Table of contents
Quick answer
Every Dubai rental car carries a Salik tag, so tolls are charged automatically each time you pass a gate: AED 6 at peak times, AED 4 off-peak and nothing between 1am and 6am. The rental company pays Salik and bills you afterwards, usually with 5% VAT added — which is why the charges appear as AED 6.30 and AED 4.20 — and some companies add a small admin fee.
1How does Salik work on a rental car?
Salik is Dubai's road-toll system. There are no booths: an RFID sticker on the windscreen is read as you drive under a gate, and the toll is taken from the account the tag belongs to. On a rental car that account is the rental company's, not yours.
So you do nothing while driving. The company collects every crossing against the car's plate, then bills you — most often by deducting the total from your deposit, sometimes on a closing invoice. You cannot pay Salik yourself for a rental car or switch the tag off.
2How much is Salik in 2026?
Salik has charged by time of day since early 2025. At the time of writing the bands are:
| When | Salik charge | Billed by most rental companies |
|---|---|---|
| Peak: Monday–Saturday, 6–10am and 4–8pm | Salik chargeAED 6 | Billed by most rental companiesAED 6.30 (with 5% VAT) |
| Off-peak: the rest of the day, and Sundays | Salik chargeAED 4 | Billed by most rental companiesAED 4.20 (with 5% VAT) |
| 1am–6am | Salik chargeFree | Billed by most rental companiesFree |
Times and prices are set by Salik and can change, including during Ramadan and on public holidays. Check salik.ae before a long stay.
3Why is the Salik charge on my rental bill higher?
Two reasons. First VAT: the company re-bills the toll with 5% VAT, which turns AED 4 into AED 4.20 and AED 6 into AED 6.30. Second, some companies add their own admin or service fee for handling tolls — a fixed amount per crossing or per rental.
The admin fee is the part that varies between companies. Ask for it in writing when you compare quotes: across a week of commuting on Sheikh Zayed Road, a per-crossing fee adds up.
4Where are the Salik gates?
There are ten gates, on the roads most drivers use: Sheikh Zayed Road (Al Barsha, Al Safa North and South, and Jebel Ali), the Creek crossings (Al Maktoum and Al Garhoud bridges, the Airport Tunnel and Business Bay Crossing) and the Al Mamzar gates on the way to Sharjah.
Short hops inside one area often cost nothing — JLT, Dubai Marina and JBR sit between gates, for example. A day that runs Marina to Downtown and back usually crosses two or four times.
5Do other emirates charge tolls?
Abu Dhabi runs its own system, Darb, with camera-based gates on the bridges into the island — charged at peak hours only on most gates. Like Salik, the charges come to the rental company and are billed to you. Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah have no road tolls.
6How do I check my Salik charges?
- Ask the company for a statement of crossings with dates and times when it bills you.
- Compare the times against your own trips — a crossing at 3am, for instance, should be free.
- Salik is one reason deposits are held for 14–30 days: crossings can take a few days to post to the company's account.
Before a long rental, ask whether the company bills Salik weekly or all at once at the end. Weekly statements make mistakes easier to spot.
7How much Salik will a week's rental cost?
It depends entirely on your routes. A worked example: a visitor staying in Dubai Marina drives to Downtown and back on five days, passing two gates each way, at peak times on the way out and off-peak on the way back.
That is 10 crossings at AED 6.30 and 10 at AED 4.20 — AED 63 plus AED 42, so about AED 105 for the week, before any admin fee the company adds. Someone who mostly stays around the Marina and JBR might pay almost nothing.
| Crossings | Rate as billed | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 10 at peak | Rate as billedAED 6.30 | TotalAED 63.00 |
| 10 off-peak | Rate as billedAED 4.20 | TotalAED 42.00 |
| Week | Rate as billed | TotalAED 105.00 plus any admin fee |
An illustration of the arithmetic, not a quote. Your gates depend on the route you drive.
8Common Salik mistakes on rental cars
- Assuming tolls are included in the daily rate — they almost never are.
- Not asking about the admin fee per crossing before booking.
- Driving back and forth on Sheikh Zayed Road for short hops that a service road or a different route would cover without a gate.
- Forgetting that Abu Dhabi's Darb tolls are billed too on a day trip.
Frequently asked questions
Is Salik included in the rental price?
No. Tolls are billed on top of the rental, usually from the deposit, at the Salik rate plus VAT and sometimes an admin fee.
Why does my rental company charge AED 6.30 instead of AED 6?
Rental companies re-bill Salik with 5% VAT. AED 6 becomes AED 6.30 and AED 4 becomes AED 4.20.
Can I avoid Salik gates?
Sometimes, with a longer route — Al Khail Road and Emirates Road avoid some gates — but the time lost usually costs more than a few dirhams of toll.
Do I pay Salik for each direction?
You pay for each gate you pass. Some gates only charge in one direction, so a return trip does not always cost double.
Does Salik apply in Abu Dhabi?
No. Abu Dhabi has its own toll system, Darb. Its charges also go to the rental company and are billed to you.
Is Salik charged at night?
No. Crossings between 1am and 6am are free every day; the rest of the day is charged at the peak or off-peak rate.
Written by the TripReview team from our own price benchmarks and the rules published by UAE authorities, and updated 22 September 2026. Figures are ranges, not quotes — check the latest rules with the official source before you travel. How we rate companies
