Many daily rates include 200–300 km per day, while others offer unlimited mileage — the allowance is always shown in the rate details before you book. Exceeding a cap costs roughly AED 0.5–3 per extra kilometre depending on the car class, billed at return or from your deposit.
How the caps work
A 250 km/day allowance on a four-day rental normally pools into 1,000 km for the whole trip, so a big driving day is fine as long as the total stays inside the limit. The allowance and any per-km overage rate are printed in the rate details during booking and again on your voucher.
What going over costs
Extra kilometres are billed at roughly AED 0.5–3 per km — economy cars at the bottom of the range, larger and premium classes towards the top. The charge is settled at return or taken from your deposit, so a long unplanned detour can quietly outgrow the saving on a cheap capped rate.
When unlimited mileage earns its keep
- Abu Dhabi day trips — a healthy round trip from Dubai on its own
- East-coast drives to Fujairah and back
- Desert routes and multi-emirate touring
If your plans include any of these, compare a capped cheap rate against a slightly dearer unlimited one — the unlimited rate often wins once overage charges are priced in.
Check before you book
The mileage terms are always visible before you confirm, so match the allowance to your itinerary rather than the other way round. Compare rental cars in Dubai — filters and rate details make capped versus unlimited easy to spot — and see car rental help for more on charges and deposits.