For many Canadians, Dubai is a way to skip a few weeks of winter: warm and clear. Trips tend to be long, from a week to a month, so the rate you choose matters more than for someone here for a weekend. Let us go through it in order, starting with paperwork.
Licence: a Canadian one is enough
Canada is on the list of countries whose national licences are accepted in the UAE without an International Driving Permit (IDP). The list is approved by the UAE Ministry of Interior and applies in every emirate. The licence has to be issued in Canada and be in Latin script. There is no separate IDP to arrange: we hand over the car on that one document, and a police officer at a stop will not ask for more.
If your licence was issued outside Canada, for example in a country you lived in before, the rule for the issuing country applies. In doubtful cases, write to us before booking. And a note for anyone who becomes a UAE resident: with a residence visa you cannot drive on a foreign licence, a local one is required.
Bring your passport with a valid UAE visa or entry stamp, your original licence valid for the whole rental, and for a second driver their licence and passport at handover. You must be 21 or older with at least a year of driving, and there is no young-driver fee. A few supercars have stricter terms, shown on the car page.
A long weekend or a week
For a short stay, choose by purpose. For the city and the beach a compact crossover is plenty, for example the Kia Sportage 2025 at AED 190 a day or AED 1,240 a week. With a family and luggage, the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4 2024 are both AED 220 a day and AED 1,320 a week, all-wheel drive. Prices are as of October 2026, and the current price is on each car page.
On rentals of 7 days or more, delivery and return anywhere in Dubai are free. For shorter rentals, delivery and return together cost AED 210. A week is often noticeably cheaper than seven separate days, which the car page shows.
A month or longer
If you are here for the winter, count the monthly rate. The Honda CR-V at AED 4,400 a month works out to about AED 147 a day, against AED 220 on the daily rate. The seven-seat Toyota Highlander is AED 5,600 a month, the seven-seat Ford Explorer AED 6,400, and the Jeep Wrangler Sahara, for anyone who wants an open-air drive, AED 7,000. Monthly rental also suits people working remotely who want to stay in Dubai for a while.
| Car | Day, AED | Week, AED | Month, AED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kia Sportage 2025 | 190 | 1,240 | 4,200 |
| Honda CR-V 2024, all-wheel drive | 220 | 1,320 | 4,400 |
| Toyota Highlander 2024, 7 seats | 280 | 1,680 | 5,600 |
| Ford Explorer 2024, 7 seats, 300 hp | 320 | 1,920 | 6,400 |
| Jeep Wrangler Sahara 2024 | 350 | 2,100 | 7,000 |
| Chevrolet Suburban 2024, 8 seats | 420 | 2,520 | 8,400 |
250 km per day is included, enough for the city and weekend outings. If you plan several long trips in a row, mention it when booking.
Payment and deposit
We accept cash, bank cards and e-wallets. Canadian Visa and Mastercard cards generally work in the UAE without trouble, but tell your bank about the trip so the first overseas payment is not blocked. If you pay by card, the rental amount may be held as a pre-authorisation and charged at the end. For a month that hold is sizeable, so check your limit.
Most cars need no deposit. If one does, it is shown on its page: some cars come from a partner company with its own terms, a deposit of AED 1,000 and a minimum rental of 3 or 7 days. Insurance is included. The dirham is pegged to the US dollar at 3.6725, and for the Canadian dollar rate check with your bank.
Behind the wheel after Canada
Traffic keeps to the right and the wheel is on the left, as at home, and distances and speeds are in kilometres, so there is no adjusting to do. A few differences remain:
- Speed. Sheikh Zayed Road is posted at 100 or 120 km/h depending on the stretch. Enforcement is mostly by camera: in Dubai they typically record from about 21 km/h over the limit, in Abu Dhabi there is no margin.
- Right on red. Do not assume it is allowed. Follow the signal and the signs at the junction.
- Abrupt lane changes. On multi-lane highways drivers change lanes often, so check your mirrors more than you would at home.
- Fines arrive electronically. There is no ticket under the wiper.
Salik, the barrier-free toll gates, costs AED 6.30 at peak times Monday to Saturday (6:00 to 10:00 and 16:00 to 20:00), AED 4.20 otherwise, a flat AED 4.20 on Sundays, and is free from 1:00 to 6:00. Salik and fines are paid by the renter at actual cost with no markup.
Where to go in a month
Three classic routes: Abu Dhabi with the Sheikh Zayed Mosque (about 140 km, an hour and a half), Hatta in the mountains near the Oman border (about 130 km) and Al Ain with its oasis and the Jebel Hafeet road (about 130 km). All are on paved roads, so four-wheel drive matters only if you plan to head into the desert. Ask about Oman when booking, because it is not allowed on partner cars. Our office is in Princess Tower, Dubai Marina, open daily 10:00 to 19:00, with Russian-speaking support.
