Driving in Dubai: 8 Rules Every Visitor Should Know
Visitors from many countries, including the US, the UK and the EU, can drive a rental car in the UAE on their home licence; others need an International Driving Permit alongside it. Bring both, with your passport, when you collect the car.
Drive on the right, and treat the posted limit as the limit. Fixed and mobile cameras cover Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road and most of the city, and fines arrive with the rental company days later.
Salik toll gates charge automatically. Every car we rent carries a Salik tag, and the tolls appear on your final invoice at cost.
The legal alcohol limit for drivers is zero. Not low: zero.
Indicate early and leave space when you change lanes; tailgating and sudden lane changes are fined heavily.
Keep your phone in a holder. Holding it while driving is a fine and black points on your licence record.
Street parking in most districts is paid in the daytime from Monday to Saturday. Pay through the RTA app; the plate number is on your key tag.
After any accident, however small, call the police on 999 and wait for them before moving the car. The insurer needs the police report, and so do we.
The Jebel Jais Road Trip: A Day Out from Dubai
Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah is the highest mountain in the UAE, and the road to the top is one of the best drives in the country: smooth, wide switchbacks climbing from the desert floor to the clouds.
From Downtown Dubai it is about an hour and forty-five minutes via the E311. In summer, leave by six to reach the viewing decks before the heat; in winter the summit can be ten degrees cooler than the coast, so bring a jacket.
Which car? The Porsche 911 and the Huracán are made for the bends. The Range Rover Sport is the comfortable choice for four people and a picnic.
Fill up in Ras Al Khaimah city before you start the climb. At the top there are cafés, viewing platforms and the Jais Flight zipline; book the zipline ahead at weekends.
Come down in a lower gear to spare the brakes, and watch for cyclists on the hairpins.
The round trip is about 280 km: inside the 300 km daily allowance on our SUVs and saloons. On a sports car's 250 km allowance, the extra kilometres cost $2 each.
Renting a Supercar: Deposits, Insurance and Salik Explained
Renting a supercar in Dubai is simple once you know the three numbers that matter: the deposit, the insurance excess and the kilometre allowance.
The deposit. We hold a refundable deposit on your credit card: $2,500 for the Huracán, the Roma and the G 63, and $1,500 for the 911 and the Taycan. It is released 14 days after the car comes back, which gives late speeding fines time to reach us.
Insurance. Every rental includes comprehensive insurance. Full cover reduces your excess to zero for $45 a day on sports cars, and we recommend it to anyone new to Dubai's roads.
Kilometres. Sports cars include 250 km a day and extra kilometres cost $2 each. A full day around the city rarely uses more than 150.
Tolls and fines. Salik tolls are billed at cost. Traffic fines are passed on at exactly the amount the police charge.
Age and licence. You need to be 25 (23 for the 911 and the Taycan) and to have held a full licence for three years.
Delivery. We bring the car to any hotel or home in Dubai at no charge and collect it from the same place.