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Dubai · United Arab Emirates

Car hire and driving in Dubai

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

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In United Arab Emirates traffic drives on the right. Picking up at DXB means 20 km (12 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 Dubai

Car rental from Dubai: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Dubai to SharjahUnited Arab Emirates30 km (19 mi)about 28 min
Dubai to AjmanUnited Arab Emirates40 km (25 mi)about 37 min
Dubai to Ras Al KhaimahUnited Arab Emirates102 km (63 mi)about 1 h 33 min
Dubai to FujairahUnited Arab Emirates104 km (65 mi)about 1 h 35 min
Dubai to Al Ain CityUnited Arab Emirates109 km (67 mi)about 1 h 39 min
Dubai to Abu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates115 km (72 mi)about 1 h 46 min
Dubai to MusaffahUnited Arab Emirates116 km (72 mi)about 1 h 46 min
Dubai to SoharOman163 km (101 mi)about 2 h 29 min
Dubai to ŞaḩamOman189 km (117 mi)about 2 h 53 min
Dubai to ‘IbrīOman240 km (149 mi)about 3 h 39 min
Dubai to As SuwayqOman255 km (159 mi)about 3 h 53 min
Dubai to RustaqOman285 km (177 mi)about 4 h 21 min
Dubai to JeddahSaudi Arabia1,693 km (1,052 mi)about 25 h 49 min
Dubai to RiyadhSaudi Arabia867 km (539 mi)about 13 h 13 min
Dubai to MakkahSaudi Arabia1,632 km (1,014 mi)about 24 h 53 min
Dubai to MadinahSaudi Arabia1,585 km (985 mi)about 24 h 10 min
Dubai to DammamSaudi Arabia543 km (337 mi)about 8 h 17 min
Dubai to SulţānahSaudi Arabia1,588 km (987 mi)about 24 h 13 min
Dubai to MuscatOman355 km (221 mi)about 5 h 25 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 Dubai?

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 13 September 2026. Hotel 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.