Highest gas price in world forces Turkish motorists to use LPG

ANKARA(AA) - Nearly half of the nine million cars on the roads in Turkey are running on LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas), according to Monday's figures from Turkish Statistical Institute, TurkStat.

 Turkish motorists are switching to LPG to avoid paying the highest gas prices in the world -  9.89 dollars a gallon - according to a report released by AIRINC, a technology consulting firm based in US.

 Turkish motorists are choosing to run their cars on LPG as at five dollars a gallon it is nearly half the price. 

The share of LPG-driven cars is almost 42% according to figures for September. Gasoline-driven cars follows at  31.7% and diesel-driven cars at 26.3%, say TurkStat in their Monday report on motoring figures.

Vehicles on roads in Turkey use 75.3% of all the LPG consumed in the country, according to Turkish EPDK (Energy Market Regulatory Board), an 18 percentage points rise in the last five years. A huge industry, for switching fuel system of the cars from gasoline to LPG, has flourished.

Turkey's economy is the biggest in Eastern Europe, and ranks 17th in the world. In recent years Turkey has increased its revenue base through consumption taxes like a fuel tax, which is relatively easy to enforce. The country has one of the highest gas taxes, which accounts for more than half of the cost to fuel up the tank.

englishnews@aa.com.tr