Avoiding Dh43,000 in traffic fines: Here’s how UAE car rentals help tourists

Dubai: For many tourists visiting Dubai, renting a luxury car and cruising along the UAE’s open roads is high on the itinerary. But while the skyline may be unforgettable, the country’s strict traffic rules often catch visitors off guard. Speed limits, radars, red-light cameras, and other regulations are not always well understood, leading some tourists to rack up hefty fines without realising it.

In some cases, these fines go unpaid when the tourist leaves the country, leaving rental companies to cover the costs. Now, based on hard-earned experience, many rental firms are updating their policies and doing more to educate customers ensuring safer driving and fewer disputes down the road.

Mohammad Hassan, owner of 7Cars Rent a Car LLC, recalls one of the most extreme cases he has faced.

“Three years ago, I rented a luxury Range Rover to a tourist. The deposit was Dh2,000, but the fines they racked up reached Dh43,000. Eventually, the outstanding amount ballooned to Dh86,000,” Hassan told Gulf News.

Although he filed a civil case with Dubai Courts, the tourist left the country before the case was processed. “We ended up paying the traffic fines ourselves,” he said.

As a result, his company now strictly accepts only credit cards and pre-authorises every transaction. “We also take time to educate tourists on the basic traffic rules and regulations in the UAE,” he added.

Luxury cars and high-speed roads are often a dangerous mix for tourists unfamiliar with the UAE’s driving rules. “Overspeeding is by far the most common traffic violation,” Hassan explained. “We receive between five to seven speeding fines every day.”

Soham Shah, founder and CEO of SelfDrive Mobility, shared a similar experience. “Many tourists don’t know about speed limits, grace thresholds, and how widespread radar enforcement is here,” he said.

He recalled a recent incident where a customer rented a Mercedes and received six speeding fines of Dh400 each within just five minutes, totalling more than Dh1,000.

One major issue rental companies face is the delay in receiving traffic fine notifications. “Fines are not issued in real-time. Sometimes we receive an SMS after two days or even a week,” Shah said. “By that time, the vehicle has already been returned, and the fines far exceed the deposit.”

This often leads to surprise and frustration for tourists. “That’s why we have implemented a policy of regularly updating customers during their rental period if we notice any fines being issued,” he explained.

Shah added that before they handover a vehicle, they always send an email detailing the driving rules, traffic laws and rules in the UAE to every customer.

Each fine is logged against a vehicle’s number plate, which is linked to a traffic file managed by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Rental companies must manually retrieve these fines and match them to the customer who rented the vehicle at the time.

“If the customer agrees, we deduct the amount from the deposit. If the fine exceeds the deposit or is disputed, we may have to take legal action,” Shah explained. “Regardless, we have to settle the fine with the RTA immediately, sometimes leading to unrecoverable losses.”

He also pointed out that customers do have the right to challenge a fine in the UAE. “If a waiver is granted, we refund 100% of the amount to the customer,” he said.

Benny Thomas, CFO of Thrifty and Dollar Car Rental, stressed the importance of educating renters. “All our agreements clearly state that drivers must follow UAE traffic regulations. We provide handover guides with key rules, such as speed limits, mobile phone use, and parking guidelines.”

Thomas explained that most traffic fines are detected via integrated government systems and automatically added to the customer’s final bill. “For delayed fines, we follow up with documentation and charge them via the deposit or direct contact,” he said.

His company is also exploring partnerships with tourism boards to help promote better awareness among visitors. “Our goal isn’t just to enforce compliance, but also to support safe driving through education,” he added.

Nicholas Watson, co-founder of Udrive, highlighted a different approach. “We don’t take deposits at all. Instead, we only charge fines once they appear in our system, which could be within minutes or up to four weeks after the violation.”

“If you rent a car for Dh150 and you’re a safe driver, that’s all you pay. If you do receive a fine, we’ll charge it at the time we become aware of it, without tying up your money in advance,” Watson said.

He added that most companies also apply administrative charges in addition to the fine itself, to cover paperwork, payment processing, and bank fees.

Sunil Ambalavelil, principal partner at Nasser Yousuf Alkhamis Lawyers (NYK Lawyers) and Legal Consultants, explained that car rental companies can take legal steps to recover unpaid traffic fines. “Under UAE law, rental agreements typically pass the responsibility for any fines incurred to the customer,” he said.

If a customer leaves the country or fails to pay, the rental company can file a civil claim, which may result in a travel ban. “This is subject to court approval and depends on the rental agreement, presence of security cheques, or evidence of fraud,” Sunil said.

In more serious cases, where a post-dated cheque has bounced or there is intent to defraud, the issue can escalate into a criminal complaint, potentially leading to further legal consequences and travel restrictions.