First Time Renting a Luxury Car in Dubai? Here's What to Expect

What Documents Do You Need?

You will need your driving licence, passport, and a credit card in your name. If you are from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, or most of Europe, your home licence is accepted. Everyone else needs an International Driving Permit, and you have to get it before you arrive because you cannot sort one out in the UAE.

Most luxury rental companies set the minimum age at 21. For supercars and high-performance vehicles, that often goes up to 25. Your provider will take copies of everything at handover, so having photos ready on your phone saves a bit of time.

Deposits and Payment

You will put down a security deposit when you pick up the car. For luxury vehicles this is usually somewhere between AED 3,000 and AED 10,000, depending on what you are renting. The hold goes on your credit card and gets released once the car comes back in good shape, typically within 5 to 14 business days.

Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted. Some companies will take bank transfers for longer bookings. The daily rate normally includes basic insurance, but ask what the excess is and what exactly is covered before you sign anything.

Insurance and Liability

Every rental car in Dubai has basic third-party insurance by law. But with luxury cars, the details matter more because the repair bills are bigger. Ask about the collision damage waiver and find out what your maximum liability would be if something goes wrong.

Some companies sell zero-excess cover as an add-on, meaning you would pay nothing for damage. Given that you might be driving a car worth half a million dirhams, that can be a sensible extra expense. Check whether tyres and windscreens are included because those are usually excluded from standard cover.

Before you drive off, walk around the car and photograph everything. Get any existing scratches or dents written into the rental agreement.

Delivery and Collection

Most premium rental companies in Dubai, LuxeClub included, deliver the car to wherever you are staying. Hotel lobby, apartment building, airport arrivals. At handover, someone goes through the car's controls and features with you, which is useful if you have never driven that model before.

Returning it works the same way. The team picks it up from you, so there is no need to find a rental office or deal with airport logistics.

Tips for Your First Drive

Spend a few minutes getting used to the car somewhere quiet before you jump onto Sheikh Zayed Road. Get familiar with the drive modes. Most luxury cars have Comfort, Sport, and Sport Plus settings that change how the throttle, steering, and exhaust behave. Start in Comfort.

Radar cameras are everywhere and the fines add up fast. There is almost no speed buffer above the posted limit. Download Waze or use Google Maps for live camera alerts.

Be careful with speed bumps in residential areas. Some of them are steep enough to scrape a low car if you take them at any real pace. Other than that, enjoy it. Driving a nice car around Dubai is a genuinely good experience.