How to rent a car in Dubai. Features, tips, and recommendations

The UAE has always been among the best locations if we are speaking about road quality. The country was ranked first globally in 2016–2018 for road development and maintenance. And this means that there are the best roads worldwide! And every driver must try it: driving on such roads is a huge delight! (Often these are large wide 6-8 lanes in each direction of the highway).

Hiring a vehicle in the United Arab Emirates will not be difficult, but is it worth it? The Arab Emirates is a fairly young country; if you come for a week or two to relax or go shopping, you are unlikely to need a car. In this case, it is better and easier to use taxi services. But if you want to see as much as possible, visit several emirates, or just can not imagine a vacation without freedom of movement, then you need to rent a car. A lot of rental companies will provide you with plenty of options like Ferrari hire Dubai or many others.

Documents

The Arab Emirates is gaining popularity as a tourist destination. However, we want to warn you that international rights are required for renting. A prerequisite for providing a car is the age of the driver, who must be more than 21 years old. If you are younger, you will need to look for a rental office, where you will still be given a four-wheeled vehicle to pay for extra insurance.

Payment

Modern technologies, it would seem, should make life easier for travelers, but it also happens the other way around. For example, in the United Arab Emirates, for some reason, debit cards are not very favored by some rental companies. And it does not matter that you have it with all degrees of protection (convex number, first name and surname of the cardholder, CVV). But with a credit card, such problems usually do not arise.

If you rent a car directly on the spot, then you can pay in cash, but not through the Internet. Moreover, the most tempting promotional offers and low prices can be “caught” on the network much in advance of the trip. And the choice will be richer. It is better to book a car 2-3 weeks or even earlier. In this scenario, you will have a wider selection of cars and the best price options. If you expect to rent without reservation, be prepared to pay 20-30% more. But card payment has a significant disadvantage – blocking of funds. So you need to be prepared for this.

Vehicle inspection

This is a very important point when booking. Perhaps the most important and responsible. All chips, scratches, dents, and stains should be recorded on your phone and the contract sheet.

Roads, rules, and fines

The roads are great! They are perfectly smooth and you just want to accelerate and ride with the breeze, but remember that various cameras control the speed mode. In populated areas, you need to go no faster than 60 km/h, while on high-speed roads you can accelerate up to 100 km/h.

Fines for traffic violations are simply enormous, so it is better not to violate them. Transporting children under 6 years old without a child seat is forbidden, but no one checks this in practice. Cars are not stopped in the UAE to review documents. There is no point – everything is recorded on numerous cameras. But your children’s health is your concern, so it is better to rent a child seat. In addition, the local population has a rather sharp driving style, so extreme care and concentration are mandatory.

The signs on the roads are bilingual (English and Arabic).

Navigators are available for a fee. Many travelers carry their navigators or use mobile apps, which they are used to, to travel comfortably. Radar detectors are also carried with them, but the problem is that there are too many cameras in cities and this device beeps constantly and the whole point of using it is lost.

There are problems with parking periodically. In large shopping malls, they are usually free, but it is difficult to park on the streets.

Parking machines accept 1 AED.

Final recommendations

Carefully read the lease agreement before signing. We also highly recommend carefully inspecting the car before signing the contract and fixing all the existing damage in the special form. Drive carefully, without breaking the speed limit. It is better to get maps in advance and plot the route of your trip. And in this case, you will surely have a wonderful unforgettable journey!