New to DubaiCar rental in Dubai: what to check before you drive away
If you're visiting, you can usually rent a car in Dubai on your home licence. Some visitors also need an international driving permit, depending on which country issued their licence. Once you have a residence visa, you need a UAE licence. Before you sign for any car rental in Dubai, check five things: the deposit, the insurance excess, the mileage limit, how Salik tolls are billed and how fines are passed on to you.
Most of the nasty surprises with rental cars turn up after you've handed the keys back. This guide covers what to ask at the counter so they don't happen to you.
Which licence lets you rent a car
It depends on who issued your licence, and on whether you're a visitor or a resident.
Visitors from countries such as the UK, the USA, Canada, Germany, France, South Korea and Japan can drive on their own licence while on a visit or tourist visa. Visitors from other countries also need an international driving permit (IDP). That's a translation booklet you get in your home country before you travel, and you carry it alongside your original licence. Lists like this change, so check with the rental company before you book, not when you're standing at the counter.
Residents get no wiggle room. Once your residence visa is issued, your foreign licence and IDP no longer let you drive here. Big rental firms say in their terms that they won't rent to a resident without a UAE licence. Whether you can simply swap your licence or need lessons depends on the country that issued it. Our guide to getting a UAE driving licence explains both routes.
Rental companies also set their own rules on age and how long you've held your licence. Avis UAE, for example, asks every driver to have held their licence for at least a year. Ask about this before you book, especially if you have your eye on a sports or luxury car.
What to bring to the counter
Have these ready and the paperwork is quick. Forget one and you're heading back to your hotel.
- Your passport, with your entry stamp or visa
- Your driving licence, plus an IDP if your country needs one
- A credit card in the main driver's name for the deposit. If you only have a debit card, ask in advance whether it will be accepted
- If you're a resident: your Emirates ID and UAE driving licence
- The details of anyone else who will drive. Extra drivers need to be approved and named on the rental agreement, so never hand the keys to a friend who isn't on it
The deposit: how it's taken and when you get it back
Most companies take the deposit as a hold on your credit card, not a charge. The money stays in your account, but you can't spend it.
The timing is what catches people out. Expect the hold to stay in place after you return the car. Salik tolls and traffic fines take time to reach the rental company, and it wants to be sure it can cover them. If money is tight in your first month, that blocked amount matters.
Ask these questions before you sign. If you can, get the answers written into the contract.
- How is the deposit taken, and how long will it be held after I return the car?
- What can be deducted from it?
- Will I get an itemised statement showing every toll and fine?
- Do you add an admin charge to each toll or fine?
Insurance, the excess and what to do after a scrape
Ask what insurance comes with the price, then find the number that really matters: the excess. That's the amount you pay yourself if the car is damaged, before the insurance pays the rest. Companies will offer extra cover to lower the excess or remove it. Read what that cover actually includes, because tyres, windscreens and the underside of the car are sometimes left out.
If anything happens to the car, even a small scrape in a car park, report it. If nobody is hurt and the damage is minor, move the car to the side of the road and use the Dubai Police app. You fill in the details, add photos of the damage, and the police send the accident report by email or text. If anyone is injured, call 999. Then call the rental company and ask what else it needs from you. Without an official report, it's your word against theirs when the repair bill arrives.
Planning a trip to Oman? Don't assume your rental covers it. Ask the company in writing before you book, and get any permission and extra cover confirmed on paper.
Mileage limits and fuel
Plenty of deals, especially the cheap-looking daily ones, come with a daily kilometre limit. Go over it and you pay for every extra kilometre. A couple of weekend runs to Abu Dhabi or Hatta can use up a limit faster than you'd think, so plan your trips before you choose a deal.
Monthly rentals often have a limit too, just a bigger one. Check whether it's per month or added up over the whole contract.
With fuel, the usual deal is full to full: you collect the car with a full tank and bring it back full. Return it short and the company fills it up at its own rate. Fill up at a petrol station close to the drop-off point.
Salik tolls, fines and driving in other emirates
Salik is Dubai's road toll system. Cars carry a tag on the windscreen, and you're charged automatically every time you pass under a toll gate. With a rental car, the toll goes on the company's account and the company bills you for it afterwards. You won't see or hear anything when you pass a gate, so it's easy to lose count.
Fines work the same way. Speed cameras, red-light cameras and parking tickets all go to the car's registered owner, which is the rental company, and it passes them on to you. That's the main reason your deposit is held after you return the car. Our guide on how to check and pay fines in Dubai shows you how to see what's showing against you.
Salik only covers Dubai. If you'll drive into Abu Dhabi or other emirates, ask the company how tolls and fines from there are billed, because they'll still reach you through it. Speed limits change from road to road too, so follow the signs, not habit. And if you're thinking of living in Sharjah and driving to work in Dubai every day, the NTD Team's honest view is that it's a very frustrating commute, and we don't recommend it.
Before you drive away: a five-minute checklist
Do this every time, even when you're in a hurry. It's the one habit that protects your deposit.
- Film a slow walk around the car, including the roof, wheels, bumpers and windscreen, with the rental lot visible in the background
- Photograph every scratch and dent, and make sure each one is marked on the company's damage sheet
- Check the fuel level and the mileage, and that both are written on your contract
- Switch on the air conditioning and let it run for a minute. Better to find out now than in August traffic
- Check the car's registration card is in the car
- Save the company's breakdown and accident number in your phone
- Confirm the return time and what happens if you're late
Renting long term or buying
Renting by the month while your visa and licence are being sorted means no long commitment and no paperwork beyond the rental contract. Just remember the licence rule: once you're a resident, you need a UAE licence to keep renting. If you're staying longer, buying may make more sense. Our guide to buying a car in Dubai covers new and used cars, finance and registration.
The overall cost of renting depends on the type of car, how long you keep it, how far you drive, which insurance option you choose and how often you pass under toll gates. If you only need a car now and then, compare renting with the metro and taxis first. Our guide to getting around with the RTA and the Nol card explains how they work.
Ask around, then check for yourself
Talk to people who have lived here and rented cars. They'll tell you which companies treated them fairly and which ones held on to a deposit for months. Listen, but don't treat any one person's advice as the final word. Things change quickly in Dubai, so always get a second opinion and check the current rules before you sign anything.
Next step
Licences, buying, fines and the rest of life on the road are covered in our cars and driving guides. Start with whichever one fits where you are right now.