Increasing Complaints About Electric Vehicles and Charging Stations
Solution platform Şikayetvar has examined the status of electric vehicles and charging stations in detail. The results show that complaints about electric vehicles have increased by 117% in the last year, while complaints about charging stations have increased by 55%. Electric vehicle users face problems such as not meeting the expected range, insufficient charging stations, long service waiting times, incompatibility of the vehicle with charging stations and connection interruptions.
Electric vehicles are rapidly becoming widespread both around the world and in Türkiye. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), while there were only 2011 electric vehicles registered in 24, this number increased to 2018 in 952, 2021 in 6,267, 2022 in 14,552 and 2023 in 80,043. As of the end of last year, the number of registered electric cars increased by 2023% compared to 129,6, reaching 183,776. This huge sales increase has also brought with it many complaints.
Increasing Complaints About Charging Stations
According to Sikayetvar data, complaints about electric vehicles increased by 2025% in April 117 compared to the same period of the previous year. This increase is not only annual; it has reached 46% in the last month and 69% in the last week.
Complaints about charging stations have also shown a similar increase:
- Insufficient number of charging stations
- Broken or non-functioning charging stations
- System stops or disconnects during charging
- Problems with density and appointment making
- Unexpected increase in price per kWh
- Mobile application and payment issues
- Wrong locations and incomplete information
Problems Faced by Electric Vehicle Users
The problems that electric vehicle users frequently encounter can be listed as follows:
- Expected range not being met in real use
- Incompatibility and disconnections with charging stations
- Increased technical problems after software updates
- Low number of authorized services
- Long wait times and lack of response for service appointments
- Inadequate after-sales customer service
- Price changes and lack of transparency in promotional sales
Examples Reflected in Complaints
Some of the user complaints reaching the platform are noteworthy:
1. My car stopped suddenly in the left lane: I don't trust it anymore
“I have been using it for over a year, my vehicle has covered 1 km. I have had various problems since the first day we bought it. We have somehow come this far by learning the vehicle together with the technicians. However, the error the vehicle is giving right now is a very serious and vital error! Energy system failure. While driving at 22,000-80 km/h, the vehicle suddenly slows down and stops braking in the left lane. This is not a safe situation!”
2. 465 km on paper, 370 km on screen
“When I bought the car, the km range was stated as 465, but when I charge the car to 100%, the range shows 370-380 km. I am trying to reach the service, they say I need to calibrate. However, I have gone over 4,000 km, but it still shows the same range.”
3. The vehicle does not charge at any station
“I trusted the campaign and went out of town, and the result was disappointment. The vehicle does not charge at any station. This is a complete regret. If you are not going to succeed, why are you campaigning?”
4. I pre-ordered, the price keeps going up
“I placed a pre-order on 08.04.2025, but the amount we need to pay back has increased by 30,000 TL. I don’t understand why our refund fee has increased when the prices of the packages we purchased as part of the campaign have changed.”
5. I cannot use many features of my full package vehicle
“I have a 2024 model electric vehicle and I keep getting the 'Update failed' error. I call for a service appointment but no one calls back. I cannot use many features of my full package vehicle and this is damaging the brand value.”
6. Sales but no support
“I have been experiencing constant power system failures in the vehicle I bought 5 months ago. More problems occur after each update. Remote access has never worked and I have been waiting 1 month for a service appointment.”
7. There is no contact person after selling the car
“It takes at least 1 hour to reach customer service. You are in a waiting line with 40 people and you can reach the representative only after 1 hour. There is no contact person after selling the car.”
8. The glass ceiling was punctured while driving and we narrowly escaped disaster
“While I was travelling with my electric car, a stone from the road pierced the glass roof and went inside. I am preparing to sue the brand for this security breach.”
Source: (BYZHA) Beyaz News Agency
