The Market Shrank in September but Electric Vehicle Share Hit a Record

The Turkish car market contracted by 27.8% year-on-year in September 2026, slipping to 63,736 units ; in contrast, the share of electric cars to 23.7%, rising to a historic peak. In the month's model ranking, Togg T10X held the lead for the second consecutive time with 4,237 units, while the traces of the Renault Clio are still visible in the nine-month picture. Below you will find an interpretation of the ODMD data within the market context.

By how much did car sales shrink in September 2026?

The figure is clear: car sales declined 27.80% year-on-year. The total market, meaning the sum of cars and light commercial vehicles, shrank by 24.33%, leaving 83,469 units . The light commercial side was affected more softly than cars; the contraction there was 10.42%, at the level of, with volume at 19,733.

This picture has been familiar for a while. In July the market shrank by 25% to 80,786 units, and in August it contracted by 20.28% to 81,031 units. September was the harshest link in the series. Still, the picture needs to be viewed through the window of many years: the total market is up 0.8% compared to the September average of the last five years, and 17.8% above the ten-year average. On the car side, there is a 1.9% contraction compared to the five-year average, and we are 15.1% above the ten-year average. In short, this is not a collapse, but a normalization against 2025's record baseline.

Historical comparison clarifies the situation: in September 2023 car sales were 78,971, in September 2024 they were 69,634, and last year they were 88,274 units. This year's 63,736 represents a meaningful decline, especially when read against last September's exceptional level; but compared with broader historical averages, the market cannot be called weak.

The nine-month total tells a similar story: in the January-September period, the total market contracted by 13.39% to 803,465 units, while cars declined by 15.45% to 627,977 units . The nine-month loss in light commercial vehicles was only 5.12%; 175,488 units.

Which cars sold the most in September 2026?

The most striking row in the month's ranking is the first: Togg T10X, with 4,237 units, at the top of all cars. It was also the leader in August with 2,939 units; the increase in September was at the level of 44.2%. This means an electric model being the market's best-selling car for the second consecutive month - in our years in this industry, even imagining such a thing was difficult.

In second place is the Türkiye-produced Renault Boreal : with 3,159 units The model, the product of a 400 million euro investment in Bursa, is sold with the full hybrid E-Tech 160 hp and TCe EDC 145 hp engines, and in July it had once been the leader of the month with 3,031 units. Its starting price is 2,194,000 TL; considering where this figure is positioned, the performance is noteworthy. The fact that both of the two top models are produced in our country shows that the production infrastructure directly translates into sales success.

Looking at the brand table, in September Renault leads with 11,430 units and a 13.7% share. It is followed by Togg with 6,692 units, Fiat with 6,208 units, Volkswagen with 6,140 units and Toyota with 5,429 units. Togg's 6,692 units in September is the brand's best month in its history.

So who is the nine-month leader?

We shouldn't confuse the monthly peak with the annual table. By brand, the clear leader of the nine months is Renault: 102,818 units and a 12.8% market share; its sales have grown by 11.6% year on year. By model, the Renault Clio maintains its leadership; the model closed the first half with 28,892 units, and its January-July total was 29,749 units. It is followed by the Toyota Corolla (22,009 units) and the Renault Megane Sedan (19,938 units). So September's T10X victory was not enough to change the nine-month table; the wall the Clio has built throughout the year still stands.

Why did the electric car share break a record?

In a shrinking market, the electric segment breaking a record may seem contradictory at first glance; but we are talking about two separate measures. While the total number declined, the electric share within the total went up. In September, electric car sales rose by 17.1% to 15,128 units and the share became 23.7% - in the same month last year this rate was 14.6%. A nine-point jump in nine months; in this industry, nine points means an era.

The change in engine type distribution was also decisive in this rapid rise of the electric share. Let's look from September 2025 to 2026: petrol fell from 46.2% to 44.1%; diesel dropped from 7.2% to 1.8% (an annual decrease of 81.8%); plug-in hybrid nearly evaporated, falling from 3.9% to 0.3%. While hybrid held at 28.1%, mild hybrid rose from 19.1% to 22.0%. It should also be noted that final nails were hammered into the coffin of the old diesel habit by the plug-in hybrid as well; both have been virtually wiped from the market.

