By Mohammed Rashad Hussain, Managing PartnerPublished 5 min read
Can tourists drive in Dubai, and which licences count?
Yes, but the licence has to be one the UAE accepts. RTA says visitors on a visit visa may drive light vehicles and motorcycles in Dubai. The rental company then applies its own test.
Avis, for example, asks non-residents for an International Driving Licence alongside the home licence, held for at least a year. Most companies set a minimum age of 21, and drivers under 25 can pay a surcharge.
Which home licences are accepted depends on your country, so confirm yours with the rental company before you fly. Our guide to driving in Dubai as a tourist goes through the permit side in more detail. This page compares what happens after you have the keys.
What does self-drive cost beyond the daily rate?
The daily rate is the smallest surprise. The rest arrives in pieces.
- Deposit. Avis holds the rental price plus AED 3,000 to AED 5,000 on a credit card in the renter’s name. Debit and prepaid cards are refused.
- Salik. Each toll crossing is billed at the actual toll plus an AED 2 admin fee and VAT. Rates are AED 6 at peak and AED 4 off-peak, free from 1 am to 6 am. See Salik tolls in Dubai for the 10 gates.
- Fines. The renter pays every fine and an AED 50 handling fee per fine at Avis. The charge can land on your card weeks after you leave.
- Fuel and parking. You return the car with the tank level in the agreement and pay for every parking hour.
- Insurance excess. Read what the rental agreement says you pay if the car is damaged.
The risk that surprises visitors most is the pace of the roads. Sheikh Zayed Road and the E11 are multi-lane highways where traffic changes lanes fast. A driver who knows the exits removes that stress.
A seatbelt rule also lands on the driver. The UAE government portal states that when a passenger, front or rear, is unbelted, the driver is fined AED 400 and receives 4 black points.
What does a chauffeur add, and when is it worth paying for?
A chauffeur turns the car into a service. The price is quoted for the route and the hours, so you know the figure before you travel. Salik and parking at the door are part of the job, not a later bill.
A chauffeur fits best when:
- You land at DXB after a long flight and want to be in the back seat soon after you clear arrivals.
- Your group includes people under 21, or nobody holds a licence the rental desk accepts.
- You have meetings, dinners or weddings and want to arrive at the door.
- You plan to drink at dinner. Visit Dubai states a zero-tolerance policy on drink-driving.
- You want to see the road, not read the signs.
Assure supplies the car and driver by the hour or day, for airport and city work, or as a single transfer. The choice between those is covered in our hourly versus transfer guide. For a longer stay, a private driver booked by the day keeps one person who learns your routine.
Parking at Dubai Mall, Palm Jumeirah and Downtown: the hidden time cost
Parking is where self-drive loses the most time. Dubai’s variable parking tariff has peak hours of 8 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 8 pm, with no peak pricing on Sundays and public holidays. Multi-storey car parks charge AED 5 an hour at any time.
The price is not the main cost. The cost is the circuit of the car park, the walk back from your level and the exit queue after a mall closes. A chauffeur drops you at the entrance, waits nearby and collects you when you call.
A day with a driver also lets you plan around a ticket time. If your Burj Khalifa slot is at 4 pm, you leave the car at the door at 3:50 pm.
Driving to Abu Dhabi or Hatta yourself versus with a driver
Abu Dhabi is about 139 km from Dubai, roughly 1 h 30 without traffic. Hatta is about 109 km, roughly 1 h 25. Distances come from OpenStreetMap routing, and rush hours add time.
Driving yourself means one person watches the road for 3 hours on a return trip. With a chauffeur the whole family sees the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Hatta Dam without a rota. Our intercity transfers cover Dubai to every emirate, and we quote waiting time at each stop.
For Hatta, read the road and passport notes in our road travel guide before you go.
Who should rent and who should hire a driver?
| Situation | Better choice |
|---|---|
| 5 days, you want to drive and hold an accepted licence | Rent a car |
| Airport arrival, hotel and a few dinners | Chauffeur or airport transfer |
| Group with mixed ages or unsure licences | Chauffeur |
| Business week with meetings across Dubai | Chauffeur by the day |
| One road trip with driving shared between adults | Rent a car |
| A supercar experience | See exotic car with chauffeur versus self-drive |
Many visitors do both: a chauffeur for the arrival and the busy city days, and a rental for one open-road day. Our guide to chauffeur, taxi, Uber or Careem covers the other comparison, and the full buying guide shows how a booking works. If you are choosing for a night out, read safe driver versus chauffeur.
Photos in this guide
Tall lamp posts lining the Dubai to Abu Dhabi freeway, with traffic silhouetted against a pale skyBasil D Soufi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai under an overhead sign for Exit 47, with the Metro line running alongsideCoolcaesar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
The underside of a Salik toll gantry near Al Garhoud Bridge, fitted with a row of cameras and tag readersAppusviews at Malayalam Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
A black Mercedes-Benz S-Class saloon parked at the kerbDamian B Oh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
