The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) released its latest data on road motor vehicle registrations for February 2025, revealing a significant decline of 17.5% compared to January and a sharp 29.3% drop compared to February 2024.

A total of 136,810 vehicles were registered in February, reflecting shifting trends in Türkiye's automotive landscape.

Cars dominated the registrations, making up 50.2% of the total (68,731 units), though their numbers fell by 34.1% from January and 10.6% from the same month last year. Motorcycles followed with a 32.7% share, experiencing a remarkable 61.9% surge month-over-month despite a 47.2% year-on-year decline. Small trucks accounted for 9.2%, tractors 3.3%, trucks 2.2%, minibuses 1.5%, buses 0.8%, and special purpose vehicles 0.1%.

Notable month-over-month increases were recorded for buses (up 52.6%), tractors (up 47.2%), special purpose vehicles (up 41.2%), and minibuses (up 16.8%). However, small trucks saw the steepest decline at 48.3%, followed by trucks at 21.4%. Compared to February 2024, only buses (up 41.1%) and minibuses (up 29.2%) showed growth, while other categories lagged behind.

By the end of February, Türkiye’s total registered road motor vehicles reached 31,596,522. Cars comprised 51.9% of this figure, with motorcycles at 20.0%, small trucks at 15.0%, and tractors at 7.2%. Trucks, minibuses, buses, and special purpose vehicles made up the remainder.

Vehicle Handovers and Brand Preferences

In February, 762,109 vehicles changed hands, with cars representing 68.3% of these transactions, followed by small trucks (15.5%) and motorcycles (8.0%). Among the 68,731 newly registered cars, Renault led the market with a 10.4% share, followed by Toyota (9.7%), Fiat (7.6%), Hyundai (7.3%), and Volkswagen (7.2%). Emerging brands like China’s BYD (2.5%) and Chery (2.9%) also made their mark, while luxury marques such as BMW (2.9%) and Mercedes-Benz (3.3%) held steady.

January-February Trends

Over the first two months of 2025, 302,544 vehicles were registered—a 25.7% decrease from the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, vehicle withdrawals rose by 56.1% to 7,108, resulting in a net increase of 295,436 vehicles. Of the 173,066 cars registered in this period, gasoline-powered vehicles led with 49.3%, followed by hybrids (26.1%), electric cars (12.9%), diesel (10.8%), and LPG (0.9%). However, among the 16.4 million cars registered by February’s end, diesel remained the most common fuel type at 33.9%, followed closely by LPG (31.6%) and gasoline (30.4%). Electric and hybrid cars accounted for just 1.3% and 2.7%, respectively.

Engine sizes of 1300cc or less were the most popular, comprising 32.6% of January-February registrations, while grey emerged as the top color choice at 38.8%, followed by white (28.0%) and blue (11.8%).

Economic and Market Insights

The decline in registrations signals potential economic headwinds or shifting consumer preferences in Türkiye. The rise in motorcycle registrations, however, suggests a growing demand for affordable, fuel-efficient transport. Analysts are watching closely as electric and hybrid vehicles gain traction, though their adoption remains limited compared to traditional fuel types.

TurkStat’s data underscores a dynamic automotive sector, with significant fluctuations across vehicle types and fuel preferences as Türkiye navigates the challenges and opportunities of 2025. (ILKHA)