Are 'interest-free' car loans in Saudi really any different from conventional ones?

My cousin’s been in Saudi for a few years and recently bought a car. He was chuckling about how these so-called 'halal' or interest-free loans are basically repackaged to fit the local religious vibe. A lot of big car dealers there team up with Islamic banks to offer installment plans. Instead of charging interest, they just bump up the total cash price upfront. So the financing cost is baked into a fixed amount rather than being a floating rate. For example, a conventional loan might be: a $20,000 car with 7.99% interest ends up totaling $26,438 (with taxes varying by area). That’s about $552 a month over 48 months. Now the 'halal' version: they set a higher sticker price-say $27,000-so your monthly payment comes to $562. It’s essentially the same effect. They just inflate the price to match whatever term you pick, making it look like a simple payment plan. It’s like they’ve dressed up a loan with different words to call it halal, but the outcome feels pretty similar.