Price Index

Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric 612,900 AEDBMW 7 Series 750e 489,000 AEDZeekr 9X 369,900 AEDToyota Land Cruiser VX 329,000 SARLynk & Co 900 255,000 AEDLexus NX 350h 219,500 SARMercedes-Benz GLA 250 195,000 AEDBYD Seal Design 149,900 AEDJetour T2 1.5T 112,000 SARPorsche Cayenne Turbo Electric 612,900 AEDBMW 7 Series 750e 489,000 AEDZeekr 9X 369,900 AEDToyota Land Cruiser VX 329,000 SARLynk & Co 900 255,000 AEDLexus NX 350h 219,500 SARMercedes-Benz GLA 250 195,000 AEDBYD Seal Design 149,900 AEDJetour T2 1.5T 112,000 SAR

Thursday 1 October 2026 — 19 Rabi al-Thani 1448العربية

Last updated 09:42 Gulf time
Dubai desk

Breaking08:30BYD sales rise 17% in September as exports more than double

Tag archive

Consumer research

Everything the Gulf Auto newsroom has published under “Consumer research” — reports, analysis and data tables, newest first.

19 stories

14:40

The Jeddah waterfront in Saudi Arabia

Data & Rankings

Saudi Arabia versus the UAE: two markets falling at the same rate and differing in everything else

A table comparing the size and direction of the two markets, how concentrated the lead is in each, and where Chinese marques sit.

1 October · 5 min read · 104K views

12:50

Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai

Data & Rankings

Toyota holds the UAE lead with a 21% share despite a 31% decline

The long-standing leader lost a third of its August sales while Mitsubishi rose 123% and Jetour and BYD entered the top five.

1 October · 4 min read · 210K views

11:15

A Changan Deepal S7 electric car

Huawei’s alliance falls 29% even as the smart driving race intensifies

The HIMA alliance posted the sharpest decline among September’s manufacturers at 29.15%, in a market where smart driving systems have moved from a differentiator to standard equipment.

1 October · 5 min read · 134K views

07:20

An Emarat filling station at Masfut, west of Hatta in the UAE

Markets & Prices

UAE fuel prices in October 2026 reach their highest since 2022

Super 98 at AED 4.40, Special 95 at 4.28, E-Plus 91 at 4.21 and diesel at 4.80 — the price has passed four dirhams a litre for the first time in four years.

1 October · 4 min read · 167K views

16:10

An MG HS sports utility vehicle

Data & Rankings

The Chinese marque map in the Gulf: who distributes what, and where

A table linking ten Chinese marques to their distributors and markets, revealing the dominant pattern in how they enter the region.

29 September · 5 min read · 153K views

15:10

A hall at an international motor show

An eleven-team grid in 2026: Cadillac enters and Audi replaces Sauber

The first expansion of the Formula 1 grid since 2016, and with it a complete redrawing of the power unit supply map — with Saudi Aramco as title partner to one of the teams.

27 September · 5 min read · 204K views

08:40

A GO filling station on Highway 40 in the Narjis district of Riyadh at dusk

Markets & Prices

Saudi petrol prices: 91 at SAR 2.18 and 95 at 2.33

Aramco’s September 2026 prices keep the gap with the UAE wide in the common grades, while the price of 98 converges between the two markets.

21 September · 4 min read · 188K views

10:25

An electric vehicle charging station

Data & Rankings

Gulf charging networks by the numbers: targets against reality

A table bringing together the targets of E2GO, EVIQ, ADNOC and Dubai, and measuring the distance between what exists and what has been announced.

18 September · 4 min read · 195K views

15:30

An Apollo Go Apollo RT6 robotaxi on the road in Wuhan, China

Why Chinese companies lead the Gulf robotaxi race

Three Chinese companies operate or test in the UAE while their American rivals stay in their home markets — and the reason is as much regulatory as commercial.

12 September · 5 min read · 201K views

14:00

A Chery Tiggo 8 sports utility vehicle

The Middle East rises to third place in Chery’s export markets

Chery exported 21,123 vehicles to the Middle East in July, BYD 13,164 and Geely 7,148, making the region the standout growth point in Chinese car exports.

11 September · 5 min read · 99.3K views

08:20

Visitors around a car at the Dubai International Motor Show in 2015

Data & Rankings

Who buys cars in the Gulf? The 2026 buyer profile

Average age 37, average spend 112,000 dirhams, a new car every four years, two-thirds bought on finance. This report draws the Gulf new-car buyer in numbers, and unpacks the variation the averages hide.

18 August · 11 min read · 79.8K views

09:50

An MG HS sports utility vehicle

Markets & Prices

Four Chinese marques in Saudi Arabia’s top ten with a 13.4% share

MG, Haval, Jetour and Changan entered the top ten in the first half of 2026 with a combined 13.4% share, in a market down 23.5% overall.

12 August · 5 min read · 196K views

09:05

A Jetour T2 sports utility vehicle

Data & Rankings

Thirty-eight points: how age divides the Gulf market for Chinese marques

Seventy-one per cent of under-35s place a Chinese marque among their serious options, against thirty-three per cent of over-50s. This report measures the widest age gap in the Gulf market and explains what it means.

10 March · 10 min read · 149K views

09:50

Data & Rankings

A quarter of buyers: women in the Gulf car market

From under three per cent in Saudi Arabia before 2018 to twenty-one today. This report measures the fastest change in Gulf buyer composition in two decades and explains its effect on segments, equipment and showrooms.

23 September · 10 min read · 165K views

10:05

A Nissan GT-R on display at the 2007 Dubai Motor Show

Data & Rankings

What does the Gulf buyer actually want? Ranking the purchase criteria

In five years the weight of cabin technology jumped 24 points and performance fell 11. This report measures what settles the purchase decision in the Gulf today, and what removes a car from the list for good.

15 July · 10 min read · 123K views

09:40

Data & Rankings

Ninety-seven days: the Gulf car-buying journey from the start

Between the moment a buyer first thinks about a new car and the moment they take delivery lie 97 days on average, 41 of them spent on a screen before seeing a single showroom. This report tracks the journey stage by stage and measures where it is settled.

9 April · 11 min read · 171K views

08:35

Umm Hurair Road near the Oud Metha district of Dubai

Data & Rankings

Why does the Gulf buyer change cars every four years?

The ownership cycle is 3.6 years in the UAE, 5.6 in Oman and 7.2 in Western Europe. This report unpacks the reasons for the gap, measures what it actually costs, and identifies when fast replacement is sound rather than wasteful.

26 November · 10 min read · 207K views

08:15

A street scene in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Data & Rankings

How Gulf buyers pay: finance, instalments and the down payment

Sixty-three per cent of transactions run through finance, and the monthly payment has been roughly flat since 2019 despite rising prices. This report explains how the market absorbed higher prices by lengthening contracts, and what that means for buyers.

14 May · 10 min read · 255K views

10:40

A Nissan GT-R on display at the 2007 Dubai Motor Show

Data & Rankings

From four visits to one: how digital research changed the purchase

In 2015 a Gulf buyer visited showrooms four and a half times before buying. Today they visit 1.7 times. This report measures the shift and explains why fewer visits does not mean the showroom matters less.

17 October · 10 min read · 238K views