Driving as a tourist

If you are a tourist, you only need an international driving license from your home country. It will give you the right to rent a car.

Driving as a resident

The things get different once you get your residence visa. When you become a resident, you can’t rent a car with your international license anymore and need to get a UAE driving license.

Some residents do rent cars without a UAE license using some gray schemes e.g. renting a car in Sharjah or renting it in someone else’s name. This might get one into a serious trouble; you will read about that later.

Exchange driving license from your country

If you are a citizen and a holder of a driving license of one of the following countries, you can just ‘exchange’ your license for a UAE one. That does not mean that your license will be physically exchanged; you will still keep yours and get a new one.

• Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC)
• Europe: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom (UK)
• North and South America: United States of America (USA), Canada
• East Asia: Japan, South Korea, Singapore
• Africa: South Africa
• Australasia: Australia, New Zealand

This list may change. Visit Dubai Police website

Back to driving school

If you are not lucky enough to find your country in the list above, then you are in trouble. You are in less trouble if you have a driving license from your home country though.

You will have to go to driving school for 20 or 40 classes depending on where you are from, pay them a lot of money and pass the driving test. The driving test is somewhat very tricky. Many people do it 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 times and more. Every time they fail they have to pay for additional classes. This is the way the system works.

Driving without a driving license in Dubai

I wouldn’t do that. However, some people rent a car while they are still on a tourist visa and then continue driving the car they rented.

The chance of being caught by the police is minimal but you always have to keep in mind that if you get into an accident, you will face the police and there the trouble begins.

• The car may be seized (in fact making you have to pay for it to the rent-a-car company)
• Insurance will not be valid
• You will also be severely fined

Read this article in the Gulf News; 5000 AED (900 EUR, 1360 USD) was the fine for two persons driving without a license in Fujairah, UAE.

From the distance I was taking pictures it was not clear how it happened. The barrier between the carriageways was broken and the car was just completely crashed. There were 2 ambulance cars and a few police cars and policemen.

It seems the driver was alive as the ambulance guys fixed him on a stretcher and were doing something. Hopefully, he is still alive.

The road became quite busy. First, because it became more narrow. Second, because everyone was slowing down to see what happened. The service road was completely stuck with cars and people watching what was going on. I actually was taking the service road due to another reason but I couldn’t help stopping and taking a couple of pictures.

Be careful.

Accident photos

The crashed car

Dubai Police

A bigger picture

Ambulance

Traffic jam

People watching the accident

Dubai is a place where fuel is quite cheap – thanks to the country’s richness in oil. Cars aren’t expensive either. And the main thing – dream cars aren’t really expensive. So, you may want to buy something you have wanted all your life. What about Ferrari, Porche or Hummer?

UAE is one of the major carbon emitters in the world. I think, a great part of this is the cars people buy here. Many expats want to drive 5+ litres monsters. You may have to drive a Peugeout 206 in Europe because of huge taxes and expensive fuel, but here you may want to feel what a real car is. Although I am always thinking about CO2 footprint and environmental issues, I wasn’t an exception either when I bought a 4.6L Ford Mustang.

Ferrari 430 Scuderia

You’ve got three options here: either buy a new car from a local dealer, or buy a second-hand car from a used cars dealer, or make a deal with a private individual.

Some tips on how to buy a car in Dubai

• Buy a car with Gulf specsGulf specs can be different from American, EU, or Japanese specs in the parts related to the engine and gearbox cooling systems and airconditioning
• Do a full check-up if you buy a 4×4 from local guysThey like going to the desert, so the car can be in very bad condition, although it may be looking mint.
• Don’t trust statements “the car is in mint condition” but read the service history record.If there isn’t any, think twice.

New cars in Dubai

In Dubai, you can buy almost any car model which is produced by the major car makers. Most dealerships are located at Sheikh Zayed Road between Burj Dubai and the Mall of the Emirates on the mall’s side.

