Tesla shattered sales records in Turkey last month, selling 8,730 Model Y vehicles and capturing nearly half the country’s electric vehicle market. The August performance marked an 86% jump from July and became Tesla‘s best month ever in the Turkish market. The monthly deliveries roughly matched what Tesla sold during an entire previous year in Turkey.
Tesla’s record-breaking August in Turkey saw 8,730 Model Y sales, capturing nearly half the nation’s EV market.
The American automaker grabbed 49.9% of Turkey’s battery electric vehicle market and 10.6% of the overall automotive market in August. Tesla ranked as the nation’s second-best-selling car brand, trailing only Renault. The company outsold established names like Fiat, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Hyundai. For comparison, Chinese automaker BYD sold 1,639 units while Turkey’s domestic brand TOGG sold 1,249 units during the same period.
Tesla’s success came partly from a clever tax strategy. The company software-locked its base Model Y to 160 kilowatts of power output. This allowed the vehicles to qualify for a 10% consumption tax rate instead of higher rates. The government raised the base tax to 25% by late July but honored existing invoices at the lower rate. Officials have since closed this tax loophole, which could affect future sales.
From January through August, Tesla sold about 26,000 vehicles in Turkey. That’s more than four times the number from the same period last year. The year-to-date sales already surpassed both previous full years combined. TOGG ranked as the second best-selling EV brand with a 42% year-over-year sales increase.
Turkey’s EV market share has stayed around 20% for the past three months, up from 8% last year. The overall light vehicle market grew 5% to 1.3 million units over twelve months, reaching a record high in August. The country offers government credit incentives up to $30,000 for electric vehicle purchases, making them more accessible to consumers.
Economic factors also drove Tesla’s popularity. The Turkish lira has lost more than 80% of its value in recent years. Many buyers see Teslas, which are priced in euros, as protection against currency drops. Electric vehicles have become a way for Turkish consumers to preserve their wealth while switching to cleaner transportation. Increased supply allocations from Tesla’s German plant have helped meet this growing demand. New Tesla owners should expect their monthly electricity bill to increase by 20-30% with moderate driving habits as they transition to home charging.