Every rental car in the UAE is insured by law; without it the car cannot be registered or driven. The question is not whether there is insurance but how much you pay after an accident and in which cases the insurance does not apply at all. That is where companies differ, not in whether a policy exists.
Basic insurance
Included in the rental price at every company. It covers two things. First, third-party damage in full: if you hit another car, a barrier or a post, the insurer pays for the other party's property, and UAE law sets the cover limits generously. Second, damage to the rental car itself above the excess.
The excess is the amount you pay in an at-fault accident, with the insurer covering everything above it. Ours starts at AED 1,500 on economy cars, AED 3,000 to 5,000 on premium and from AED 10,000 on luxury and supercars. If the accident was another driver's fault and the police report confirms it, you pay nothing and their insurer covers the repair.
Full cover
Reduces the excess to zero. It costs AED 30 to 50 a day on economy cars, AED 100 to 150 on premium and AED 200 to 500 on supercars. The arithmetic is simple: for a week in an economy car full cover costs AED 250, well below the AED 1,500 excess. If this is your first time driving in the UAE, you are navigating an unfamiliar city with dense traffic, or you are taking an expensive car, it is money well spent. It is arranged at handover, applies for the whole rental and cannot be added retrospectively.
What is never covered
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, in any quantity.
- Driving by a person not named in the rental contract.
- An accident handled without a police report. This is the country's central rule.
- Leaving the UAE without the company's written permission.
- Driving off-road, onto sand, gravel or into wadi beds.
- Racing, drifting or track driving.
- Interior damage: burns, cuts, stains.
- Personal belongings in the car, which fall under your travel insurance, not the motor policy.
- Fines, Salik and parking, which are not insurance events.
- Deliberate damage and gross negligence, such as driving with the oil pressure light on.
A separate note on tyres, wheels, glass and the underbody: many companies exclude these even from full cover. With us the windscreen and tyres are covered, underbody damage is not, because it almost always means the car left the tarmac.
How to make sure the insurance works
- At handover, photograph the car from every side including wheels, windscreen, sills and the underside of the bumpers. We do this ourselves and send you the images, but your own copy does no harm.
- Make sure every existing scratch and chip is recorded on the handover form.
- After any accident, even if you merely brushed a bumper in a car park, call the police on 999 or file through the Dubai Police app. Without a police report nobody pays for repairs.
- Do not move the vehicles before photographing them, unless they block traffic.
- Obtain the report: pink if you are at fault, green if the other party is.
- Call us straight after filing and we take it from there.
Minor damage
A trolley scratch at the supermarket, a stone chip on the highway, a door ding in a car park: all of this is assessed when the car comes back. Small scratches a few centimetres long and light scuffing are not charged with us, being normal wear. More serious damage is assessed against a repair price list with before and after photos, but never above the excess amount. With full cover you pay nothing.
Note that a stone chip in the windscreen is not an accident, needs no police report, and with us it is covered without any excess.
Passenger cover
Basic motor insurance covers passengers' medical costs after an accident up to the UAE statutory minimum. That is not enough for a serious case, so travel medical insurance is still necessary: it covers treatment in private clinics, where Dubai ambulances go first, and repatriation.
How deposits and excess relate
At most companies the deposit exists to secure the excess: after an accident it is deducted from the amount blocked on your card. That is why deposit sizes match the excess. We take no deposit: you pay the excess after the police report and damage assessment. This works because we photograph the car and documents at handover and stay in contact with the client, not because we take less risk than others.
Common misconceptions
"Comprehensive cover pays for everything." No such rental product exists in the UAE; there is basic cover with an excess and full cover without one.
"My Visa Infinite card covers rentals." Many premium cards do include rental insurance, but almost always with exclusions by country, car class and rental length. Check the terms before travelling and note that even when it applies, the rental company still charges you and the bank reimburses you afterwards.
"If I only damaged the car myself, I do not have to pay." You do, up to the excess, unless you took full cover.
Choosing between basic and full cover
A simple rule: compare the cost of full cover for the whole rental against the excess. If the cover costs less than the excess, take it.
| Duration and class | Full cover | Excess | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy, 3 days | AED 90–150 | AED 1,500 | take it |
| Economy, one week | AED 210–350 | AED 1,500 | take it |
| Crossover, one week | AED 350–700 | AED 3,000 | take it |
| Premium, 3 days | AED 300–450 | AED 5,000 | take it |
| Supercar, 1 day | AED 200–500 | AED 20,000 | essential |
| Economy, one month | AED 900–1,500 | AED 1,500 | depends |
The only case where full cover is debatable is a long economy rental by an experienced driver who knows the city. In every other scenario the maths favours it.
Insurance through your bank card
Premium cards such as Visa Infinite, Mastercard World Elite and American Express Platinum often include rental car insurance. Before relying on it, check four things.
- Whether the UAE is covered. Some programmes exclude the Middle East.
- Which car classes qualify. Supercars, luxury cars and SUVs above a certain value are almost always excluded.
- The maximum rental period. Usually 30 or 45 consecutive days.
- The payment condition. The rental must be paid in full with that card, otherwise cover does not apply.
Important: even with valid cover, the rental company bills you after an accident and you claim reimbursement from the bank afterwards by submitting documents. That takes one to three months.
Common questions about claims
The car was scratched in a car park by an unknown driver. Call the police, who request camera footage. If the culprit is found the report is green. If not it is pink, and you pay the excess or nothing with full cover.
A puncture on the highway. Not an accident. Tyres are covered with us; call and we bring a replacement or send roadside assistance.
A flat battery. Our responsibility; we come and jump-start or swap the car.
Misfuelling. Never an insurance event anywhere. Repairs start at AED 2,000, so check the fuel type, which is in the contract and on the filler flap.
Keys locked in the car. Not an insurance event, but we bring a spare free of charge within Dubai.
The car was towed for illegal parking. The fine and towing are at your cost, and we help with the recovery procedure from the pound.
