising. An e-bike startup with its own app and online shop covers the typical gaps with 12, 9 and 35.
Sources
EUIPO – European Union Intellectual Property Office: register data on EU trade marks and international registrations with EU protection, as of July 2026.
WIPO – Nice Classification: class definitions and headings (11th edition).
Methodology: own analysis by markencheck.ai; counted per filing entity, name variants merged.
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