In the nine-month total, the picture is as follows: petrol 41.2% (258,453 units), hybrid 32.6% (204,956 units), electric 19.3% (121,079 units, a 9.5% annual decline), diesel 5.5%, LPG 1.4%. The nine-month decline in electric vehicle numbers is a reminder that September's record should be read on a monthly basis. When you combine electric and hybrid, their share in the first eight months of the year 17% of the electric market, - more than half of the market is now on the electrification side.

Power distribution and Togg's weight

The internal structure of the electric market is also changing. Sales of models with motors under 160 kW grew by 7.9%, accounting for a 17% share, while the powerful segment above 160 kW shrank by 59% to just a 2.3% share. Buyers are shifting from high-performance electric vehicles to more accessible power levels; this is how clearly the economic agenda reflects on the market.

At the center of this picture stands Togg: with sales of 6,692 units in September, it single-handedly took 44.4% of the electric market. That means 44 of every 100 electric vehicles sold is a Togg. The brand, whose nine-month automobile sales reached 37,426 units, is entirely domestically produced. The fleet side is also growing: the number of electric cars in Türkiye exceeded 472,157 as of August; a year ago this figure was 308,217. More than 160,000 vehicles joining the fleet in such a short period as five months means a serious burden in terms of charging infrastructure and usage habits; the cost of this will be seen in the coming years.

Market structure: SUV and segment shifts

Structural data is as distinctive as the unit figures. In September, the SUV's share within automobiles rose to 69.1% ; in the same month last year it was 62.2%. In the nine-month picture, SUV stands at 66.2% with 415,909 units, sedan at 19.9%, hatchback at 13.2%. The hatchback falling this far behind despite its sole rival being the Clio shows that the body-style preference has changed permanently.

In the segment breakdown, the C segment accounted for 56.1% of the market over nine months (352,589 units), and the B segment 28.3%; A+B+C together 84.7%. In September's annual change, there is an interesting polarization: the E segment 44.3% and the B segment shrank by 37.5%, while the F segment grew by 74.6%. A picture showing that the base and mid-upper segments are squeezed while the top holds firm; it suggests the agile B-segment buyer is affected by prices, while the upper segment carries less price sensitivity.

What do the numbers say for the rest of 2026?

We know that the 1 million unit threshold is being discussed in the market for year-end, but the recent trend could push this target to 2027. Including September, the nine-month total stands at 803,465 units; exceeding this by 196 thousand in the remaining three months does not look easy when the historical averages of the last three months are considered. The race until the end of the period will be left to the campaign tempo of the year's final quarter.

There is also the internal balance of the electric market to consider. In September, Tesla's sales of 1,725 units are reported as an unofficial figure; the distributor's official table marks this data as estimated. Such exceptional cases need to be read with awareness. Tesla's next steps (often concentrated in end-of-quarter delivery pushes) will also determine how the electric share evolves in the final quarter.

In conclusion, September was a month telling two separate stories at once. While the overall market shrank by 27.8% compared to 2025's record base, the electrification side saw its own historic peak: electric share at 23.7%, electric plus hybrid at 51.9% in the first eight months, and T10X leader for the second consecutive month. It is a picture showing that while the market as a whole catches its breath, the structural transformation is not slowing down; the campaign and pricing moves of the next quarter will determine the pace of this transformation.

Sources

• AUTOMOTIVE DISTRIBUTORS AND MOBILITY ASSOCIATION (ODMD) Press Release, October 2, 2026
• ODMD Market Data
• Türkiye Automobile Market September 2026 - Sales Data
• Türkiye Electric Car Sales September 2026
• Electric and Hybrid Cars Reached 51.9% of the Market
• 44 Out of Every 100 Electric Cars Sold Was a Togg
• Renault Maintained Sales Leadership in the First 9 Months of 2026
• Renault Boreal on Sale in Türkiye
• Number of Electric Cars in Türkiye Exceeded 470 Thousand
• Togg at the Top in September but the Best-Selling Car of 2026 Is Another