Carsharing does exist in the UAE: in Dubai there are apps with per-minute and hourly rentals, the best known being Udrive and ekar. It works well for short city trips if you already have a verified account and your licence meets the app's requirements. If you are a visitor, plan to drive to other emirates, want the car at the airport or your hotel, or need it for a week or more, a normal daily rental is usually simpler and more predictable: ours start at 109 AED a day, and a week in a Toyota Raize is 890 AED.
How carsharing works in Dubai
It works much like carsharing elsewhere. You sign up in the app, upload your documents, find a nearby car on the map, unlock it with your phone and pay for time or per trip. Cars are parked across the city and have to be returned within an allowed zone.
Rates, licence and experience requirements, zone rules, fuel and toll handling differ between apps and change over time. We do not repeat them here: read the terms in the app itself before you travel. In particular, check whether the service accepts your country's licence and a tourist visa, and whether you may drive outside Dubai.
When carsharing is enough
- You live in Dubai or visit often and your account is already approved.
- You need a car for an hour or two in town: a mall, a meeting, another district.
- You need a car now and then, not every day, and otherwise walk, take the Metro or a taxi.
- There are usually available cars near your home or office.
In those cases paying for a full day while the car sits in a car park makes little sense.
When a daily rental is the better choice
- You are a visitor. Visitors with a licence from a recognised country, such as EU states, the UK, the US, Canada or Turkey, drive our cars on their national licence. Drivers from Russia, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and many other countries also need an International Driving Permit together with the national licence. There is no app registration or document approval to wait for: we photograph your licence and passport at handover.
- Trips between emirates. Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Hatta or Fujairah are full-day trips. A daily rental is yours all day, includes 250 km a day, and the extra km rate is shown on each car page.
- Airport and hotel. Collect the car from our office in Princess Tower, Dubai Marina, open daily from 10:00 to 19:00, or have it delivered. Delivery in Dubai is free on rentals of 7 days or more; for shorter rentals delivery and return together cost 210 AED.
- A week or longer. The longer the rental, the more weekly and monthly rates beat paying by time.
- Family and luggage. If you need seven seats, a big boot or a child seat, it is easier to choose a specific car in advance than to hunt for one on a map.
Side by side
| What matters | Carsharing | Daily rental with us |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | By minute, hour or trip at the app's rates | Per day, week or 30 days, price known in advance |
| Where you get the car | Find a free one on the map | Our Dubai Marina office or delivery |
| Documents | Sign-up and verification in the app | Passport and licence at handover |
| Choice of model | Whatever is nearby | A specific car from about 360 cars of 56 brands |
| Trips to other emirates | Per the app's rules | Allowed, 250 km a day included |
| Deposit | Per the app's rules | Every car has one, from AED 1,000; the exact amount is on its page |
| Salik and fines | Per the app's rules | Paid by the renter at actual cost |
What a daily rental costs
Our real prices as of November 2026; the current price is on each car page:
| Car | Day, AED | Week, AED | Month, AED |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Raize 2024 | 148 | 890 | 2,200 |
| Mazda 3 2025 | 150 | 980 | 3,300 |
| Toyota Camry 2025 | 180 | 1,170 | 3,950 |
| Mitsubishi Outlander 2024, 7 seats | 200 | 1,300 | 4,400 |
| Tesla Model 3 2024 | 250 | 1,500 | 5,000 |
For a fair comparison, open the carsharing app, check the rate for a similar car and multiply it by the time you will actually have the car, including waiting and parking. If that comes to more than 109 AED for the day, a daily rental wins. A week in the Raize is 890 AED, about 127 AED a day, and a month is 2,200 AED, about 73 AED a day.
On top of a daily rental you pay for fuel, Salik at actual crossings and any fines. Insurance is already included on most cars.
Using both
Combining the two often makes sense. A resident who uses carsharing around town can rent a car for a weekend trip to Hatta or Abu Dhabi when they need something bigger or for the whole day. A visitor may walk and use the Metro for the first days and rent a car for a few days of trips out of the city.
How to book
Choose the car and dates on the site and send a request with the form on the car page, or write to info@rentalcars-dubai.ae. Drivers must be 21 or older with at least one year of experience. The deposit and minimum rental period for each car are shown on its page.