New cars are not that cheap, I would rather call the prices reasonable. Most dealers give quite a good deal including the first year of insurance and the service for the warranty period into the price, which will save you some money at the end. They don’t give such deals for popular models though.

Any dealer has got a few banks they work with, which will be happy to assist you with the financing of your car. Many of the dealers offer trade-in deals.

However, keep in mind that once you leave the dealer in your new car, you can say good buy to a significant amount of money that you lose when your new car becomes a second hand one. Cars depreciate a lot here. I bought my 1 year old car for 30% cheaper than a brand new one costs.

Used car dealers in Dubai

Probably, used car dealers is the most convenient option to buy a car in a good condition with some warranty and free service left.

They mostly buy cars in a good shape from individuals for a thefty price and then re-sell them to other individuals for a bit higher price. The thing is that you can trust the dealers as they check every car before they accept it.

They will also make the deal as smooth as possible: they will secure financing, insurance and register the car in Dubai Road and Transport Authority (RTA) on your behalf.

I would try to find a car that was bought from an official dealer less than 1 year ago with low mileage. That will make sure your car has got Gulf specs, service history and good condition. If you are lucky enough, you may get a free service package from the dealer continued from the previous owner (check with the dealer using VIN).

The leader in selling used cars in Dubai is 4×4 motors. I and a few colleagues of mine used them. The deal was done in 2 days. I saw the car in the evening on their website and called them in the morning. It wasn’t in the showroom yet, so I had to wait for an hour or so. When it arrived, there was a queue to buy it but I was the first who called. Next day’s night it was mine with HSBC financing, license plates and insurance. My car was bought from the Ford dealership and I’ve got free warranty for up to 3 years or 60,000 km mileage.

Dubai used cars classifieds

Buy a car from an individual if you are confident that you know what you are doing. First, I tried to find a car using dubizzle, but after reading some stuff about registration, car check-ups and potentially bad service history, I decided that it would be better for me to pay a bit more but use a hassle-free option.

I had a look at one car though. It was a 2006 Ford Mustang, which done 60,000 kms, driven by a young English. When we went for a test ride, he just pushed the accelerator to the floor. “Do you always drive your car like this?” – I asked. “Yes, sure. Why not?” – he answered. Also, he had not settled his loan for this car. I didn’t want a car without any warranty after a guy who pushes the car like that and had not even settled the bill for it.

At the end, it is your decision. I have never trusted anyone selling a car and always prefered going to a dealership, even having to pay some extra for that.

Car loans in Dubai

Car finance in UAE is very easy. Your dealer should do everything for you. The rate will be around 5-7%.

If you buy a car from an individual, you need to secure the financing yourself and that will be just a personal loan with a rate of about 15%.

If you have just moved in, you may have to wait for a couple of months before a bank will approve your loan.

Car insurance in Dubai

Insurance is normally about 5% of the car price. Check with the dealer what kind of deals they have.

It was a bit of a problem for me as my insurance rate was supposed to be something about 12%. There were 2 reasons: I was 25 years old and the car was a sport car. They don’t want kids to drive fast cars. Fair enough.

Finally, it was negotiated down to 6% with excess of 3000 AED that I would have to pay if there would be an accident due to my fault.

Ford Mustang GT 2008 for sale

Ford Mustang GT 2008
Grabber orange color
GCC specs
4.6L, automatic gear-box, 300hp
Full options
Black leather interior
6 CD/MP3 changer + AUX socket (suitable for an iPod)

Mileage: 45000km
Well-maintained
No tyre-burning, no speeding, no accidents
Maintained every 5000 in Ford dealership (Al Tayer)
Service contract till 60,000km with Al Tayer
Warranty up to 60,000km

Price: SOLD!

More photos

Rain in Dubai

As I said it has been raining for last three days, sometimes it stopped, sometimes it started again. The roads have become a disaster though. I bet you know how to drive in the rain, but there is something you are not probably used to back home.

Tip 1: Beware Dubai careless drivers

For me the most interesting things started in Al Khail Road and Business Bay Crossing. Many people do not seem to be used to rain. Many were driving at their usual 120-140 kph, flashing lights to the careful people to give them way. The life as usual.

