Dubai's roads are wide and well kept, and they are watched closely. Fixed radars, mobile cameras and toll gantries are everywhere, and almost everything is recorded automatically against the car's plate. This guide covers what a visitor needs to know to avoid fines in a rental car.
Speed limits
Limits vary a lot, sometimes along the same road, so read every sign. Residential streets are commonly 40 km/h, city roads 60 to 80 km/h, and the big motorways such as Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road and Emirates Road 100 to 120 km/h.
You will read online that Dubai allows a margin above the limit. Do not plan around it. Dubai Police do not publish one, limits change at short notice, and Abu Dhabi has no tolerance at all. Speeding fines start at AED 300 and rise steeply, with black points at the higher bands, and the most serious cases can end with the car impounded. Fines can arrive days after the rental, and we charge them to you at exactly the amount on the police record.
Speed bumps and low cars
Residential areas such as Jumeirah, Umm Suqeim and Al Barsha have high, steep speed humps. In a low sports car, slow almost to walking pace and take each hump at a slight angle so one front wheel climbs it before the other. The same applies to steep ramps in underground car parks at the big malls. If that sounds tiresome, an SUV such as a Range Rover or the G63 removes the worry.
How Salik works
There are no toll booths in Dubai. Each car carries a Salik sticker that the gantries read automatically, and what you pay depends on the hour:
- AED 6.30 in the morning and evening peaks, 6 to 10 am and 4 to 8 pm, Monday to Saturday.
- AED 4.20 at other times, and all day on Sundays.
- Nothing between 1 and 6 am.
Every car we rent is registered with Salik, and we add the exact amounts to your final bill with no markup.
Fuel
Stations sell three grades: Super 98, Special 95 and E-Plus 91. High-performance cars, from Porsches to Lamborghinis, need Super 98. Most everyday cars run on Special 95. If you are unsure, the label inside the fuel flap gives the grade, and we tell you at handover.
Fines visitors get most often
- Holding a phone while driving: AED 800 and 4 black points.
- Not wearing a seat belt, which applies to every passenger: AED 400 and 4 black points.
- Driving in a lane marked for buses and taxis, which is caught on camera.
- Children under four must sit in a child seat, and children under ten or shorter than 145 cm cannot ride in the front.
Off the road
Insurance on a rental stops where the tarmac stops. Sand, dunes and wadi tracks are excluded, and the cost of any damage or recovery there falls on you. Our desert driving guide lists the paved desert roads worth the trip.
Every rental comes with no deposit and comprehensive insurance. Before you drive off, we film the car's condition with you and send you the video.
