The UAE has emerged as the Gulf’s leading market for electric vehicle readiness, ranking 22nd globally as EVs accounted for around 9 per cent of new vehicle sales in 2025, according to a new report by Arthur D. Little.
The UAE scored 53 points in the 2026 Global Electric Mobility Readiness Index , making it the highest-ranked GCC market among the 31 markets assessed.
The report found that the global race towards electric mobility is increasingly being determined not simply by vehicle technology, but by the wider ecosystem surrounding EVs from charging infrastructure and affordability to regulation, energy and customer readiness.
EVs reach 9% of UAE new car sales
Electric vehicles accounted for around 9 per cent of new vehicle sales in the UAE in 2025, according to the report.
Battery electric vehicles represented around 6 to 8 per cent, while plug-in hybrids accounted for another 2.5 per cent.
Charging infrastructure has also expanded to approximately 2,800 charging points nationwide, including around 1,250 DC charging points and 350 high-power charging units.
The UAE has set a long-term target for 50 per cent of vehicles on its roads to be electric or hybrid by 2050, while Dubai aims for EVs to account for more than 15 per cent of its vehicle fleet by 2030.
UAE tops Gulf markets
Joseph Salem, Partner and Middle East lead for Travel, Transportation and Hospitality at Arthur D. Little, said the UAE’s position reflects a market with growing visibility and a clear direction for its EV ecosystem.
He said EV adoption is gaining momentum alongside continued investment in charging infrastructure and long-term mobility ambitions.
The next step, he said, is to continue aligning infrastructure, vehicle availability and customer need to turn that momentum into broader market adoption.
China and Norway lead globally
Globally, China and Norway are the only two markets to score above 100 on the index, indicating broad readiness parity between EVs and traditional internal combustion engine vehicles.
China scored 106 and Norway 103, followed by Singapore at 96 and the Netherlands at 90.
ADL said China’s position reflects an ecosystem combining vehicle technology, manufacturing scale, battery and component supply chains, software, charging infrastructure, energy economics, incentives and regulation.
Different countries, different paths
The report found that the EV transition is increasingly moving at different speeds across markets.
Türkiye, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brazil are gaining momentum through different combinations of affordability, infrastructure, industrial policy and domestic companies.
ADL said battery-electric vehicles are unlikely to scale at the same speed everywhere, with plug-in hybrids and range-extended electric vehicles potentially continuing to act as a bridge in some markets.
Alexander Krug, Partner in Arthur D. Little’s Automotive and Manufacturing Goods practice, said the world would not become fully electric “at one speed or through one pathway”, with successful companies needing to understand individual markets and their ecosystems
Source: Khaleej Times