Some people do not use the headlights. They seem to think that if there is enough light for them, then they don’t need to turn them on. They do not seem to understand that people may just not see them in the mirrors because drivers mostly focus on what is in front of them and may not see an enourmous 4×4 approaching them at 120 kph without any lights.

Unfortunately I didn’t have time to take a picture of a Land Cruiser 100 off the road seriously damaged from both the front and the rear sides.

Tip 2: Night roads – a flashy show

I have no idea what materials are used to make up the ideal asphalt surface of the roads here, but when it is wet it starts reflecting all the lights around.

That makes driving very difficult. When it is raining heavily, you can hardly see the carriageway marking. Add up the temporary construction marking that cannot be seen during day time but is perfectly visible when it rains. So, when you drive 100 kph in Sheikh Zayed Road, you may find yourself changing lanes without even realizing that.

Even if you don’t, keep an eye on the ones who does! It may be very dangerous. I do not use cruise control system and keep my hand at the horn ready to press it together with the brake pedal.

Unfortunately I haven’t got a night picture. But you may see that the road is like a mirror in the photo below.

Dubai roads in the rain

Tip 3: There is no drainage in Dubai

Sounds scary, doesn’t it? I was really surprised to see some big puddles. They are mostly found on the most-left and the most-right lanes of the roads. They may be deep enough to make your car lose the grip. This is very very dangerous and can push your car just off the road or cause a terrific accident.

Because night roads in Dubai during rains are a flashy show, you won’t see the puddles until you feel the gut feeling of loosing the grip. Try not to drive in the fast lane nor drive too fast in the slow lane. Just try to be in the middle.

Tip 4: Drive carefully in the rain

Wherever you come from, you should be used to driving in the rain. Just do what you would do home, beware the drivers who seem to be brainless, try not to drive too much in night when it rains heavily and remember about the drainage that does not exist.

Snow in Dubai?

I bet it would be a show if the climate change brought some snow here!

As any other country Dubai roads have their own specifics. You can easily get a fine here if you don’t follow the rules, which you may not be aware of though.

Read more about Dubai driving habits in my previous article.

The fines for road rules violations are extremely strict. Refer to the Dubai Police website for violations & fines.

The trickiest roads in the world

The roads are somewhat very tricky. They should have been included in Guinness record book for that.

There are two sayings I’ve heard about the roads in Dubai: if you see the destination but cannot get there, you are in Dubai, and If you’ve got a map of Dubai, check the date, if it is yesterday’s map it is already outdated.

The roads design is very unusual. Unlike many other countries, there was plenty of space in the desert. So, instead of a U-turn there is a fly-over. Instead of an intersection there may be 3 flyovers. You may like how the interchanges look in Google Earth. But when you drive there, you may get really mad because sometimes you cannot just understand why you find yourself on the road you didn’t mean to go.

Interchange on Sheikh Zayed Road from the space

Roads change quite often. You may drive your usual way to work in the morning, but you can find a detour when you are returning back home. It can be closed for a few months for a reconstruction. When they return the road to the way it used to be, you may not be informed of that change either, miss the exit and spend another half an hour trying to get out of there.

GPS is useless here. I’ve heard of some providers keeping the maps up-to-date. You may check them on google. The map that I used (2007) was absolutely useless. The very first day I got a license here I went to a car market in Al Aweer. It said me to take left and I did that. There were 3 roads and I took the most-left. In GPS there were only 2 roads and the left one in GPS was the middle one in reality. A had gotten lost another couple of times before I finally understood that the roads change too often to use GPS.

Signboards help a lot. But they do not necessarily mean what they say. And they do not necessarily say what the reality is. And they are not necessarily at the place they should be.

May sound frightening but you will get used to it. As far as the fuel is cheap, you will have fun time to explore the city. Sometimes, I have to drive two or three times the same road to understand how it is designed.

There is no advice here, just drive. Have fun!

