Dubai has carved a name for itself as a premium rental car destination, with some of the world’s fanciest (and most thrilling!) automobiles available for rent on a daily and even hourly basis. Car rentals like uDrive eliminate the hassles of traveling in an unfamiliar city – quickly book a car on the easy-to-use app and pick up your car at a convenient nearby location to enjoy driving wherever you like, whenever you like.
Of course, there are times when it may be necessary to get some work done in the backseat, instead of enjoying being at the wheel. Or days when negotiating traffic seems like a stress you could do without. For those times, renting a chauffeured ride – a car with a driver – can save you time and help you relax.
Renting a chauffeured car (car with driver) from Dubai’s reputed car rental services is reliable and safe, but comes at a premium: Starting at a minimum of 100 AED/ hour, a car-plus-driver rental typically ranges from 2.5x to 4.5x the cost of a self-drive rental for the same car make and model.
For an in-depth evaluation of the costs and benefits of renting a chauffeured car during your upcoming Dubai visit, take a minute to go through this helpful post from uDrive.
Common Reasons for Renting a Chauffeured Car in Dubai
While the two most common motives for hiring a chauffeured car are saving time and avoiding driving-related stress, there are other reasons why people choose to hire a car and driver. Check which of the following applies to you:
- Many meetings/ destinations to cover within a limited stay
- Time-critical events to attend
In the above scenarios, a driver familiar with the local roads and traffic regulations can help to ensure that you arrive at your intended destination(s) punctually and in a productive frame of mind.
- Traveling with a group of people
- Entertaining guests/ visitors to Dubai
When catering to a large group, it is helpful to have a driver who is knowledgeable about the local attractions and cultural hotspots, as well as alternative routes to get to each destination.
- Under- or over-age to drive or to rent a self-drive car
- Attending events where alcohol intake is likely
You must be over 21 to rent a car in Dubai. Some agencies have rules requiring drivers to be at least 23 or 25. Others have recently introduced upper age-limits that exclude seniors (aged over 65 or 70) from self-drive rentals.
UAE’s strict ‘zero alcohol while driving’ policy necessitates hiring “safe drivers” to drive people home from events involving alcohol intake. A top car rental typically charges at least 80 AED a ride for a safe driver, but slightly cheaper, reliable services are available if you own a vehicle.
Pros and Cons of Hiring a Car with a Driver
The previous section summarizes the most common motives for hiring a chauffeur-driven rental car during your Dubai visit. Here is a quick analysis of the pros and cons of hiring a car with a driver:
- Saving time
Riding in a chauffeured car frees up your time to take care of important phone calls, online meetings and other official and personal tasks.
2. Minimizing stress
Dubai’s roads, though extensive and well-maintained, may pose challenges to newcomers, including:
- Driving on the right
- Navigating potentially confusing entries and exits on multi-lane highways
- Aggressive driving by fellow drivers
- Harsh weather conditions
Having a driver familiar with local traffic and weather may help keep your trip more relaxed.
3. Avoiding fines and penalties
Dubai’s traffic laws are strictly enforced. There are fines for speeding (usually only for those traveling over 20 km/h over the limit), parking violations and severe penalties for driving under the influence or DUI (which may include a spell in jail). Hiring a Dubai-based driver may lower these risks.
4. Making the right impression
Stepping out of a chauffeured car typically makes a great first impression, which can be crucial to the success of a business meeting. Many businesspeople visiting Dubai capitalize on this by hiring a chauffeured car.
On the other hand, hiring a driver entails certain costs, not all of which are financial. The major concerns associated with a hired driver include:
1. Additional expenditure
As outlined above, renting a car with a driver is guaranteed to at least double your rental budget, and may increase it several-fold. It therefore pays to do careful research before finalizing a rental.
2. Issues with professionalism and punctuality
Drivers from Dubai’s reputed car rental agencies undergo security screening and are trained to provide polite, professional and punctual service. However, unprofessional driver behavior is a risk associated with using a less well-known rental service, for example, based on a Facebook ad or post.
3. Security risks
With ever-increasing security risks arising from sharing personal information online, communicating with a hired driver can compromise your security. However, see the following section for a tip on managing and minimizing this risk.
4. Physical safety
Once again, hiring a driver from a less well-known agency may expose you to physical safety risks arising from inability to handle highway driving, unexpected weather changes or aggressive driving by other cars.
What You Need to Know when Hiring a Chauffeured Car
In Dubai, as in other parts of the world, it helps to know a few inside facts while deciding whether and where to rent a chauffeured car. Here we outline the most important factors to help you make a good decision:
- Chauffeured car models typically differ from self-drive models.
Car rentals typically offer larger sedans, SUVs and luxury cars as chauffeured vehicles, with economy segment models usually available only as self-drives. This can affect not only the convenience of your travel (navigation, parking), but also your rental budget.
2. Rentals booked from the airport are usually more expensive.
Experienced travelers recommend hiring a taxi instead of renting a car for the airport transfer in Dubai. Booking a rental from the airport can be significantly more expensive. Keep in mind that rental bookings through hotel concierge services also tend to be costlier than direct bookings through reputed agency websites and apps.
3. Enable and use satnav, especially for less well-known destinations.
Although Dubai drivers are generally familiar with major landmarks and tourist attractions, they may be unfamiliar with less known destinations. Navigation problems may be compounded by poor signal reception in certain areas, as well as lack of experience in using the vehicle GPS. (This problem is reported especially frequently by users of the RTA’s DTC taxi service, which provides cheaper rentals than many private agencies.) Visitors to Dubai are thus encouraged to enable sat nav on their phones, and to consult it even when a hired driver is at the wheel.
4. Use a phone number/ email not linked to any sensitive information.
Where possible, visitors renting a chauffeured car are encouraged to provide a phone number (or email address) that is not linked to any sensitive information, such as payment apps, banking or e-commerce websites. This is especially recommended when sharing information with drivers.
Summing Up: Is Hiring a Chauffeured Car Worth It?
Hiring a chauffeured car in Dubai makes sense if:
- You’re not comfortable driving in an unfamiliar city
- You need to use every available minute while traveling to get important work done
- You’re in a situation where hiring a driver is safest (for example, after imbibing alcohol at a party)
- You’re not eligible to drive in Dubai
Given the high cost of hiring a car with a driver, however, most visitors prefer to go the self-drive route. A service such as Udrive with its unique pay-per-minute billing model can additionally help with the difficult task of meeting your travel budget targets. Supplementing an affordable self-drive rental with taxi rides for those situations when driving is inconvenient might be the ideal solution for your Dubai travel needs.