Only one EV for every 1,000 vehicles in Bahrain

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

One electric car for every 1,000 vehicles. That is roughly how few EVs are on Bahrain’s roads, despite new charging rules and 12 charging stations across the kingdom.

Car market estimates put the number of electric vehicles at about 800. Bahrain had 794,677 licensed vehicles in use at the end of 2025.

High prices, worries over charging, costly batteries and repairs, scarce spare parts, insurance costs and too few trained mechanics are still putting buyers off.

EV ownership has yet to keep pace with the work being done on charging and regulation.

Bahrain had 12 EV charging stations by June, including 10 ultra-fast chargers and two slower chargers. Five ultra-fast stations were opened at sites across the kingdom in October 2025.

Bahrain also introduced rules governing EV charging last year under Decision No. 1 of 2025.

They cover links to the electricity grid, safety, approved equipment and contractors, home charging and commercial charging. An electronic register also records charger owners, power use, locations and the capacity of equipment linked to the grid.

Shura Council Services Committee deputy head Talal Al Mannai said Bahrain would have to keep reviewing its rules as cars, batteries, power storage and charging systems changed.

He said allowing electric vehicles into the market alone was not enough.

‘The next stage should not be limited to easing vehicle imports,’ Mr Al Mannai said. ‘The whole system must be reviewed as use increases.’

Bahrain would also need enough reliable charging points, clear technical and safety rules and enough power in the grid as EV use rose, he said.

Renewable power would need to grow at the same time.

Mr Al Mannai said Decision No. 1 of 2025 had been an important step by laying down rules for connecting and running chargers.

He is also among Shura Council members who put forward a proposed renewable energy law that has been approved by the council and is continuing through Parliament.

The draft would give the relevant body powers to draw up rules for electric vehicle charging stations.

MP Ahmed Al Salloom, chairman of Parliament’s Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, called for more chargers in housing areas, shopping districts and along main roads.

He said private firms should be given incentives to build and run charging stations.

Mr Al Salloom said low EV take-up could not be tackled through charging points alone.

‘We need a phased national plan linking transport, energy, investment and legislation, rather than dealing with each sector separately,’ he said.

He also said the gains from electric cars depended partly on how the electricity used to charge them was generated.

Greater EV use should therefore go hand in hand with greater use of renewable power, he said.

For now, petrol-powered vehicles still make up almost all traffic on Bahrain’s roads.