In 2022, the increased utilization of electric vehicles (EVs) curtailed global carbon dioxide emissions by 13 gigatons. While EV ownership has been on the rise in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), accounting for approximately 1.3% of passenger car vehicles in 2022, it has not yet attained a level of economic feasibility compared to petroleum vehicles. The authors examined consumers’ opinions in the UAE toward adopting EVs for light-duty transport from the economic and geographic perspectives. The main research question was the following: to what extent do economic and geographic factors affect consumers’ opinions toward adopting EVs in the UAE? The objectives were to determine if a relationship exists between economic factors, such as saving money on petroleum, the cost of car maintenance, the cost of purchase, and income level, and geographic factors, including 14 cities across the seven Emirates that affect consumers’ opinions toward adopting EVs. We designed a survey that was distributed to a sample of 5459 respondents to examine this relationship. Descriptive and inferential statistics as well as PyData analytical techniques complemented by the application of data visualization tools such as Seaborn, Plotly, and Matplotlib were employed to examine the dataset. The findings demonstrated that respondents across all income levels have a positive outlook regarding the appeal of EVs for saving money on petroleum, while their interest in saving money on car maintenance and the initial cost of purchase became more pronounced in the higher income levels. Moreover, there were variations in preferences in highly populated Emirates (e.g., Dubai and Abu Dhabi) compared to Emirates with lower populations (e.g., Ras Al Khaimah and Umm al Quwain), confirming that much more emphasis is required to promote EVs in rural areas. When comparing multiple income groups to determine the impact of different factors, the ANOVA confirmed the prevailing patterns evident in the associations.

The aim of this study was to examine consumers’ opinions toward adopting electric vehicles (EVs) for light-duty transport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from the functional value (i.e., the utility or benefit attained by consumers from the functions or tangible features associated with EVs) and symbolic value (i.e., the social meaning that consumers associate with EVs) perspectives. The primary research question was as follows: To what extent do functional and symbolic values affect consumers’ opinions toward adopting EVs in the UAE? The objectives were to determine if relationships exist between gender, age, and residency and the functional and symbolic values of consumers’ opinions toward adopting EVs. A survey of 5459 people was conducted in 14 cities across the seven emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain) to test the relationship. The results revealed that females, respondents aged 20–29, and residents living in Abu Dhabi City found more appealing functional and symbolic values regarding EVs.