Most Lamborghini, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce or hot G63 rentals in Dubai go without a single hitch: pick up the keys, drive, return the car. But there is a handful of mistakes that show up again and again, and almost none of them come down to bad luck, they come down to skipping a five-minute check before or during the rental. Here are the seven we see most, roughly from the harmless ones to the ones that actually cost money.
In the luxury and supercar segment, the same mistake costs noticeably more than it would on a regular sedan. An extra-km charge on a Toyota Corolla barely registers in the trip budget, the same logic on a Ferrari or a Lamborghini adds up to a very different number. So the five minutes spent checking the details before you set off pay off here more than anywhere else in car rental.
1. Skipping the walkaround and photos at pickup
The most common and most regrettable mistake is grabbing the keys and driving off without properly walking around the car. Before you get in, walk the body, photograph or film every side, the wheels, the bumpers, the windscreen, the cabin. It takes five minutes and completely settles the question of who is responsible for a scratch noticed at return, if it was already there at pickup. We record the car's condition ourselves, but your own timestamped photos or video are your own insurance for a disputed moment, not a sign of distrust in the company.
2. Not checking the mileage limit
The standard rate includes 250 km a day, which covers most in-city driving with room to spare. The problem starts when someone books a supercar for several days around one long drive, say to Abu Dhabi and back, and forgets that the limit adds up across the whole rental rather than resetting favourably every day. The extra-km charge scales with the car's class, roughly AED 1 per km for an economy car, up into double digits for a supercar. Before a long-distance trip, it is worth estimating the route in kilometres and checking the limit on that specific car's page rather than guessing.
3. Not confirming the fuel policy
The car is handed over with a full tank and is expected back the same way, and on rentals of 5 days or more the first full tank is free as well. A common mistake is returning the car without a full tank, assuming the difference gets deducted quietly with no consequence, or filling it with the wrong grade. Most supercars and premium cars run turbocharged engines that need Super 98 rather than regular Special 95, and our staff always mention this at handover, it just needs remembering.
4. Taking a road car off-road
SUVs like the Urus or the Cullinan look imposing and can handle a graded track, but that is not the same as driving into soft sand off the beaten path. A road-going car, even a powerful premium SUV, gets stuck easily in soft dunes, and the recovery plus any damage to the suspension or underbody ends up costing the renter. If dune driving is the goal, the fleet has the Nissan Patrol and the Toyota Land Cruiser for exactly that, and a Rolls-Royce or a Lamborghini is better left on tarmac and packed dirt roads like the route to Hatta.
5. Not sorting out insurance in advance
Every rental already includes insurance, third-party liability and own damage, but with an excess. Full cover without the excess is a separate paid add-on. The mistake is that many people only think about this after a small scratch has already happened, instead of before the trip when there is time to compare the options. If you plan to drive a lot, park in busy areas, or simply want peace of mind behind the wheel of a supercar, it is worth discussing extended cover at the booking stage rather than dealing with a repair estimate afterward.
6. Booking from a photo without checking the exact version
The Lamborghini Urus and Urus Performante look alike in photos but are different cars in power and seating, and the Huracan Tecnica and Huracan Evo Spyder are not the same thing either if a convertible matters to you. The mistake that spoils an otherwise perfect trip is seeing one photo in a listing and assuming every version is identical. Before booking, check the exact year and trim on that specific car's page, especially if you are travelling as a group and seat count matters, or if an open roof is the whole point.
7. Rushing the return
The last common mistake mirrors the first one: if the walkaround matters at pickup, it is often skipped at return, when people are rushing for a flight or a meeting. Arriving at the last minute, dropping the keys and running off means missing the chance to check the car's condition, fuel level and mileage together with our staff and close everything out on the spot. It is worth building in an extra 10-15 minutes for the return rather than sorting out details over messages after the car has already gone out on its next rental.
Quick version: mistake and fix
| Mistake | Do this instead |
|---|---|
| Driving off without checking the car | Walk the body and take photos or video in the 5 minutes before you start |
| Not checking the mileage limit | Estimate the route in km and check the car's page ahead of time |
| Not confirming the fuel grade | Remember the fuel grade our staff name at handover |
| Driving a road car into sand | Take a Nissan Patrol or a Land Cruiser for dunes, not a Urus or a Cullinan |
| Leaving insurance for later | Discuss full cover at the booking stage |
| Booking from a photo alone | Check the exact year and trim on that specific car's page |
| Rushing the return | Leave an extra 10-15 minutes for a joint check with our staff |
What ties all seven together
None of these mistakes are about the car or the service being bad, they are all about a question that was not settled ahead of time. The walkaround, the mileage limit, the fuel policy, the route, insurance, the exact version of the car, the time you leave for the return, every one of these can be checked in a single call or message before the trip, or in the first five minutes after picking up the keys. If you are unsure about anything on this list, it is simpler to ask our staff on the spot than to sort it out afterward, once the car has finished its days and is already back at base.
