The Skywell ET5, the fully electric SUV model from the Chinese car manufacturer Skywell, which has sold over 3,000 units in Turkey, has been making headlines in recent months due to a series of fires. With the latest fire in Istanbul, the number of Skywell ET5s that have caught fire in the last six months has reached eight.

While Ulu Motor, the brand’s distributor in Turkey, argues that the incidents are due to user and external factors, vehicle owners and experts are demanding that the Ministry of Industry and Technology intervene and launch an official investigation.

Skywell Experiences Eight Separate Fire Incidents in Six Months

The series of fires continues in Skywell ET5 models, thousands of which are still on Turkish roads. Vehicles suddenly catching fire while parked or charging at stations are reopening the debate on electric vehicle safety.

Examining the fire map of the last six months reveals the seriousness of the situation:

• March 2026 (Kayseri): Vehicle caught fire while parked.

• May 2026 (Diyarbakır): Vehicle caught fire while parked.

• June 2026 (İzmir): Vehicle caught fire while parked.

• July 2026 (Konya, Kayseri, Muğla): Vehicles caught fire while charging in three different cities.

• August 2026 (Ankara, İstanbul): With the incidents in Istanbul and Ankara, the number of incidents has risen to eight.

According to ODMD data, a total of 3,279 Skywell ET5 vehicles were delivered to Turkey between 2023 and 2025. Following new regulations regarding electric vehicles imported from China, imports of the model to Turkey have stopped. However, concerns are growing for the more than 3,000 vehicles currently on the roads.

Distributor Ulu Motor and Users Face Off

Following the fires, attention turned to the Turkish distributor, Ulu Motor, who emphasizes that there are no chronic manufacturing defects in the vehicles.

Distributor officials state that in their investigations, four of the vehicles involved in the fires suffered significant damage to the main battery from below, one vehicle spent bodywork repair without removing the battery, and five vehicles contained pirated software that did not comply with Turkish regulations.

Vehicle Owners Complain About Insufficient Software Support

Vehicle users are reacting to the distributor’s statements. Users, stating that there have been no unauthorized interventions or accidents in their vehicles, say that they are encountering these kinds of dangers despite not neglecting service maintenance.

They also say that the software updates promised at the time of sale have not arrived, and some users have had to seek solutions to the system problems on their own.

Will the Ministry Intervene? Request for Official Investigation

The vehicles in question contain high-capacity lithium-ion batteries. The continuation of the fires poses a safety risk not only for vehicle owners but also for all citizens in traffic and parking areas.

Law No. 7223 on Product Safety and Technical Regulations allows for the withdrawal and recall of risky products from the market by the manufacturer or importer, or at the request of the competent authorities.

At this point, the Ministry of Industry and Technology, responsible for market supervision and control in the automotive sector, and the Ministry of Trade, which protects consumer rights, are expected to launch a comprehensive technical investigation.