Turkey’s auto market booms amid 90% jump in electric vehicle sales

ISTANBUL –

Turkey's car and light commercial vehicle market climbed to an all-time high in 2025, with nearly one in six cars sold being fully-electric, industry data showed on Wednesday.

Despite high taxes and tight financing conditions, sales rose 10.5 percent to 1.37 million units last year, according to the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD). December alone saw a 12.6 percent increase to 191,620 units, according to the data.

ODMD Chairman Haydar Bozkurt said demand was mainly driven by Turkey's large population, growing mobility needs and an aging vehicle fleet.

Bozkurt said the industry expects 2026 sales to be at a similar level when compared to last year but sees potential for volumes to reach 1.5 million units or more in the future.

Fully-electric car sales jumped 90 percent to about 190,000 units, taking a 17 percent share of the passenger car market, while hybrid sales rose 63 percent to around 295,000 units, accounting for 27 percent of the market.

Overall passenger car sales increased 10.6 percent to 1.1 million units, while light commercial vehicle sales rose 10 percent to 283,904 units, both hitting record highs.