A group of Bahraini lawmakers is calling for an official study into introducing a lower-cost petrol grade or slashing the price of the existing budget fuel, warning that global energy markets remain strained by the ongoing regional conflict.
The proposal, led by Hassan Bukhammas, who chairs parliament’s foreign affairs, defence and national security committee, argues that the shrinking price gap between Bahrain’s fuel grades risks pushing the cheaper option out of the market altogether.
Four other MPs co-signed the initiative, which calls on the government and the Fuel Pricing and Monitoring Committee to reassess whether current pricing still delivers meaningful savings for motorists.
At the centre of the argument is the narrow 22-fils difference between a litre of Jayyid, Bahrain’s 91-octane grade priced at BD0.225, and Mumtaz, the 95-octane option at BD0.247. Super, the premium 98-octane fuel, costs BD0.380 per litre under this month’s rates.
Bukhammas noted that with only about BD1.100 separating the cost of filling a 50-litre tank with either grade, many drivers may simply opt for the higher grade, leaving Jayyid technically available at stations but no longer functioning as a genuine economy option.
The MPs are proposing that authorities explore introducing fuel with an octane rating below 90 — a grade already common in North America and parts of Asia, including Japan, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Such fuel does not differ in chemical purity from higher grades, though it limits how efficiently engines can be optimised, which can carry environmental trade-offs.
Modern vehicles typically compensate through onboard sensors that adjust ignition timing under strain, while refineries increasingly blend lower-octane fuel with ethanol and other renewable additives to offset emissions.
The call adds to ongoing parliamentary debate over Bahrain’s fuel-pricing framework, with legislators previously pressing for stronger protections against volatile international oil prices.
Bukhammas’s proposal shifts that conversation, focusing less on overall price levels and more on whether the gap between existing grades still gives cost-conscious motorists a real choice. Bharain Economy
