Motorcycles outnumber cars in five Turkish cities

ANKARA

The number of registered motorcycles in Türkiye has reached a record-high 6.3 million as of February, surpassing the number of cars in five provinces.

According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), while cars remain the dominant vehicle type nationwide, the provinces of Aydın, Kilis, Manisa, Muğla and Iğdır witnessed a significant shift toward motorcycles.

Kilis stood out with nearly three times as many motorcycles as cars, as the city boasts around 38,431 motorbikes, compared to 13,370 vehicles.

In the tourism hotspot of Muğla, on the other hand, around 289,104 motorbikes outnumbered 267,341 cars.

Residents in Muğla highlighted parking convenience, fuel efficiency and ease of transportation as key reasons for choosing motorcycles over cars.

“With rising fuel prices and limited parking spaces, motorcycles have become the preferred option,” said a local rider. Another resident added, “Motorcycles are cost-efficient, more practical and you can park them anywhere. That is why more people are switching.”

When examining motorcycle distribution by province, the megacity of Istanbul leads with 811,333 motorcycles, followed by the southern city of Antalya with 498,237 and the western İzmir with 470,164. 

At the other end of the spectrum, the provinces with the fewest motorcycles emerged as the northeastern city of Ardahan with 951, eastern Tunceli with 1,539, southeastern province of Hakkari with 1,568 and the eastern city of Bitlis with 1,773 — indicating a lack of interest over motorcycles in the eastern region, most probably due to geographical conditions.