Why it makes sense to rent a car in Dubai

In 1975, the resident population of Dubai was a mere 180,000 or so. By the turn of the century, that number was closer to 900,000. Today, it is a bustling city and home to over 3 million people. And just like that, within a short span, Dubai has emerged from the desert sands to become a shining jewel of the Middle East. While the resident population has multiplied exponentially, Dubai’s draw as a tourist haven has also allowed it to welcome tourists in the millions. From January to June 2024 alone, Dubai has had 9.31 million visitors.

With this influx of people comes a large set of requirements, especially those concerning transportation. After all, most are here for work, and they need an efficient way to get to their offices every day. They also need to get their children to school, run errands, and make weekend mall visits. Thankfully, UAE’s infrastructure has grown with its population.

Dubai’s flourishing populace has a robust metro system and public bus service to rely on, but with several miles separating residential and commercial enclaves, nothing beats having one’s own ride. For some buying a vehicle may be a good option, but the formalities for accessing bank loans are many and the statutes leave some unqualified. For the rest, renting a vehicle is the next best option. While some may see this as money in the water at first, a careful analysis will reveal that the positives outweigh the negatives.

Firstly, most rental car companies are open 24/7 and one can hire a vehicle at any time of the day…or night. You can do it from the comfort of your home through a smartphone app or website, or at physical points of sale conveniently located in airports, malls, kiosks in prime business districts, etc. And if that doesn’t work for you, you can also have it delivered to your home or office. Furthermore, the short rental schemes allow one to change vehicles to meet one’s requirements. If you commute a lot, you may want an ‘econobox’ like a Nissan Sunny and during vacation season, and when your friends or family are in town, you may want to switch to a Nissan Patrol SUV or Kia Carnival MPV to avoid splitting the party. Also, the responsibilities of maintenance don’t fall on your shoulders. If a service is needed or the car breaks down, all you need to do is notify the rental agency and they’ll take care of it, and in the interim, they will even provide you with a replacement vehicle. The pièce de resistance, however, is flexibility of duration, which allows you to keep a vehicle for a day, week, year or have a customised leasing solution.

Dubai, being the cosmopolitan city that it is, is fortunate to have numerous companies to rent a car from. The most popular ones are part of large conglomerates with offices all around the world. These include popular names like Hertz Car Rental, Avis Rent A Car, Budget Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Diamondlease Car Rental, SIXT car hire, and Dollar Rent A Car. By renting from these companies, you can be assured of a certain amount of professionalism and transparency.

You can also hire vehicles from smaller, boutique-like rental companies, some of which are family-owned.

Other, more recently introduced, alternatives include the likes of Udrive and OneClickDrive, which allow one to hire vehicles by the minute and hour as well.

Among the giants of the rental industry is Thrifty Car Rental. It has been a favourite among renters for decades, providing mobility not just for expats who are fresh off the boat, but also long-time residents and visitors. It is arguably the largest car rental and leasing company in the UAE with 52 locations and a fleet of 20,000-plus vehicles including luxury vehicles.

Besides its permanent locations, it has also added new satellite locations (free delivery and collection points) for those seemingly out-of-reach communities. Whether it is commuting, people-hauling, or keeping up with the Joneses, companies like Thrifty seems to have every kind of customer covered, with some 60-plus vehicle makes and models including Japanese, European, American and Chinese brands, from sub-compacts like the Suzuki Ciaz to mammoths like the Chevy Suburban full-size SUV. The folks at Thrifty also offer longer term leases on both standard fleet vehicles as well as customised commercial vehicles such as chiller trucks and vans. As a popular household name, it is almost certain that either you, a friend or family member would have availed their services in the past.

As a people-first company, Thrifty has made rental vehicles more accessible for all academic professionals offering exclusive monthly rental rates across one-, six- and nine-month rentals, with an attractive mileage allowance. This scheme was available starting the month of August and is available till the end of September.

This shows that as lucrative as the rental business may be, the company understands that the ecosystem doesn’t exist without its customers and now, it’s giving back to the people. If you deep dive into the scheme, you’ll also see that teachers may avail the no-deposit car rental package too, with a one-time subscription fee (of 10 percent).

Mr. Khaiser Pasha, General Manager, Thrifty Car Rental, Abu Dhabi, said: “Thrifty Car rental's versatile fleet of vehicles, transparency and reliability are some of the principles that has made us the mobility partner of choice, for both retail and corporate customers. Thrifty is also constantly setting new industry standards for both short-term rentals and long-term lease requirements thanks to its customer-centric approach.”