Bahrain Vehicle Market in 2024 grew 19.4% in 2024, extending a five-year streak. Jetour ranked 8th and Suzuki 10th, both making standout year-on-year gains.
Economic Environment
Bahrain’s economy is set to grow 3% in 2024 and 3.5% in 2025, driven by refinery upgrades and increased private sector investment. However, fiscal challenges remain, with a -8.5% fiscal balance and government debt rising to 123% of GDP, requiring further reforms.
Plans include expanding VAT, introducing corporate tax, reducing public spending, and reforming energy subsidies while protecting vulnerable groups. The financial sector remains stable, though strengthening regulations and developing local bond markets are encouraged. Structural reforms continue, focusing on labor market flexibility, higher female workforce participation, and improved data transparency.
Automotive Industry Trend and Outlook
Bahrain’s EV market surged 177.4% in 2024, though its overall share remains small. The government has expressed plans to develop the necessary infrastructure for EV expansion.
Toyota climbed two spots to lead the EV rankings, surpassing Porsche, while Hyundai secured third with strong growth. Mercedes, however, dropped two places to fourth.
Overall, Bahrain’s vehicle market grew 19.4% in 2024, marking its fifth consecutive year of expansion.
Looking at full-year data for 2024 brand-wise, Toyota remained the top brand, up 9%, followed by Nissan (+17.5%) and Hyundai (+4.6%). Lexus (+10.2%) and MG (+14%) rounded out the top five.
Among models, the Toyota Land Cruiser remained the best-seller (+19.9%), followed by the Toyota Hilux (+39.3%), which overtook the Nissan Sunny (+4.5%) despite its growth.
Medium-Term Market Trend
The economic crisis correlated with the fall of oil price in the international market hit the Bahrain automotive industry in 2016, with a delay compared with the other countries in the Gulf region. Indeed the market scored the all-time record in 2015, with 65,042 sales, before a sharp decline to 38,000 units in 2017.
In 2018 the market was flat while in 2019 it was again in a deep fall.
Indeed, in 2019 the economy was further hit by the government’s decision to introduce VAT tax from January 2019, with the effect to increase inflation and reduce consumer purchase power. Several consumer goods industries have declined and the automotive was certainly among them. Indeed, in the Full-year sales have been 31,836, down 18.1%.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic sales fell in 2020. In fact, 26,437 units have been sold, reporting a decline of 16.9% compared to 2019.
In 2021 the year started slightly negatively for the Bahrain market, in fact, in Q1 7,251 units have been sold, reporting a 1.5% decrease in sales compared to Q1 2020, while in Q2 sales started growing again, reporting a 23.8% increase in sales with 6,428 units sold.
In Q3 sales kept gaining 7.7% with 6,428 units, followed by a 8% drop in Q4 with 7,227 sales.
Indeed, Full-Year sales for 2021 have been 27,528, reporting a 3.7% increase compared to 2020.
In Q1 2022 sales dropped 16.7% with 5,853 units sold but started recovering 3.2% in Q2 with 6,483 units sold.
Sales in 2023 grew by 14.7%, while totaling 29,702 total sales.
Tables with sales figures
In the tables below we report sales for Top 10 Models.
