Marina Plaza, Level 9, Dubai Marina
The main subject of this site
Six long guides to hiring a car in the Emirates, from the contract you are asked to sign in a hurry through to the deposit that should come back afterwards. Each one is written to be read once, slowly, and then used at a counter.
Rental Guides 01
A hire agreement is four or five pages long and almost nobody reads it, because it is handed over at the exact moment you are least able to concentrate. This guide sets out the clauses that decide the real cost, in the order they usually appear, so that five minutes of reading is enough.
Rental Guides 02
Hire cars come with insurance included, which is true and misleading in equal measure. This guide explains what the basic cover actually pays for, what the excess means in practice, which waivers are worth their daily price and which gaps remain open whatever you buy.
Rental Guides 03
The deposit is the part of hiring a car that causes the most worry and the least explanation. This guide covers what a hold actually is, why the amount varies so widely, how long the money takes to come back, and what to do when it does not come back at all.
Rental Guides 04
Monthly hire suits long visits, the gap between two cars, and anyone who would rather not buy while they are still deciding. This guide explains how the arithmetic changes past a few weeks, what is normally included, and where the quiet costs sit in a long agreement.
Rental Guides 05
Collecting at a terminal is convenient and it is also the moment you are least equipped to read anything carefully. This guide covers what to settle before you fly, how the desk conversation usually goes, and how to inspect a car properly in a dim car park after a long flight.
Rental Guides 06
Almost every disagreement about a hire car can be traced to five minutes that were skipped at collection. This guide sets out a thirty-minute routine at handover and a ten-minute one at return, in the order that works, with the things people forget marked clearly.
The guides assume only that you have driven for a while and would rather not be hurried. There is no order to follow, though the contract guide and the walk-around guide make a natural pair.
Read it before you sign
If there is a hire agreement in front of you, or a monthly quotation you are unsure about, a short conversation beforehand usually settles it. Nothing is sold here, no vehicle is booked on your behalf, and no hire company hears your name.
