Auto sales in Türkiye shrink by 15% in February

After a record-breaking 2024, the automotive market entered 2025 with a slowdown. According to Automotive Distributors’ and Mobility Association (ODMD) data, auto sales in Türkiye dropped by 13.9% in January and further declined by 14.4% in February.

A significant 82.6% of total market sales came from vehicle segments with lower tax rates. Meanwhile, electric vehicle sales continued to widen the gap with diesel models in February.

In 2024, auto sales in Türkiye surged each month, reaching the highest figures. However, this momentum slowed down at the beginning of 2025.

The downward trend that started in January persisted into February, with total sales declining by 14.2% compared to the same period last year, while passenger car sales dropped by 9.8%.

According to the ODMD report, in February:

• The total market for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles declined by 14.4%.
• The passenger car market shrank by 7.6%.
• The light commercial vehicle market fell by 38.0%.

Auto sales in Türkiye still above 10-year average

Despite the recent decline, the automotive market remains above its 10-year average for February. Compared to the average sales figures for the past decade:

• The total passenger car and light commercial vehicle market is up by 59.3%.
• Passenger car sales have increased by 75.8%.
• The light commercial vehicle market is 7.4% higher.

During this period, 82.6% of sales came from A, B, and C segment vehicles, which benefit from lower tax rates.

When broken down by body type, SUVs were the most preferred models. Here are the most popular passenger car segments for January-February:

• SUVs: 32,136 units sold (57.4% market share)
• Sedans: 32,481 units sold (24.6% market share)
• Hatchbacks: 21,238 units sold (16.1% market share)

Electric cars widen gap with diesel

The report by ODMD highlights the rising interest in electric cars within the passenger car market.

While gasoline-powered vehicles remain the top choice, hybrid, electric, and diesel models followed in that order.

The lowest sales figures were recorded for Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG)-powered cars, mainly because of the limited number of new LPG models available in the market.

Here is the breakdown of passenger auto sales in Türkiye by engine type in January-February:

• Gasoline: 65,517 units (49.6% market share)
• Hybrid: 37,864 units (28.7% market share)
• Electric: 16,698 units (12.7% market share)
• Diesel: 11,430 units (8.7% market share)
• LPG: 456 units (0.3% market share)