The deciding factor in electric vehicle adoption is no longer the vehicle itself – it is the broader ecosystem around it. That is the central finding of Arthur D. Little’s 2026 Global Electric Mobility Readiness Index (GEMRIX), which ranks 31 markets across five dimensions including charging infrastructure, total cost of ownership, customer readiness and regulation.
The UAE places 22nd globally with a score of 53, the highest of any GCC market in the index. A score of 100 represents broad parity between electric and internal combustion engine vehicles. Only China (106) and Norway (103) have crossed that threshold. Singapore (96) and the Netherlands (90) follow closely.
Within the UAE, EVs accounted for around 9% of new vehicle sales in 2025, with battery electric vehicles making up roughly 6 per cent –8 per cent and plug-in hybrids 2.5 per cent. Charging infrastructure has grown to approximately 2,800 points nationally, including around 1,250 DC chargers and 350 high-power charging units.
The country is targeting 50 per cent of all vehicles on the road to be electric or hybrid by 2050, with Dubai aiming for more than 15 per cent EV share in its fleet by 2030.
“The world will not become 100% electric at one speed or through one pathway; winners will read each ecosystem and act before the market opportunity is obvious,” Alexander Krug, Partner, Automotive & Manufacturing Goods Practice, Arthur D. Little said in a statement.
“The UAE’s position in GEMRIX 2026 reflects an EV market 2 with growing visibility and a clear ecosystem direction. EV adoption is gaining momentum alongside continued investment in charging infrastructure and strong long-term mobility ambitions. The opportunity now is to keep aligning infrastructure, vehicle availability and customer needs to translate this momentum into broader market scale,” Joseph Salem, Partner and Middle East lead for the Travel, Transportation, and Hospitality practice, Arthur D. Little added.
The index’s global findings point to a transition that is moving at different speeds across different markets. Europe is accelerating, while Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brazil are gaining ground through varying combinations of affordability, industrial policy and local champions. Plug-in hybrids and range-extended EVs remain a bridge technology in several of these markets.
“The EV race is no longer just about vehicle technology. Chinese success shows what happens when product, manufacturing and supply chains, infrastructure, energy and policy are orchestrated as one system. Thanks to this, Chinese OEMs now increasingly dominate the global market through targeted export of not only vehicles but of full EV ecosystems,” Dr. Philipp Seidel, Principal, Automotive & Manufacturing Goods Practice, Arthur D. Little further explained.
