How Useful Are MTV and Tax Advantages for Electric Cars, and to What Extent?

The tax advantage for electric cars is real but not unlimited: fully electric vehicles pay roughly a quarter of the MTV (annual motor vehicle tax) of an internal combustion vehicle of the same power and age, while models with engine power below 160 kW and a taxable base below 1,650,000 TL are subject to the lowest SCT (special consumption tax) rate. In other words, the saving is not a fixed exemption; it is a measurable difference that varies according to the vehicle's power, age, and price. This page calculates that difference item by item using the 2026 figures.

Are electric vehicles exempt from tax, or do they just get a discount?

Let's start by correcting the misconception we hear most often: electric cars are not tax-exempt in Türkiye. Both SCT and MTV are paid; exemptions apply only to certain narrow groups. The advantage comes from the rates being kept notably lower compared to internal combustion vehicles. So when you sell your gasoline car and switch to electric, the figure you should write into your budget is not "zero tax" but a smaller tax.

Apart from the general exemptions, there are two special cases. Under Article 4 of the Motor Vehicles Tax Law, individuals with 90% or higher disability whose vehicles are registered in their own name are exempt from MTV. Vehicles designated for scrap and vehicles with diplomatic plates are also outside the scope. Apart from these, every electric vehicle owner is obligated to pay the annual MTV notice regardless of power and age.

How is the electric vehicle MTV calculated in 2026?

For gasoline and diesel vehicles, MTV is based on engine displacement; since electric cars have no cylinders, the table is built on engine power, i.e. the kilowatt value. The second variable is the vehicle's age: the model year is subtracted from the current year and 1 is added, and the vehicle falls into the 1-3, 4-6, 7-11, 12-15, and 16+ age brackets. As the vehicle ages, MTV decreases; as power increases, it rises quickly.

The amount fully electric vehicles pay is 25% of the same age and power internal combustion schedule - in other words, the schedule is already written with a 75% discount built in. This discount covers only 100% electric vehicles; hybrid models are taxed according to the standard schedule based on engine displacement. A distinction such as whether the vehicle was purchased before or after 2018 effectively does not apply to electric cars; the same kW table applies to all of them.

2026 electric vehicle MTV table (full year, TL)

Pay attention to the boundaries of the power bracket when reading the table: a 160 kW motor falls into the 150-180 kW bracket, while a 150 kW motor stays in the bracket below. Even if the difference between them is only 10 kW, the annual amount payable can change by thousands of lira. The most reliable way to learn the exact amount is to confirm it through your license plate using the MTV calculation screen on the Revenue Administration's Digital Tax Office.

Side-by-side comparison with gasoline vehicles

To see the true magnitude of the discount, examples from both worlds in the same segment are necessary. For 2026, the internal combustion side's table looks like this: a 1.0-engine Renault Clio pays 6.903 TL annually, a 1.4-engine Fiat Egea and the similarly sized Renault Megane 12.028 TL, while the 1.8 hybrid Toyota Corolla pays 21.252 TL.

On the electric side, the table splits in an interesting way. Compact models under 70 kW - for example the Citroën ë-C3 or the Opel Frontera electric - stay at around 3.172 TL per year. In contrast, the 160 kW TOGG T10X and Tesla Model Y, stand at a point that challenges the internal combustion comparison: both pay 17.504 TL in annual MTV, roughly 8.752 TL per month in two equal installments. So a powerful electric vehicle's MTV can surpass that of a gasoline sedan. The tax advantage is not a fixed rule but a function of power - readers who choose high-performance electric vehicles should honestly factor this into their budgets.

2026 increase rate and payment schedule

The revaluation rate for 2025 was announced as 25.49%; however, by presidential decree, the increase in MTV, stamp duty and fees for 2026 was set at 18.95% . To give a concrete example, a vehicle that paid 10.000 TL in MTV in 2025 will pay 11.895 TL in 2026. Payments are divided into two installments during the year: the first installment is due by January 31, 2026, and the second by July 31, 2026. Those who purchase a vehicle in the second half of the year are only responsible for the July installment. The MTV debt must definitely be settled before a sale, as it blocks the inspection appointment; a lien process kicks in for long-unpaid taxes.

Why is the 25% bracket in the SCT so critical?

The main tax determining an electric car's sticker price is not the MTV but the SCT (Special Consumption Tax). With the regulation updated in July 2025, electric vehicles were divided into four brackets, and the rate is calculated by crossing engine power with the tax base. Since 20% VAT is added on top of the SCT, every step in the SCT rate also inflates the VAT base - this is the practical result of a tax being levied on top of another tax.

