How Much Will It Cost to Charge an Electric Car in Oman?

Oman will introduce regulated electric vehicle charging fees from October 1, 2026, with public charging prices ranging from 50 to 120 Baisa per kilowatt-hour. But what does that mean for an EV owner in actual riyals?

The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, acting in coordination with the Authority for Public Services Regulation and Oman Net Zero Centre, has announced a new pricing structure for electric vehicle charging stations across the Sultanate of Oman.

Under the approved structure, drivers will pay according to the power capacity of the charger being used:

• 90 kW or below: 50 Baisa per kWh
• 91 kW to 180 kW: 90 Baisa per kWh
• 181 kW or above: 120 Baisa per kWh

The tariffs will come into effect on October 1, 2026. For motorists considering the switch to an electric vehicle, however, the more important question is relatively straightforward: how much will it actually cost to charge the car?

A Full Charge, as per an OERLive analysis, could Cost From Around OMR 3. But the answer also largely depends on the size of the EV’s battery and the type of public charger being used.

Take an electric vehicle equipped with a 60 kWh battery. Charging it theoretically from 0 to 100 per cent would cost approximately:

For an EV with a larger 75 kWh battery, the equivalent cost would rise to approximately OMR 3.75, OMR 6.75 or OMR 9, depending on the charger.

A large EV carrying a 100 kWh battery would theoretically cost between OMR 5 and OMR 12 for a complete charge.

Indicative Full-Charge Costs

These calculations represent the theoretical energy cost of adding the stated amount of electricity. In normal use, motorists are unlikely to repeatedly charge from completely empty to 100 per cent, meaning individual charging sessions could be considerably cheaper.

What About the Cost of Driving 100 km?

Battery capacity tells only part of the story. It is efficiency that determines how far an EV can travel on that electricity.

Consider an EV consuming 18 kWh for every 100 km travelled. At Oman’s new public charging rates, approximately 100 km of driving would cost:

• OMR 0.90 using a charger priced at 50 bz/kWh
• OMR 1.62 using a charger priced at 90 bz/kWh
• OMR 2.16 using a charger priced at 120 bz/kWh

An especially efficient EV consuming around 15 kWh/100 km would cost roughly 750 Baisa to OMR 1.80 per 100 km, depending on the charging tier.

A less efficient EV consuming 20 kWh/100 km would cost approximately OMR 1 to OMR 2.40 per 100 km. That makes the choice of charging station increasingly important to the economics of EV ownership.

Faster Charging Comes at a Premium

Oman’s pricing structure effectively places a premium on higher-powered charging infrastructure. Moving from the lowest category to a charger of 181 kW or more increases the energy tariff from 50 Baisa to 120 Baisa per kWh – more than double the lowest rate.

The trade-off is speed: higher-powered DC chargers can replenish compatible electric vehicles much faster, making them particularly useful during long-distance journeys or when motorists cannot afford to leave their cars charging for extended periods.

Lower-powered chargers, meanwhile, are likely to make greater economic sense when the vehicle can remain connected for longer. The system therefore introduces a familiar consumer choice: pay less and potentially wait longer, or pay more for faster charging.

Why Oman Is Introducing the New Fees

According to the Ministry, the tariff structure follows a study examining the economic and operational aspects of EV charging stations. Among the factors considered were the capital cost of establishing charging stations, operating expenses, charging equipment speeds, utilisation rates and the period required for investors to recover their investment.

The intention is to strike a balance between keeping electric mobility affordable for consumers while ensuring that charging infrastructure remains commercially viable for operators and investors.

Surveys were also conducted among EV owners, industry stakeholders and other interested parties to assess expectations surrounding pricing and charging services.

The authorities said the study found that charging an EV at service stations would remain cheaper than operating a gasoline-powered vehicle, reinforcing the economic case for electric mobility alongside its environmental benefits.

Oman Is Building a More Structured EV Charging Market

The announcement represents another step in the development of Oman’s still-emerging electric vehicle ecosystem. Charging points are currently operated by companies including Shell Oman Marketing and First Electric Vehicle Company, while additional operators are undertaking planning and feasibility studies.

Those assessments include potential charging locations, technical requirements, operations and connections to the electricity grid. The arrival of additional providers could become increasingly important as EV adoption grows, particularly along major highways, residential areas, commercial centres and intercity routes.

One App to Find Oman’s Chargers

Another major element of Oman’s EV strategy is the development of a unified national electric vehicle charging platform known as the “Charger App.” The platform is intended to bring information from different charging providers into a single interface.

EV drivers will be able to check charging locations, the number of chargers at individual stations, their availability and operating status, charger types and capacities, opening hours and the applicable charging fees.

Such a system could become particularly important as the charging network expands and motorists begin choosing stations not simply according to location, but also according to speed, availability and price.

So, How Much Should an EV Owner Expect to Pay?

For many mainstream electric cars, a substantial public recharge could cost only a few riyals. A 60 kWh EV, for example, would require about OMR 3 worth of electricity at the lowest public charging tariff, while using Oman’s fastest charging category for the same amount of energy would cost around OMR 7.20.

For a driver covering 100 km in an EV consuming 18 kWh/100 km, the electricity bill could range from 900 Baisa to OMR 2.16, depending on where and how quickly the vehicle is charged.

That difference also highlights what could become one of the most important considerations for EV owners in Oman: the economics of an electric car will depend not simply on how much electricity it consumes, but on where the owner chooses to charge it.

From October, motorists will have a clearer answer to one of the biggest questions surrounding EV ownership in Oman — and, for those able to make regular use of lower-cost charging, running an electric car could remain an increasingly compelling proposition.