The word salik means free flow in Arabic, and that is how the system works: a gantry with cameras spans the road, there is no barrier and no need to stop. A tag is stuck to the windscreen, the gantry reads it at speed and charges the owner's account. If the tag fails, the camera reads the number plate. To the driver a toll gate looks like any other stretch of highway, and many visitors only learn Dubai has toll roads when they see the rental invoice.
Where the Salik gates are
Since late 2024 Dubai has ten gantries. Eight sit on the two highways a visitor cannot really avoid, two on bridges across the Creek.
- Al Safa North and Al Safa South on Sheikh Zayed Road between Downtown and Jumeirah. Pass both within an hour and you are charged once.
- Al Barsha on Sheikh Zayed Road by Mall of the Emirates.
- Jebel Ali on Sheikh Zayed Road by Ibn Battuta Mall, on the way out towards Abu Dhabi.
- Al Garhoud Bridge and Al Maktoum Bridge across Dubai Creek between Deira and Bur Dubai.
- Business Bay Crossing on Al Khail Road across the Creek, added in November 2024.
- Airport Tunnel on Beirut Street next to DXB.
- Al Mamzar North and Al Mamzar South on Al Ittihad Road, the road to Sharjah. Both within an hour also count as one.
The gantries are easy to spot: a wide blue structure with the word Salik across all lanes. A sign warns you about five hundred metres ahead, but by then there is usually nowhere to turn off.
What a crossing costs
Until 2025 every gate cost AED 4 at any hour. Since 31 January 2025 the rate depends on the time of day, and since 1 June 2026 it includes 5% VAT. Public holidays follow the Monday to Saturday rates unless Salik announces otherwise.
| Time | Monday to Saturday and public holidays | Sundays |
|---|---|---|
| 06:00–10:00 and 16:00–20:00 | AED 6.30 | AED 4.20 |
| 10:00–16:00 and 20:00–01:00 | AED 4.20 | AED 4.20 |
| 01:00–06:00 | free | free |
What counts is the moment you pass under the gantry, not when you set off. There is no daily cap for cars: ten crossings cost ten times the rate. In practice a visitor staying in the Marina and driving to Downtown and back every day spends AED 13 to 17 a day on Salik. The drive from DXB to the Marina along Sheikh Zayed Road passes two gates, Al Safa and Al Barsha, which is AED 8.40 to 12.60.
How it works on a rental car
Every car in our fleet is registered with Salik and carries a tag. You do not need to buy, top up or set up anything. Each crossing appears in a report by plate number and date; at return we show you the list and add the amount to the bill at cost. We charge no handling fee, although the market does: some companies add AED 5 to 10 per crossing, and a week of active driving turns into an extra AED 150 to 200. Ask about this before signing a contract.
Salik reports arrive with a delay of up to a day, so crossings from the last day of the rental may come in after the car is returned. We send the final amount by WhatsApp and add nothing on top.
How to avoid the gates
You can drive around Dubai without paying Salik at all, though not always conveniently. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road (E311) and Emirates Road (E611) run parallel to the coast further inland and have no gantries. Al Khail Road (E44) is also free along its whole length except the Business Bay Crossing bridge. Between the Marina and Downtown the fastest route is in fact Al Khail Road, which saves two gates on Sheikh Zayed Road and often time as well. The Floating Bridge crosses the Creek free of charge during the day; it closes at night.
Navigation apps can avoid toll roads: both Google Maps and Waze have an avoid tolls switch. Do not use it in rush hour, though; a detour in traffic burns more fuel than a gate costs.
Toll roads in the other emirates
Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah have no toll roads. The Al Mamzar gates stand on the Dubai border, so the road to Sharjah is only charged on the Dubai side.
Abu Dhabi has its own system, Darb. Four gantries stand on the bridges leading onto Abu Dhabi island: Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Al Maqta Bridge, Mussafah Bridge and Sheikh Khalifa Bridge. A crossing costs AED 4 only at peak hours, 07:00 to 09:00 and 15:00 to 19:00 Monday to Saturday, and is free at other times, on Sundays and on public holidays. There has been no daily cap since September 2025. Since 4 May 2026 two more gates, Ghantoot on the E11 and Al Qurm, charge AED 4 around the clock. Darb recognises Dubai-registered cars by plate too, and we pass those crossings on the same way, at cost. We have a separate guide to the Abu Dhabi system.
What if the tag did not read
Nothing, as far as you are concerned. The camera reads the plate and the crossing still lands on the company account. Fines for crossing without registration or with a zero balance exist, but they are the car owner's concern, not the renter's. The one thing worth doing, if another company's contract says the client is liable for Salik fines, is to ask whether the car is actually registered. All of ours are.
In short
Ten gates, AED 4.20 or 6.30 per crossing depending on the hour, free at night, nothing to pay up front, the total is added to the bill at return. Budget AED 10 to 20 a day for Salik on ordinary tourist driving. To spend less, use Al Khail Road and the E311.
