A car with driver in Abu Dhabi, by the hour or the day.

How a car with driver works in Abu Dhabi

Hiring a car with driver in Abu Dhabi gives you a chauffeur and vehicle for a block of time rather than a single journey. You can book by the hour, for a half day of around five hours or for a full day of around ten. The time starts at your first pick-up, and the chauffeur stays with you throughout — waiting outside meetings, moving the car between stops and keeping the cabin cool for when you return.

Your itinerary can change during the day within the area agreed on your quote. If you need extra time, the hourly rate for it is written on the quote before you confirm, so there is no awkward conversation at the end of the day.

A day of meetings in the capital

Abu Dhabi’s business is spread across islands joined by bridges, and back-to-back appointments rarely line up neatly. A chauffeur who knows the approaches makes the difference: ADGM and the towers of Al Maryah Island, the ministries and embassies, hotel lobbies on the Corniche, offices in Masdar City, and logistics sites at KIZAD and Khalifa Port.

Between meetings you can work in the back of a quiet luxury sedan, take calls in private and step out at the door rather than at the far end of a car park. Papers and laptops stay safely in the car while you are inside.

Shopping, dining and the city at your own pace

Hourly hire is just as useful away from the office. Spend the afternoon at The Galleria Al Maryah Island or Yas Mall with your bags going straight into the boot, see the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Saadiyat Cultural District without watching the clock, then go on to dinner on Saadiyat or at Yas Bay. Your chauffeur waits nearby and is ready when you are.

For a sightseeing day built around the Grand Mosque, Qasr Al Watan and the Corniche, see our private Abu Dhabi tours.

Which vehicle to choose

• Luxury sedan — one to three guests; the classic choice for meetings
• Luxury SUV — up to six, with room for shopping and luggage
• Mercedes V-Class — seven seats, with face-to-face seating in some vehicles for small teams
• Rolls-Royce — for celebrations, launches and honoured guests
• Mercedes Sprinter — when the whole team needs to stay together

Hourly hire or separate transfers?

If you have just two fixed journeys — hotel to meeting and back — two transfers may be simpler. Once you have three or more stops, uncertain timings or a lot of carrying to do, hourly hire is usually the better fit, because the car never leaves you. Tell us the shape of your day on the booking form and we will suggest the most sensible option on your quote.

Several days, visiting family or a busy week

Hourly hire also works across several days. Visiting executives often keep the same car for a week of meetings; families bring a chauffeur in for the days when relatives arrive, a wedding fills the diary or grandparents need help getting around. Wherever possible we keep the same chauffeur for the whole booking, so your routines, preferred routes and the children’s car seats carry over from one day to the next.

Evenings and special occasions

Hourly hire suits evenings as well as working days: a Rolls-Royce for an anniversary dinner on the Corniche, an SUV for a family wedding with several venues, or a sedan that waits outside a gala at a palace hotel and is at the door the moment you leave. Evening bookings are quoted the same way — a block of hours, with the rate for extra time written on the quote — so a celebration that runs late never turns into a negotiation.

Practical details

Fuel and the Darb toll gates you cross during the booking are included. Chauffeurs are uniformed, briefed before the day and can speak Arabic or English on request; a female chauffeur can be arranged on request, subject to availability. Trips beyond the city — Al Ain, Dubai, the Western Region — are fine on hourly hire; just tell us in advance so the quote reflects the distance. Corporate clients can settle on a single monthly invoice. Ready? Start your booking.

Related: Luxury Sedan · Corporate & ADNEC · Abu Dhabi Tours · Delegation transport · Book online