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Which side of the road do you drive on in Dubai?

Last updated: August 2026
Dubai Practical Editorial Team avatar
Dubai Practical Editorial Team· Research and editorial

Desk research against primary sources, with the issuing authority linked where a page states an official fee, rule or deadline.

The wheel position and the side of the road are the same adjustment, not two separate ones to get used to — because the UAE mirrors continental Europe and the US rather than the UK, Australia or India, every instinct built up driving on the left has to be relearned together, not corrected one habit at a time. That is why the first few days matter more than general driving experience: an experienced driver from a left-hand country has just as much to unlearn as a new one.

Speed limits split by road type rather than by a single national figure — 60–80 km/h through residential areas and 100–120 km/h on highways — and the enforcement is largely automated rather than relying on a visible patrol to slow drivers down. Speed cameras cover both bands consistently enough that treating the posted limit as a suggestion, the way it might be treated elsewhere, is a habit that shows up on your record before you notice the road has changed.

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