2026 Middle East Automotive Consumer Study

Twelve-month purchase intent fell from 82% to 28% in the UAE and from 79% to 21% in Saudi Arabia. The detail that matters is what buyers did next: most pushed their purchase beyond the year rather than abandoning it, and only around 7% left the market entirely. 

82% of UAE and 79% of Saudi consumers are open to changing brands, ahead of every other market in the region. Where each brand sits with a single exclusive distributor, that openness carries a sharper cost than the number alone suggests. 

Petrol still leads future purchase intent in both markets, though hybrids are gaining double-digit ground. What motivates an EV purchase diverges: UAE buyers are drawn by the driving experience, Saudi buyers by running costs. One regional message underperforms in both. 

Middle East consumers lead EMEA in willingness to research and buy online. Yet building trust with a salesperson remains the single most important part of the purchase experience in both markets, which reshapes what a digital-first strategy should actually be for.

40% of consumers would buy today given the right offer, and the levers they name are extended warranties, zero-interest financing and comprehensive insurance. Discounts do not make the list. A further 22% sit undecided and reachable.

Authorized dealers hold around 70% of service on new vehicles, but that share falls away steeply as vehicles age, moving to independents and to owners servicing cars themselves. The point at which it breaks is more specific, and more actionable, than it first appears.