Speed limits in Dubai

Every big road is controlled by radars which are set to the speed limit + 20 kph on big roads like Sheikh Zayed Road, Emirates Road and Al Khail Road. Not quite sure about smaller roads. There was a communication that this will change to +10 kph on all roads except for Jumeirah Road where there will be no tolerance to speeding. I don’t know whether this is true but nobody drives faster than the speed limit on Jumeirah Road.

Speed limits in Dubai:

• 120 kph on highways. Emirates Road, Dubai by-pass road, the road to Abu Dhabi.
• 100 kph on big roads. Sheikh Zayed Road, Sheikh Rachid Road, Al Khail Road
• 70-80 kph on medium-size roads. Umm Suqeim Road, Jumeirah Road
• 40 kph in residential areas
• Watch out the signs as this may differ

Normally, I drive 130 on highways, 110 on big roads, 90 on ‘80kph’ roads and 70 on Jumeirah road.

Driving here is very relaxing, so it is better to use cruise-control not to get ‘flashed’.

If you violate the speed limit you will see a flash right in your face or in your back. Be ready to pay up to 900 AED (144 EUR, 218 USD). I’ve heard people had been driving like crazy and killing each other here until the government introduced the cameras. Well, considering the quality of the roads, sounds true.

Intersections and traffic lights

There are almost no intersections where you would have to give way to someone else. If there is no fly-over, there is a traffic light. Normally, a junction in Dubai is an intersection of 4 roads. You can always turn right without waiting for the green light.

A typical Dubai traffic light

One road can move at a time at a traffic light. If you see a green light, you can drive straight, left or make a U-turn (unless there is a sign prohibiting that). Then other roads can do that in either clock-wise or counter clock-wise order. The way traffic lights change can be annoying sometimes as you have to wait for a long time. On the other hand, it is very safe and predictable.

Jumping a red light will cost you 800 AED (145 EUR, 217 USD). Many traffic lights are equipped with a camera automatically ‘flashing’ offenders.

Traffic Light Camera in Dubai

Dubai Police can change the way traffic lights work to reduce congestions, and after the change they monitor whether it helps or not! There normally is a police officer with a notepad making notes on timing of the traffic lights and traffic congestions. After 2 or 3 days they do something and the road becomes better.

Famous traffic jams

They do not seem to exist anymore. I was told that a year ago the city was just impossible to drive in. Now it is rather all right. Also, it depends on where you came from. I am used to spend 1 hour covering 10 km from work to home. Now I spend 45 minutes covering 45 km.

Deira is a bit jammed but there is nothing that can be done about it. The inner roads are just too narrow.

As I noticed, much congestion is caused by people who do not drive politely. If everyone drove better, there would be less traffic jams. But this is rather an ideal situation that will never be in such a multicultural city. Read more about Dubai driving habits in my previous article.

Salik – paid roads

Two Salik gates are located on Sheikh Zayed road, another two are located on Al Garhoud and Al Maktoum bridges. Those are gates with radio equipment that scan a special Salik tag affixed on the wind-shield of every car.

Every time you pass under the gate, you are charged 4 AED (0.7 EUR, 1.1 USD). If you don’t have any money on your account, say good bye to 150 AED (27 EUR, 41 USD).

Al Safa Salik gate, Sheikh Zayed Road

You may use other roads to avoid paying the fee but in most cases you will spend more time for that. I will publish some tips on driving around the gates later.

When you buy a car, you have to buy a Salik tag and register it with Salik support on the phone. All instructions are in the pack – so, that’s not going to be difficult. You can buy a Salik recharge card in any petrol station or Carrefour shop. The card can be re-charged at Salik website or on the phone. Every time your account balance goes beyond certain level you will get an SMS.

If you rent a car, the rent-a-car company should take care of everything related to Salik. You will only be asked to pay for your actual spending during the rent period.

Find out more at Salik official website.

