Buyers increasingly turn to electric vehicles as gas, diesel, and LPG sales decline; combined EV and hybrid sales reach 107,924 units
The Turkish car market sold 107,924 electric and hybrid vehicles in the first quarter of 2026, making up 51.2% of total sales, according to the Istanbul-based Automotive Distributors’ Association (ODMD).
Türkiye’s overall car sales fell 5.86% year-on-year to 210,688 units in January–March, while light commercial vehicle sales climbed 4.23% 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 liquefied petroleum gas (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% of the market. Türkiye’s customs statistics classify extended-range vehicles as electric.
Sales of gas-powered cars plummeted 20.1%, diesel cars 26.9%, and LPG-powered cars 34.8%, while hybrid car sales surged 33% and EV sales 29.9%, 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% to 42.1%, diesel cars from 8.1% to 6.3%, and LPG vehicles from 0.5% to 0.4%, while EVs rose from 13.2% to 18.2% and hybrids from 28.6% to 33%year-on-year.
In March alone, the Turkish car market sold 15,118 EVs, accounting for 18.9% of total sales, and 27,065 hybrid vehicles, with a 33.9% market share, ODMD data showed.
Source: aa