Deposits, fines and insurance, explained plainly

The deposit is a hold on a credit card, not a charge. It covers traffic fines, Salik toll crossings (AED 4 to 6 each), fuel and any damage up to the excess. It is released 14 to 30 days after return, which is how long fines take to appear in the system.

Insurance is comprehensive but with an excess: typically AED 3,000 to 5,000 on luxury cars and AED 10,000 to 20,000 on supercars. Some companies sell an excess reduction for AED 150 to 400 a day; on a supercar we recommend it. Tyres, rims and the underside are usually excluded, which matters on Dubai's kerbs.

Fines: cameras enforce the limit plus a small tolerance. A typical speeding fine is AED 300 to 2,000 depending on how far over, and the rental company adds an admin fee of AED 50 to 100 per fine. Fines are matched to the car by date and time and deducted from your deposit with the receipt sent to you.

Damage: photograph the car at delivery from every angle, including wheels. Any existing scratch that is not on the delivery sheet becomes yours at return.

We write all of this into the quote, per company, so you compare like with like.