The current upgrading catalysts are mainly based on the use of expensive noble metals, which are subject to deactivation due to sintering and coking. An alternative would be to introduce a non-noble metal-based catalyst. In this work, supported molybdenum carbide based systems have been assessed for this purpose. These catalysts were formed by impregnation of zirconia (and zirconium hydroxide) and sulfated zirconia (and zirconium hydroxide) with different loadings of MoO3, with an aim of finding a balance between acid sites and metal-like sites (a site capable of performing dehydrogenation and hydrogenation function without necessarily being a metal). The synthesised catalysts were carburised between 823 and 1123 K using a mixture of methane and hydrogen (4:1) in an attempt to obtain β-Mo2C/ZrO2 or β-Mo2C/S ZrO2. Carburisation at 923 K and above resulted in molybdenum carbide with minimal or no oxygen contents. The conversion and specific rate increased with temperature. Conversion was inversely proportional to space velocity. Analysis of the products distribution as a function of conversion implies that the reaction did not simply follow a consecutive reaction pathway, but that other parallel routes were involved. Conversion increased the research octane number (RON) to ca. 66 due to the increased fraction of pentane isomers. Catalyst carburised at 823 K was approximately four times more active compared to those carburised at 923 K and above, but were of similar activity with Pt/sulfated zirconia. The non-noble metal based catalysts were stable at the reaction temperature while the Pt/sulfated zirconia catalyst deactivates.