For several centuries, Motala remained a small village, mainly regarded as a stopping post on the road to the nearby town of Vadstena, one of the cultural centres of medieval Sweden.

The town received the minor privilege status of köping in 1823, while full city rights were granted as of April 1, 1881.

In the 1870 science fiction novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas by Jules Verne, the prow of the submarine Nautilus was built at Motala Verkstad.

Later major Swedish industrial manufacturers such as Electrolux and Luxor had their main factories built in the city.

[5] Record temperatures between 1961 and 1990, as registered by Motala Kraftverk weather station, reaches from −26.3 °C (−15.3 °F) in February 1985 to 32.6 °C (90.7 °F) in August 1975.

The most recent data is from Swedish Armed Forces' weather station located approximately 30 km north-east of the city centre.

[6] Motala generally experiences much rainfall, with the wettest month being August with an average of 71 millimetres (2.8 in) of rain.

The town marks the middle of a straight line between Sweden's two biggest cities, Stockholm and Gothenburg.