Let's illustrate with figures: for a 150 kW vehicle with a tax base of 1,500,000 TL, the SCT comes to 375,000 TL, and the total tax burden in the first year reaches approximately 389,587 TL. When the tax base drops to 1,400,000 TL, the SCT falls to 350,000 TL. For comparison, let's also add this: in internal combustion vehicles, even the lowest SCT rate - in the under 1400 cc and under 650,000 TL tax base band - %70 level. The EV's first 25% bracket is the softest car tax on the market.

This threshold has a decisive effect on market behavior. In the first quarter of 2026, EVs' market share reached 18%, rising to 23% in September, with the fleet exceeding 404 thousand; a significant portion of this growth comes from manufacturers deliberately positioning models with motors under 160 kW that fall below the 25% bracket. When choosing a model, looking at motor power is not only a performance preference but also a tax decision.

What you pay at transfer: notary fee and valuable paper fee

The tax expense doesn't end when you buy a used EV. In a vehicle sale made through a notary, the fee is calculated as 2 per thousand of the sale price; the minimum amount is 1,000 TL. The notary's own service fee is around 30% of the fee. Added to this is the valuable paper cost of the registration document - 1,511 TL in 2026. Who the annual MTV belongs to during the transfer is also a practical matter: the tax accrues to whoever the vehicle is registered to at the start of the calendar year. Therefore, in sales made during the year, who will bear the MTV obligation must be clearly stated in the buyer-seller agreement.

Charging electricity, home tariff, and the savings you notice

Where the tax ends, energy cost begins. In 2026, at public charging stations, AC charging prices are roughly 8-11 TL per kilowatt-hour, with DC fast charging in the 12-16 TL range. Charging at home is noticeably cheaper: with the night tariff, a kilowatt-hour is at a level of approximately 3.26 TL, meaning charging a 60 kWh battery at home costs roughly 190-200 TL. The general usage logic is clear: charge at home on the night tariff as much as possible; save fast charging for road needs. For special scenarios like charging with agricultural electricity, there is no official regulation specific to the tariff; individual meter installation in apartment buildings is therefore practically decisive.

Looking at the annual scale, the picture becomes clear: for a vehicle driving 20,000 km per year, the charging expense stays in the range of approximately 8,000-12,000 TL, while the fuel expense of its gasoline equivalent reaches 35,000-45,000 TL. On a daily basis, charging cost is roughly between one-fifth and one-third of gasoline. When this difference combines with the MTV and SCT advantages, it significantly tilts the total cost of EV ownership in its favor against internal combustion - but without forgetting that the MTV item erodes this advantage in high-power models.

Checklist for correctly applying the tax advantage to your budget

• Mark the model you are considering buying's motor power and MTV bracket from the table; the 160 kW limit is critical for both SCT and MTV.
• Calculate the tax base and the SCT rate together; the difference between 25% and 55% can mean hundreds of thousands of lira on the price tag.
• Remember that you cannot benefit from the 75% motor vehicle tax discount unless you are 100% electric; hybrids are on the standard schedule.
• Confirm the accrued amount through the Digital Tax Office; there may be small differences between the tables and calculation methods.
• In a transfer, clarify in the contract the 2 per thousand notary fee, the valuable paper cost, and to whom the motor vehicle tax will belong.
• Note the two installment dates (January 31 and July 31) in your calendar; debt blocks the inspection.

In conclusion, the tax advantage of an electric car is measurable and significant when the right model is chosen: a compact vehicle under 160 kW pays both 25% SCT and a quarter of the motor vehicle tax, and by charging at home on the night tariff you reduce your energy costs to a quarter of gasoline. As power and price increase, this advantage erodes; the 17,504 TL motor vehicle tax figure is the clearest proof of this. Make your budget based on total cost, not power.

Sources

• 2026 Motor Vehicle Tax Table: Calculation, Amounts and Examples
• Electric Vehicle ÖTV and MTV Rates 2026 - Current Taxes
• 2026 Electric Vehicle MTV and ÖTV Rates: Current Tax Guide
• Electric Vehicle MTV Calculation 2026
• Electric Vehicle MTV and ÖTV Tax Rates
• 2026 ÖTV Brackets: Which Engine Capacity Falls Into Which Rate?
• Notary Fees 2026: Vehicle Sales and Power of Attorney
• Motor Vehicles Tax Calculation - Digital Tax Office
• Charging Fees 2026
• Electric Vehicle Cost of Ownership
• ChargeIQ Electric Vehicle Bulletin March 2026