Driving in the UAE

By the Viamo editorial team · Editor Terje Moy · Last updated July 2026 · 7 min read

The UAE is built around the car. Wide, well-maintained motorways connect Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Northern Emirates, and for most travellers hiring a car is by far the most practical way to explore beyond a single city. But UAE roads have their own rules, their own technology and their own pitfalls — and the fines for getting it wrong can be steep.

Driving on the right — and road standards

The UAE drives on the right-hand side of the road, with left-hand-drive vehicles. Road infrastructure across the UAE is modern, well-lit and well-signposted in both Arabic and English. Motorways between emirates are dual-carriageway or wider for almost their entire length, and fuel stations are plentiful on all major routes.

Despite excellent infrastructure, the UAE has a high accident rate relative to its development level. Tailgating is common, lane discipline is inconsistent, and it is not unusual to encounter vehicles travelling very fast in the outside lane. Defensive driving — staying in your lane, maintaining a safe following distance and resisting pressure to move aside when a faster driver approaches — is the right response. Do not expect the pace of traffic to be as orderly as in northern Europe, even on premium motorways.

Speed limits and speed-camera enforcement

Speed limits in the UAE are enforced by an extensive network of speed cameras, including overhead gantry cameras on motorways and fixed cameras at intersections. Limits are typically:

• 120 km/h on most motorways (Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, Abu Dhabi to Dubai E11, etc.)
• 100 km/h on some sections and dual-carriageways
• 60 to 80 km/h in urban areas

In practice, UAE authorities apply a tolerance threshold — the camera triggers only when you exceed the posted limit by a set margin, typically around 20 km/h, though this varies by road and is subject to change. This should absolutely not be treated as an invitation to speed: the tolerance can change without notice, some roads have zero tolerance, and it is the posted limit that counts legally. Fines are linked to your car registration and can accumulate silently; rental car companies typically charge them to your card after the fact, sometimes weeks later. Check the company's excess fee policy when you hire.

Using a mobile phone while driving is illegal and fines are significant. Seatbelts are mandatory for all occupants.

Salik electronic tolls in Dubai

Salik is Dubai's electronic road-toll system. Eight toll gates are currently active across Dubai's road network — on Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Garhoud Bridge, Al Maktoum Bridge, the Airport Tunnel and several other key junctions. Salik operates by overhead radio-frequency readers that register your vehicle as it passes through. There are no toll booths to stop at.

For residents, Salik tags are linked to prepaid accounts on registered vehicles. For visitors hiring a car, the hire company's vehicle already has a Salik tag registered to their fleet. The toll charges are accumulated against your rental and billed to you, typically with an additional daily or per-transaction administration fee on top of the toll itself — check this in your rental agreement, as the markup can add up on a city-driving week. Each gate crossing costs a flat fee (currently around AED 4 per crossing), deducted automatically as you pass through.

You do not need to do anything manually with Salik in a hire car — just drive through the gates normally and the system captures your crossing. Be aware that routes through central Dubai are almost impossible to complete without passing several Salik points.

Abu Dhabi roads and Darb tolls

Abu Dhabi operates its own electronic toll system called Darb, introduced more recently than Salik. Similar principles apply: RFID readers at toll points, charges linked to vehicle registration, and hire cars billing the tolls back to you. The Darb network is smaller and less extensive than Dubai's Salik gates at present. Motorways between Abu Dhabi and Dubai are toll-free on most of their length but can involve some Salik charges as you approach Dubai.

Key driving routes between emirates

The main inter-emirate routes are generally straightforward and well-signposted:

• Dubai to Abu Dhabi: roughly 140 km on the E11 (Sheikh Zayed Road / Abu Dhabi–Dubai Highway), taking about 1 hour 30 minutes in moderate traffic. Traffic can be heavy on Friday afternoons and Sunday mornings (the UAE working week runs Sunday to Thursday/Friday).
• Dubai to Sharjah: only about 15 km but notoriously congested at rush hours — allow 45 minutes to an hour in peak times, and significantly less off-peak.
• Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah: around 100 km, roughly 1 hour 15 minutes on the E11 north.
• Abu Dhabi to Al Ain: roughly 160 km on the E22, a pleasant straight-line motorway through the desert with good road conditions. Al Ain is worth a day trip for its oasis palm groves and the Jebel Hafeet mountain road.

For the spectacular Jebel Jais mountain road in Ras Al Khaimah — rising to over 1,900 m and offering dramatic views across the Hajar range — a standard hire car is adequate in dry conditions. The road is paved, well-maintained and drives well. Check your hire agreement for mountain-road exclusions, which some cheaper hire cars have.

Desert driving and off-road

The UAE's sand dunes — particularly the Liwa Oasis area in the Empty Quarter and the Mleiha region in Sharjah — attract visitors who want to experience open desert. For any genuine desert driving, a 4x4 is essential, and solo off-road driving in dunes is strongly discouraged: sand dunes, even experienced ones, can beach vehicles that are hard to recover alone. The local convention is to drive in convoys of at least two vehicles and to reduce tyre pressure significantly before entering soft sand (then reinflate before returning to tarmac).

Check your hire agreement carefully: most standard hire cars explicitly exclude off-road driving, and damage incurred off-road — including tyre sidewall damage from sharp rocks on wadi tracks — is typically not covered by the collision damage waiver. If you plan to go off-road, hire a 4x4 with specific off-road cover, or join a guided desert safari where the operator's vehicles are insured for the terrain.

Driving between cities through the desert is perfectly safe on paved roads. Keep your fuel tank well above the quarter mark when crossing long desert sections, carry bottled water in the car in summer, and note that mobile signal can drop in remote desert areas.

Licence requirements for visitors

Visitors from many countries can drive in the UAE on their home national driving licence for the duration of a tourist visa or visit, though requirements vary by nationality. Visitors from countries not on the approved list may need an international driving permit (IDP) — check with your hire company and the IDP guide here before you travel. Most major Western licences (UK, US, EU, Australian, etc.) are accepted directly, but confirmation from your hire company at booking stage is wise.

Frequently asked questions

What are Salik tolls and do I need to worry about them?

Salik is Dubai's electronic road-toll system. Hire cars already have Salik tags, and any toll charges are billed back to you by the rental company, often with an administrative surcharge. You do not need to stop at any toll booth — the system works automatically as you drive through marked gantries.

Are speed cameras common in the UAE?

Very. Speed cameras, including overhead gantry cameras, are widely used on all major roads. Fines are issued against the vehicle's registration and charged to hire car renters by the rental company, sometimes weeks after the trip. Drive to posted limits; do not rely on any speed tolerance.

Can I drive from Dubai to Oman?

Cross-border driving to Oman is possible but requires specific cross-border insurance that is not included in standard UAE hire agreements. Arrange this with your hire company before you travel, and check current border crossing requirements for your nationality. See our guide to entry requirements in the Middle East for context.

Is it safe to drive in the UAE as a visitor?

Road infrastructure is excellent. The main risks come from high-speed traffic, tailgating and aggressive lane changes by local drivers on busy motorways. Defensive driving, keeping to your lane, and not rushing are the right approach. Avoid driving in the midday summer heat if possible — temperatures in a parked car can reach dangerous levels very quickly.