EV sales rise in Turkey as fuel gets costlier

Electric and hybrid vehicles reportedly accounted for more than half of the cars sold in Turkey in the first quarter of 2026.

Total sales of electric and hybrid vehicles reached 107,924 between January and March, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, citing data from Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association.

The growth is in spite of rising energy prices following the US-Israel attacks on Iran. 

This month Ankara imposed a quarterly increase in retail electricity and natural gas prices for households after the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which drove crude prices to almost $120 a barrel in March. 

Oil prices have retreated below $100 a barrel again on the back of news of a two-week ceasefire agreed by the US and Iran on Wednesday.

The share of EVs in total sales increased from 13.2 percent to 18.2 percent, while the share of hybrid vehicles increased from 28.6 percent to 33 percent. In March alone 15,118 EVs and 27,065 hybrid cars were sold.

However gasoline and diesel car sales fell by 20 percent and 27 percent respectively in the first quarter of 2026.  

The primary reason for the decline in diesel car sales was the move by global manufacturers to phase out diesel car production, the report said.

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