Car Sharing Services in Dubai – Detailed Guide

Car Sharing Services in Dubai, most residents in Dubai own a vehicle, but some do not, choosing to either walk, use public transport, or work closer to where they live. Still, others may own a car but don’t regularly use it.

For such people, the option of the best car rental app Dubai is an ideal middle-ground. But unfortunately, many such options are not available in Dubai.

Some car rental companies in Dubai require full payment of your vehicle before they award you the keys, while in others, you pay after you drop it back.

But what if I tell you there’s a middle-ground? In car-sharing programs, supply and demand are matched with requirements through an app that offers users two options to use other peoples’ vehicles when they’re not being used themselves.

The best part about this service is that it functions on a per-minute billing rather than full-day or hourly pricing; the downside is that nobody can afford to maintain their car. Most only have one car per household.

How The Car Sharing Services Work

There are a handful of car-sharing services in Dubai, including City Cars which allows you to rent vehicles for a few hours solely, making it ideal for those who don’t need their vehicle on a full-time basis. While not traditional car rental services, they differ from them in the following ways:

  • The Pickup, reservation, and return is based on a self-service model
  • can rent vehicles by the minute, hour, or by the day
  • Services are not limited by business hours
  • The Vehicles available for hire are scattered throughout designated service areas
  • Rates are inclusive of fuel costs

Below you’ll find a list of some businesses that offer services that are similar to this one:

EKAR

One of the first car-sharing services you may want to consider is Ekar.

The company is one of the largest in the Middle East and offers more than 1000 pieces of smart, cost-effective transportation for rent on a pay-per-minute basis.

Also available for long-term rentals, like daily or monthly, customers can use the service via a mobile car-sharing app in Dubai. Here’s how that process works:

App Download

After downloading the app on your smartphone, users must first register. The application currently does not support Emirates ID cards or foreign passports.

After registering with a valid existing license, Ekar is ready to book; An Ekar can be booked on a per-minute basis (up to 5 hours), daily, monthly, or weekly at just AED 1, which includes all costs except overtime fees incurred.

Unlocking And Driving The Ekar

Once the vehicle has been located on your app, you can unlock it with an Ekar key conveniently placed inside the glove compartment. Users must enter a personal pin code to release the key holder’s key.

Users must return the key after use by placing it back into the Ekar portal and returning it to the glove box.

Car Types

Ekar gives its users the option of choosing between three different types of vehicles depending on how long, price, and other factors.

One choice, for example, is the Ekar signature light blue Infiniti Q50, which comes with a mileage charge of 1.5AED per kilometer, a 24-hour booking limit, and 30 kilometers free usage per hour:

  • Per-minute: AED 0.7
  • Per-hour: AED 42
  • Daily: AED 360

The Infiniti Q70 has a per-minute charge of AED 0.8, the daily price of AED 399, weekly bookings for AED 2299, and monthly rent of AED 4750.

The Additional Charges

Ekar has several plans that their clients can subscribe to ensure the quality of Ekar service, which are, but are not limited to:

  • Excessive cleaning: AED 300
  • SALIK: AED 5
  • Smoking inside the vehicle: AED 500
  • The Parking/speeding ticket more than AED 200: AED 100

For The Borrowers

When going through the loan process, borrowers and lenders will be asked to provide needed documentation.

Once the Friendly Team has verified both parties, you will be able to access the app and begin your search for a lender or borrower that meets your needs.

You can then review each person’s profile information to determine if they are an appropriate match for your needs before reaching out to them directly.

The Ezhire

EZHIRE is a car hire service with a difference. They offer cars on rent for both short and long-term periods. Like U-Drive, they have a fleet of cars from different brands.

However, unlike U-Drive, EZHIRE has partnered exclusively with Volkswagen as its manufacturer of choice when hiring out cars for daily or weekly use.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this article on the different car-sharing services in Dubai. If you need to apply for a valid UAE driver’s license before using a car hire company in Dubai, you can read about the process here.

If you have any questions about renting a car in Dubai, please feel free to reach out to us anytime. Thank you for reading, and as always, we look forward to hearing from you.

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