Car rental in Dubai

Booked a Kia Picanto for five days in Dubai Marina at AED 55 a day, AED 275 all in. Delivered to the hotel lobby on time, paperwork took ten minutes, and the deposit hold was released the day after I returned it.

Hyundai Creta for three days in Al Barsha, AED 130 a day. Clean car, cold AC, easy handover. Salik tolls are charged on top of the AED 390, which the agent did explain, but I would put that in bigger letters on the booking page.

Took the Nissan Patrol for the weekend run to Hatta, AED 700 a day. Strong car for the mountain road, tyres and fluids clearly checked before handover. Picked it up in Business Bay, returned it there, no arguments about the sand.

Toyota Corolla for a week while my own car was in service. AED 120 a day, delivered to my office in Deira and collected from the same spot. Simple, polite, no upselling of extras I did not ask for.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class picked up at DXB Terminal 3 arrivals after a late flight. AED 600 a day, four days, AED 2,400. The driver was waiting with the keys at the meeting point and the car was spotless. Exactly what I needed after eight hours in the air.

Toyota Yaris in Bur Dubai, AED 75 a day, good little car for city traffic. The only thing I would change is the deposit: it took six days to come back to my card, and nobody warned me it can be that slow.

Range Rover Evoque for four days on Palm Jumeirah, AED 650 a day. The car matched the photos on the site exactly, which is rarer than it should be. Delivery to the villa gate, collection from the same place, contract in English.

Kia Carnival for the family, seven of us with luggage, AED 320 a day. We did Global Village one evening and The Dubai Mall the next, and the boot still swallowed everything. Child seat was fitted and checked before we drove off.

Nissan Sunny in Jumeirah Lake Towers at AED 65 a day. Honest service: the scratch on the rear bumper was photographed and written into the handover sheet in front of me, so there was no argument at the end. Car itself is basic but does the job.

Tesla Model 3 for three days in Business Bay, AED 300 a day. They handed it over at 100 per cent and sent me a map of the chargers near the building, which saved me a lot of guessing on the first evening. Would book the same car again.

Toyota Land Cruiser for the drive to Al Ain and back, AED 750 a day. Tyre pressure checked in front of me, spare and jack in place, full tank at pickup and the same expected back. Everything was said out loud before I signed anything.

Ford Mustang Convertible for two days, AED 800 a day, AED 1,600 total. Collected it near JBR, drove Sheikh Zayed Road in the evening with the roof down. They were straight about the speed limits and how RTA fines are passed on, which I appreciated.