Electric vehicle sales in Türkiye have surged past the 100,000 mark for the first time, according to industry data, as the shift toward cleaner mobility gains further pace, driven by demand for a homegrown brand.
Sales of fully electric cars reached 102,160 units from January through July, according to the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD). That count rises to 103,310 units when extended-range models – which use a small gasoline generator to recharge the battery while driving – are included.
The overall car market in Türkiye remains strong despite high borrowing costs as authorities tightened policy to cool demand, the main driver of inflation, which eased to 33.52% in July, the lowest rate since late 2021.
In the first seven months, sales of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles jumped by 6.5% year-over-year to 715,695 units, the ODMD said on Monday.
In July alone, the market rose by almost 15% to 107,718 units, driven by robust demand ahead of a long-anticipated special consumption tax (ÖTV) adjustment at the end of the month.
The change revised tax base thresholds and rates for certain fossil fuel-powered passenger cars and some hybrid vehicles that both use fossil fuels and have electric engines. Special consumption tax rates were reduced by 5-10 percentage points for some vehicles, while for some other models, rates were increased by 10 to 20 points.
The rates will vary between 70% and 220% depending on engine size for combustion engine cars, while the minimum rate will be 25% for electric vehicles and 45% for hybrid cars.
Traditional fuel-powered vehicles saw a notable decline in the January-July period. Gasoline car sales dropped from 65.1% of the market share last year to 46.5% this year, while diesel vehicles fell from 10.9% to 8%. Autogas vehicles held steady at 0.7%.
In contrast, fully electric vehicles saw their market share climb from 7.7% to 17.9%.
Hybrid vehicles also gained ground, with sales reaching 153,363 units and accounting for 26.8% of the market, up from 14.9% a year earlier. Plug-in hybrid sales skyrocketed 1,499% to 30,013 units, capturing 5.2% of the market.
When combining fully electric, hybrids and range-extended EVs, 44.9% of all cars sold in Türkiye during the first seven months were equipped with an electric drivetrain.
Total sales of these vehicles reached 256,673 units, meaning nearly one in every four cars sold was either electric or hybrid.
Homegrown Togg brand's C-SUV T10X was the bestselling EV model in the first seven months with 19,821 units and a market share of 19.4%. It was followed by Tesla's Model Y at 17,026 units and a share of 16.7%.
China's BYD, which is scheduled to start production at a new plant in Türkiye at the end of 2026, ranked third with sales of 11,752 units.
In July alone, EV sales doubled compared to last year, reaching 17,225 units and capturing a 20.5% share of the passenger car market. Hybrid sales also rose sharply, increasing 48.3% year-over-year to 21,656 units and accounting for 25.7% of the market.
Tesla unseated Togg last month with sales of 4,706 units of its Model Y, which held a share of 27.32%. Togg sold 2,720 units of T10X, accounting for almost 15.8% of the EV market.
