Nissan Patrol or Toyota Land Cruiser: Which to Rent in Dubai

The Nissan Patrol and the Toyota Land Cruiser are the two main full-size SUVs in the Rentalcars Dubai fleet for family trips and days out of the city. Both are body-on-frame, both handle gravel and sand with confidence, and both seat 7 to 8 people with luggage. The differences come down to power, price, and which trim actually fits your plan. Below we compare five versions by price, power and seat count, then look separately at family use around the city and Abu Dhabi, and at desert driving and Hatta.

Models and prices

The cheapest option in the group, the Prado, costs roughly half of the most expensive one, the 300 VXR: 400 versus 600 AED a day. The power gap is smaller in relative terms, 278 versus 409 hp. If the job is simply moving a family around the city and to the airport, paying up for the top trim is not always worth it.

Nissan Patrol: Titanium and Platinum

The Patrol Titanium 2025, 275 hp, 8 seats, 450 AED a day, is the most affordable full-size SUV with eight seats in our fleet. If you are travelling with an extended family, grandparents and kids included, that extra seat compared with the seven-seat Land Cruisers often saves you from renting a second car. The Patrol Platinum 2024 is noticeably stronger, 400 hp instead of 275, same body and same 8 seats, but 550 AED a day instead of 450. The extra 100 AED a day pays off if you drive Sheikh Zayed Road often or plan longer trips to Abu Dhabi and Al Ain: the extra pull and acceleration are easy to feel.

Toyota Land Cruiser: Prado, GXR and 300 VXR

The Prado 2024, 278 hp, 7 seats, 400 AED a day, is the cheapest of the three. It is smaller than the full-size versions, easier to park in the city, and has less ground clearance and off-road capability than the GXR and 300 VXR. The GXR 2024 and 300 VXR 2024 match on power, both 409 hp and 7 seats, but the GXR is 80 AED a day cheaper, 520 versus 600. The GXR sits on the previous generation body, while the 300 VXR is the current generation with newer electronics, suspension and infotainment. For the same off-road capability the GXR is the better value, for status and a newer interior renters pick the 300 VXR.

For family trips around the city

For driving around Dubai, school runs, malls, the airport, the gap between versions matters least: the city limits your speed, and the extra power rarely gets used. Seat count and boot space matter more here. The Patrol with 8 seats suits larger families and groups better, the Land Cruiser with 7 seats is more compact and easier to park at hotels in Dubai Marina or Downtown. Free delivery and collection anywhere in Dubai apply on rentals of 7 days or more, on shorter rentals delivery and collection together cost AED 210 regardless of the location. The included 250 km a day covers city driving comfortably, while a day trip to Abu Dhabi and back with driving around the city comes to 280 to 300 km, slightly over the limit.

For desert driving and Hatta

The road to Hatta is paved almost the whole way, and the mountain road and viewpoints are accessible even in the Prado. For actual off-road driving, the Al Qudra dunes, Big Red, or gravel sections closer to the Oman border, the stronger versions do better: the Patrol Platinum or the Land Cruiser GXR and 300 VXR. The extra power and torque matter when pulling a fully loaded car through soft sand, especially with the whole family and luggage on board. The Patrol Titanium and the Prado are also four-wheel drive and capable, but with a full load in deep dunes they work closer to their limit. For a first dune drive without personal experience, a guided desert safari is the safer choice over going alone in a rental.

Price versus power: which to pick

If you look at the pure cost per extra horsepower, the best value jump is from the Patrol Titanium to the Patrol Platinum: 100 AED a day extra buys 125 extra hp, a 45 percent power gain for a 22 percent price increase. Moving from the Prado to the Land Cruiser GXR costs more per extra hp, 120 AED a day extra for 131 hp. Moving up to the top 300 VXR is worth it mainly for the newer generation platform and infotainment rather than extra power, since the GXR and 300 VXR are rated the same, 409 hp. For both brands the pattern is the same: the entry trim is enough for the city, the extra power earns its keep on the highway and in the desert.

What is included

All Patrol and Land Cruiser versions in our fleet rent on the same terms: no deposit, minimum driver age 21, minimum 1 year of driving experience, minimum rental 1 day. Insurance is included, full zero-excess cover is available as a paid add-on. The car is handed over with a full tank, and on rentals of 5 days or more the first tank of fuel is free. Payment by cash, card or bank transfer, full prepayment with no deposit block.

Three quick scenarios

• A family of up to 7 driving mostly around the city and to Abu Dhabi: take the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, 400 AED a day, the cheapest of the three with enough power for the highway.
• 8 people in the car, grandparents or a nanny included: only the Nissan Patrol works, Titanium at 450 AED if budget matters more than power, or Platinum at 550 AED for longer highway trips.
• A desert trip with a full load, or frequent runs to Hatta and the mountains: the Land Cruiser GXR at 520 AED gives you 409 hp at a fair price, the 300 VXR at 600 AED adds the newer platform generation and infotainment.

In practice, most renters booking an SUV for a week that mixes the city, the beach and one Hatta trip pick the mid-priced version: the Patrol Titanium or the Land Cruiser GXR. The top trims, the Patrol Platinum and the 300 VXR, are usually chosen by returning visitors who already know the roads and want extra power for the highway or the dunes without compromise.