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Abu Dhabi · United Arab Emirates

Car hire and driving in Abu Dhabi

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In United Arab Emirates traffic drives on the right. Picking up at AUH means 26 km (16 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648827 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648832.

Drives from Abu Dhabi

Car rental from Abu Dhabi: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Abu Dhabi to Jebel AliUnited Arab Emirates94 km (59 mi)about 1 h 26 min
Abu Dhabi to DubaiUnited Arab Emirates115 km (72 mi)about 1 h 46 min
Abu Dhabi to WarīsānUnited Arab Emirates129 km (80 mi)about 1 h 58 min
Abu Dhabi to Al Ain CityUnited Arab Emirates141 km (88 mi)about 2 h 9 min
Abu Dhabi to SharjahUnited Arab Emirates142 km (88 mi)about 2 h 10 min
Abu Dhabi to AjmanUnited Arab Emirates152 km (94 mi)about 2 h 19 min
Abu Dhabi to FujairahUnited Arab Emirates210 km (130 mi)about 3 h 12 min
Abu Dhabi to Ras Al KhaimahUnited Arab Emirates215 km (134 mi)about 3 h 17 min
Abu Dhabi to SoharOman234 km (146 mi)about 3 h 35 min
Abu Dhabi to ŞaḩamOman254 km (158 mi)about 3 h 53 min
Abu Dhabi to ‘IbrīOman255 km (158 mi)about 3 h 53 min
Abu Dhabi to DohaQatar304 km (189 mi)about 4 h 38 min
Abu Dhabi to JeddahSaudi Arabia1,591 km (988 mi)about 24 h 16 min
Abu Dhabi to RiyadhSaudi Arabia777 km (482 mi)about 11 h 51 min
Abu Dhabi to MakkahSaudi Arabia1,529 km (950 mi)about 23 h 19 min
Abu Dhabi to MadinahSaudi Arabia1,496 km (929 mi)about 22 h 48 min
Abu Dhabi to DammamSaudi Arabia484 km (301 mi)about 7 h 23 min
Abu Dhabi to SulţānahSaudi Arabia1,498 km (931 mi)about 22 h 51 min
Abu Dhabi to MuscatOman419 km (260 mi)about 6 h 23 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Abu Dhabi?

The right, as everywhere in United Arab Emirates.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.