Car rental in Dubai

In the past year, the UAE government made measures aimed at combating road traffic violations more severe. The amounts of fines were significantly increased. This is why careless drivers currently risk paying a large sum of money. The table below shows the amounts of fines for the most common road traffic violations:

Heaven forbid that you collide with a camel. Yes, do not laugh. You have understood correctly. This administrative offence is extremely serious in the UAE. A person guilty of this offence is liable for a hefty fine calculated in thousands of dollars!

In Dubai, the authorities are also very serious about observing the speed limit. Almost all roads are equipped with numerous surveillance cameras and speed guns. When renting a car in Dubai, please remember that if you speed, you will have to pay an extremely large fine before leaving the country.

The speed limit within the city is between 40 and 80 kilometres per hour. It depends on the particular district. That is why you are advised to be careful and pay attention to road markings at all times. On motorways, the vehicle speed is limited to 120 kilometres per hour. By the way, speed guns and surveillance cameras work perfectly on motorways as well!

There is no lack of parking spaces in Dubai. At the same time, all car parks are paid. However, it is interesting that parking is chargeable at any time of the day, except for the period between 13.00 and 16.00. In order to pay for parking, it is necessary to press the button located on the automatic barrier. If you are lucky and there is a free space in this car park, the barrier will lift and give you a payment receipt.

It is extremely undesirable to lose this receipt since the time of your arrival at the car park is shown on it. This is why you will need this receipt later when you pay for parking. If you have parked your car for less than 30 minutes, you will pay nothing. If you have parked a car for more than half an hour, the cost of parking will be rounded up to one hour.

The authorities in the Arabian Emirates are also intolerant of drunk drivers. The UAE belongs to a small group of countries that do not allow any alcohol in the blood at all. Therefore, if a driver’s blood alcohol level is more than 0 permille, he or she is guaranteed to have serious problems with the law. This regulation applies to foreign citizens as well. In addition to paying a large fine, they risk being prohibited from entering the country for life.

Traffic regulations in the Arabian Emirates are practically the same as those in force in many other countries. However, there are also some differences. If you plan to travel in a rental car in Dubai, you must be aware of these particular features. They are the following:

• Road intersections.

In Dubai, it is customary to give way when entering a roundabout. Drivers who are already on the roundabout at a particular moment have priority. It is regarded as a flagrant violation to drive into a junction that is already occupied by other vehicles, even if the green traffic signal is on.

• Turn signals

This is, of course, an unwritten rule, but all road users in Dubai without exception obey it. It is customary to warn the car driving behind you about the presence or absence of an opportunity to overtake on the road using your turn signal.

• Alcohol

Under no circumstances may you transport alcohol in the passenger compartment of a rental car in Dubai. Only a resident of the country can do this and only if he has the appropriate permit!

• Policemen

If you break any road traffic regulation, you may receive a standard fine. However, you may also be deprived of your driving licence. Everything depends entirely on the decision the policeman takes. Do not even think about offering a bribe to a policeman. In Dubai, you can be brought to trial for such actions.

• The right-of-way rule is in force in Dubai.

By and large, drivers in the UAE are extremely disciplined. That is why there is order on the roads. The heaviest traffic is on Friday. Therefore, if you go somewhere on this day, be especially careful and attentive.

Another advantage of hiring a car in Dubai is the low price of petrol. Nowadays, the prices are the following:

• Petrol 95 costs 0.65 Euro.
• Petrol 98 costs 0.73 Euro.

The quality of petrol leaves no doubt whatsoever, especially in comparison with Russia and a number of other European countries. The operating principle of all petrol stations is similar. You do not even need to leave the car. Refuelling attendants will fill up your car for you. They will also clean the front and rear windscreens if necessary. The attendants do all this work absolutely free of charge, but they will be extremely grateful if you give them a tip.

You can pay for fuel both in cash and by credit card. There is one more important thing you need to remember when going to a petrol station in Dubai. In the United Arab Emirates, it is customary to measure fuel not in litres but in gallons. One gallon is equal to 4 litres of fuel. If you forget about this, you risk finding yourself in an awkward situation.

If you have already become acquainted with all the sights of Dubai and decided to go on an excursion to neighbouring Abu Dhabi, you will have to use a toll road. The two famous toll roads in the UAE are Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Garhoud Bridge. The cost of a single passage is around 1 Euro for cars hired in Dubai. There are quite a few toll roads on the territory of the United Arab Emirates. However, it is fair to point out that free roads in the UAE are excellent as well!