Turkey Became Europe's Sixth Largest Car Market in the January-September 2026 Period

Despite suffering a 15.45% contraction in car sales during the January-September period of 2026, Turkey continued to be Europe's sixth largest automobile market with 627,977 units sold. In the same period, 120,329 fully electric car sales were recorded, making it Europe's sixth largest electric vehicle market as well.

According to the report prepared based on data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) and the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD), Turkey's sales success in the January-September period was registered with its sixth place ranking behind Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Spain. In the fully electric vehicle segment, countries such as Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain were left behind with sales reaching 120,329 units.

While the automobile market covering the EU, EFTA, and the United Kingdom across Europe grew by 6.3% to reach 10,555,351 units, the Turkish market declined by 15.45%. Sales increased in the top five countries: Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Spain. Turkey ranked as the country experiencing the sharpest contraction among the top 10 automobile markets.

In the electric vehicle market, Germany ranked first with 604,144 units, followed by the United Kingdom and France. Belgium and Denmark were positioned just ahead of Turkey. While electric vehicle sales increased in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, Turkey experienced a 9.1% drop, making Turkey the only country among the top 10 markets to contract in electric vehicles.

While the market share of fully electric vehicles in EU countries rose to 22.7%, hybrids accounted for 36.3%, and plug-in hybrids accounted for 10.1%. The combined share of gasoline and diesel vehicles fell to 28.2%. On the other hand, despite its market size, Turkey faces the risk of being excluded from the EU's 'Made in EU' plan, while Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius warned that local production conditions could increase costs.