UAE motorists fuelling demand for second-hand EVs

• Used EV share up 250% in 2023
• 70% more EVs on Dubai’s roads
• But EVs still only 1% of total

Demand for second-hand electric vehicles in the UAE may be in its infancy but it is accelerating fast as more people turn to the environmentally friendly option.

Electric vehicles (EVs) now account for around 1 percent of the UAE’s used car market and a little over 1 percent of all cars in the country, according to Dubai automotive data company AlgoDriven. 

Glenn Harwood, AlgoDriven’s CEO, said its data showed the share of used EVs traded in the UAE’s market increased by around 250 percent in 2023 and that this trajectory would continue.

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Harwood said the UAE’s approach to second-hand EVs was leading the way in the region. AlgoDriven’s data shows that Saudi Arabia has just 0.1 percent of used EVs, he said, and that they are a “negligible” proportion of used vehicles in other GCC countries.

Cost-conscious consumers can save themselves thousands by scouring the second-hand market. A pre-owned Tesla 2020 Model 3 long-range all-wheel-drive vehicle will cost AED122,000 ($33,000), while a brand new version of the same car is priced at AED204,990.

• If EVs can make it here, they can make it anywhere

• Dubai records 59% surge in EV charging sessions in 2023

• Abu Dhabi plans lithium plant to support EV growth

The UAE government has shown a strong commitment to promoting the use of electric vehicles as part of its efforts to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The UAE government has shown a strong commitment to promoting the use of electric vehicles as part of its efforts to reach zero carbon emissions by 2050.

There were almost 26,000 EVs in Dubai at the end of last year, according to the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, up 70 percent from a year earlier. And in Abu Dhabi there were 2,400 EVs and over 4,000 hybrids (cars combining a petrol engine with a battery and electric motor).

Demand for EVs in the UAE market is projected to experience a compound annual growth rate of 30 percent between 2022 and 2028, according to the Global Electric Mobility Readiness Index published in 2022 by consultants Arthur D. Little.