Salik, fines and fuel: what a rental actually costs you

The daily rate is the number everyone compares, and it is the one number that rarely decides what you actually pay. Three running costs sit on top of it, and all three are predictable if you know how they work before you collect the keys.

1. Salik, and why it adds up quietly

Salik is Dubai's road toll. Every time you pass under a gate you are charged, automatically, with no way to pay cash and no warning sign that says you are about to spend money. Crossing Sheikh Zayed Road a few times a day during a week-long rental is entirely normal.

We total the crossings at the end of your rental and bill them at cost. No handling fee, no rounding up. If a week of ordinary driving produces fifteen crossings, you pay for fifteen crossings.

2. Traffic fines, and the paperwork that should come with them

Fines are issued to the vehicle, which means they reach us and we pass them to you. That is standard everywhere. What is not standard is passing them on with the official record attached, so you can see the date, the location, the speed and the amount.

Ask for that record. A fine without evidence is just a number on an invoice.

3. Fuel, and the full-to-full rule

You collect the car full and return it full. It is the only fuel policy that cannot be used against you, because there is nothing to estimate and nothing to argue about. Bring the receipt if you top up on the way back and there is no discussion at all.

What is already included

• Comprehensive insurance, on every car, at every rate
• 250 km per day, or 5,000 km per month on a monthly contract
• Delivery to our office and every DXB terminal
• Servicing, registration and roadside support

The one number that actually matters

Add the daily rate, five per cent VAT on the rent, and your realistic Salik crossings. That is your cost. Everything else on this list is either included or entirely within your control.

If a quote you have been given elsewhere cannot be broken down that simply, that is worth noticing.