ISTANBUL
The Turkish car market sold 107,924 electric and hybrid vehicles in the first quarter of 2026, making up 51.2 percent of total sales, according to the Istanbul-based Automotive Distributors’ Association (ODMD).
Türkiye’s overall car sales fell 5.86 percent year-on-year to 210,688 units in January–March, while light commercial vehicle sales climbed 4.23 percent to 54,710 units over the same period.
In the first quarter, the market sold 88,688 gas-powered cars, 69,504 hybrid vehicles, 13,326 diesel cars, 750 LPG–powered cars and 38,026 fully electric vehicles, according to ODMD data.
Including extended-range EVs, first-quarter EV sales rose to 38,420 units, accounting for 18.2 percent of the market. Türkiye’s customs statistics classify extended-range vehicles as electric.
Sales of gas-powered cars plummeted 20.1 percent, diesel cars 26.9 percent, and LPG-powered cars 34.8 percent, while hybrid car sales surged 33 percent and EV sales 29.9 percent, as buyers increasingly opted for electric options.
The decline in diesel sales reflects global efforts to phase out diesel production, which has reduced the number of diesel cars available in the market.
Among all cars sold, the market share of gas-powered vehicles fell from 49.6 percent to 42.1 percent, diesel cars from 8.1 percent to 6.3 percent, and LPG vehicles from 0.5 percent to 0.4 percent, while EVs rose from 13.2 percent to 18.2 percent and hybrids from 28.6 percent to 33 percent year-on-year.
In March alone, the Turkish car market sold 15,118 EVs, accounting for 18.9 percent of total sales, and 27,065 hybrid vehicles, with a 33.9 percent market share, ODMD data showed.