Parking in Dubai

All big malls and shops have got their own parking usually big enough to accommodate all visitors (except for Deira City Centre, you will hardly park there on weekends). The emptiest floor is always the roof where there is no shadow under the burning sun.

Parking in malls is usually free. Mall of the Emirates has recently deployed a paid-parking system which created huge jams as it didn’t seem to have been carefully designed. They have introduced free parking on weekends and public holidays and 3 hours of free parking during weekdays.

In the streets the parking is also very easy. If you see an orange signboard ‘paid parking’, you have to pay. If you don’t, the parking is free.

Dubai parking tickets machine

The parking fee is normally 1 AED (0.2 EUR, 0.3 USD) per hour, 2 AED for 2 hours, 4 AED for 3 hours and it goes up with every next hour. It may be more expensive in some areas though (2 AED per hour, 4 AED for 2 hours, 5 AED for 3 hours). 24 hours is normally 10 AED.

Parking is free from 13:00-16:00, 21:00-08:00. It is also free on Fridays.

You always need to have coins with you. Otherwise there will be no way to pay unless you’ve got a parking card. If you have to pay for parking a lot, you may want to buy such card. That will be cheaper than paying coins every time. Read more about cards at the Dubai government website.

Don’t think you can go to a shop for 5 minutes without paying the fee. In most cases you will find a sticker asking you to pay much more than a dirham. Parking fine is 100 AED (18 EUR, 27 USD). You may pay your parking fine online at the Dubai Police website.

A few things you need to remember

• Rules are often changed without any notice and with immediate effect
• The road you used to drive to work in the morning may be closed for reconstruction when you drive back
• If you missed your turn, you may have to drive extra 20 km because there may be no u-turn ahead
• Dubai cars’ license plates are 5-digits. If a license plate is less than 5 digits, the owner of that car is likely to be a rich man who either bought the plate or has been having it for ages. In most cases they drive expensive cars and sometimes they drive in very offensive manner. Don’t try to teach them, just back off.
• Do not ever offend the rules and other drivers
• Do not drive without a driving license
• Never ever let yourself drink and drive
• The Police is always right

Dubai Driving at Night (Mini Cooper S)

Dubai drivers

I hope my website will not get banned for the truth I am going to uncover.

When I started driving here, I was just mad how bad the driving culture can be. I was used to very polite driving with people giving way to others, using indicators, and not chasing other cars driving 120 kph.

First thing most of you will have to do is to forget what you are used to in Europe or the US. Dubai traffic never stops, it runs like a mad toxic river led by its own rules. Many people do not want to drive here, while many others say they like it.

Once you catch the rhythm, you will start having a ball! If you don’t, you will always be stressed.

Basic things you will have to get used to

• Usage of indicators. Many just do not use them. The most dangerous drivers are youngsters driving expensive cars and changing lanes without informing anyone around. You may horn or flash but better keep your eye on such guys. You will always recognize them in advance.
• Turning right from the fast lane when it is just 50 meters to the turn. And the speed is 100 kph! That happens just in front of your nose. Sometimes it is almost an accident. Just be careful and be always ready to push the brake.
• Pushing you away from the fast lane chasing your back, flashing and horning. You may want to push the brake when such a thing is happening. Well, you risk getting a hit in your back. To avoid this just do not use the fast lane for driving, use it for overtaking only.
• The cheaper car you drive the worst the driving experience is. That’s a fact. It is always easier to be offensive to someone who is driving a Toyota Yaris rather than to someone driving a Maserati as the Maserati driver can be a very important person who can create you some problems using his and his friends’ power.
• When you are about to change the lane, make sure the hole you want to get into is big enough. Most people will not give you the way (if you are not a woman, of course).
• Rain is very rare here. But when it happens, the roads are a nightmare. Definitely, there are people who do not know that the car needs more space to stop when the road surface is wet. And there are people who know that but they do not have enough experience and they are just afraid of driving in the rain.

Whatever happens, do not ever show a gesture or say what you think you have to say when you are cut off or any other crap happens. This may cost you imprisonment.

Take care and enjoy!