The Dubai car rental deposit is the part of a booking that generates the most questions at our desk, and the part that other rental sites explain least. How much is it, is it blocked or charged, what can be taken out of it and when does it come back. This article sets out exactly how it works at YAZ Car Rental, from our office at Azizi Riviera 3, Al Merkadh where we take the deposit on collection and release it after return. The rules here are ours; other companies differ, sometimes a lot, so use this as a checklist of questions to ask wherever you book.
Why every Dubai rental takes a deposit
A rental company hands you a car worth a great deal of money on the strength of a passport and a licence. The deposit is not there to cover a crash; comprehensive insurance does that. It exists because certain costs only become known after you have flown home: traffic fines that post to the vehicle record days later, Salik toll crossings, extra kilometres and fuel. Without a deposit the company would be chasing those amounts across borders. With one, the sum is simply settled and the balance returned.
For a supercar the logic is the same as for a hatchback, but the potential sums are larger, which is why almost every operator in Dubai holds a deposit and why the amounts vary so much. Some hold a fixed figure, some scale it by car, some scale it by driver age. We do the last of those.
YAZ Dubai car rental deposit tiers: AED 2,000 at 25 and over, AED 5,000 under 25
Our Dubai car rental deposit has two levels and they depend on the driver, not the car:
- Drivers aged 25 and over: AED 2,000.
- Drivers under 25: AED 5,000.
That applies whether you take the Mercedes-AMG G 63 at AED 1,200 per day or the Porsche 911 GT3 RS at AED 3,000. The age is taken from your passport on the day of collection. If you turn 25 during the rental, the higher tier still applies because it was set at handover.
The deposit is per rental, not per day and not per car. A two-week booking carries the same AED 2,000 as a one-day booking. If you swap cars mid-rental, we carry the deposit across rather than taking a second one.
Blocked or charged? Cash, card (+3%) and bank transfer options
You can pay the deposit three ways: cash, bank transfer or card. Card payments carry a 3% processing charge, so if you want to keep the cost down, cash or a transfer is the better route. Many visitors bring the deposit in cash specifically to avoid a large card transaction abroad; that is fine with us and we issue a receipt.
Whichever method you choose, the deposit is paid to us and then refunded to you, rather than sitting as a pre-authorisation that quietly expires. That has two practical consequences. First, you should expect to see the transaction on your statement and then a matching refund. Second, refunds go back by the same route they arrived: a card deposit is refunded to the card, a transfer to the account, cash in cash or by transfer if you have already left the country.
What can be deducted: fines, Salik plus AED 1, extra kilometres, fuel
These are the only items we take from a deposit, and we send the supporting record for each one:
- Traffic fines incurred during your rental. These are issued by Dubai Police against the vehicle and are your responsibility as the driver. You can check the record yourself on the Dubai Police site or app.
- Salik tolls at cost plus AED 1 administration per gate crossing. Current tariffs, including peak and off-peak pricing, are on salik.ae.
- Extra kilometres beyond the 250 km per day included, at the rate shown on each car page, from AED 8 per km on the G 63 to AED 20 per km on the GT3 RS.
- Fuel if the car comes back below the level it left with. We refuel and pass on the cost.
What is not taken from the deposit is accident damage in the normal sense. If there is an at-fault accident with a red police report, the insurance excess of AED 6,000 to AED 8,000 and your share of the repair cost are settled separately as an invoice, because the amounts exceed the deposit. That is covered in our complete guide to renting a supercar in Dubai.
Refund timeline: within 15 days after fine and Salik checks
We refund the deposit within 15 days of the car being returned. The reason it is not same-day is outside our control: Dubai Police fines can appear on the vehicle record several days after the event, and Salik crossings post with a delay too. If we refunded on the day you handed back the keys and a fine surfaced a week later, we would be invoicing you abroad, which nobody enjoys.
In practice the process from our side looks like this. The car comes back and we photograph it with you, note the fuel and the odometer, and agree any extra kilometres on the spot. Over the following days we check the fine record and the Salik statement for the rental dates. Once both are clear, we release the deposit by the original payment method and message you on WhatsApp to say it has gone. Most refunds go out well inside the 15 days; the full window is there for the cases where a fine takes its time.
Renting a supercar under 25: minimum age 18, higher excess share
Yes, you can rent a Lamborghini at 21 in Dubai, and at 18 with us. Our minimum age is 18 for every car in the fleet. Two things change for drivers under 25:
- The deposit rises to AED 5,000.
- In an at-fault accident, your share of the repair cost is 30% rather than 20%, on top of the insurance excess.
Nothing else is different. The daily rate, the 250 km allowance and the insurance cover are the same. We ask younger drivers the same questions we ask everyone at handover: have you driven a rear-wheel-drive car with this much power, and do you know where the nose sits on a ramp. If the honest answer is no, the Urus S or the G 63 is usually the better first supercar, and both are in the full fleet.
How to protect your deposit: photographs, fuel, Salik receipt
- Photograph the car with us at handover. We do this as standard, all four corners, wheels, windscreen and the odometer. Keep your own copies. Anything recorded at collection cannot be charged to you at return.
- Note the fuel level and the odometer at collection and again at return. Refuel with Super 98 before you hand the car back; it is cheaper than having us do it.
- Count your Salik gates. A Marina to Downtown run typically passes one or two. If your statement shows more than you remember, ask us for the crossing list and we will go through it with you.
- Drive to the limit, not over it. Fines are the most common deduction we make and the most avoidable. The cameras do not care what car you are in.
- Return on time. Late returns are charged pro-rata, and a long delay counts as an extra day at the daily rate. If you are running late, message us; a heads-up costs nothing.
FAQ
How long does the deposit refund take?
Within 15 days of returning the car. We first check the Dubai Police fine record and the Salik toll statement for your rental dates, because both can post several days after the event. Once they are clear, we release the deposit by the same method you paid, card to card, transfer to account, and message you on WhatsApp to confirm. Most refunds go out well before the 15-day limit.
Can I pay the deposit in cash?
Yes. We accept cash, bank transfer and card for the deposit. Card payments carry a 3% processing charge, so cash or a transfer is the cheaper option and many visitors prefer it to a large card transaction abroad. We issue a receipt for cash deposits and refund by cash if you are still in Dubai, or by bank transfer if you have already flown home.
Is the deposit per car or per rental?
Per rental, and set by the driver's age rather than by the car. A one-day booking and a two-week booking both carry AED 2,000 for a driver aged 25 or over, or AED 5,000 for a driver under 25, whether the car is the G 63 or the GT3 RS. If you change cars during the rental, the deposit carries across and we do not take a second one.
What if a fine arrives after my deposit is refunded?
It happens rarely, because we hold the deposit until the fine record has had time to update. If a fine does surface later, we send you the Dubai Police record showing the date, time and location, along with an invoice for the amount, and you settle it by transfer or card. Checking the record yourself in the Dubai Police app before you fly is a good habit.
Book with YAZ Car Rental
Every car in our fleet carries the same deposit, AED 2,000 at 25 and over or AED 5,000 under 25, refunded within 15 days. The Mercedes-AMG G 63 is AED 1,200 per day and the Lamborghini Urus S and Huracán Tecnica AED 2,000 per day, each with 250 km per day and comprehensive insurance included and delivery anywhere in Dubai on request.
WhatsApp +971 52 536 9597 with any question about the deposit, browse the full fleet, read the rental FAQ or contact YAZ at our Al Merkadh office.
