Running a car in Abu Dhabi

Rules and fees are as of 6 November 2026. Insurance does not change at the emirate border: the unified policies apply across the UAE, and the unified policy guide covers them. This page keeps to what is different when you live in or drive through Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra.

Who do you call after a minor accident in Abu Dhabi?

Saaed, not the police. Abu Dhabi Police told drivers to use the Saaed app or call Saaed’s operations room on 80072233 for minor accidents from 1 August 2024, and to call 999 if anyone is hurt. Both cars must move to the nearest safe stopping place. Leaving them in the road is schedule item 56: AED 1,000 and 6 black points.² The federal duty to report within 3 hours applies (Art 5(1)(c)).³

The fee figures conflict, so ask Saaed what you will pay before you confirm the report. TAMM’s AED 500 is labelled printing and may be the report fee itself; TAMM does not say.⁴ Saaed also tows accident vehicles and runs impound yards with Abu Dhabi Police.¹² After rain damage, Gulf News reported in April 2024 that Saaed issues an unknown accident report for Dh400.¹³ The claim steps that follow are in the accident report guide and the flood insurance guide.

Where do you register, test and renew your car?

Abu Dhabi Mobility, through TAMM. The Integrated Transport Centre began providing driver and vehicle licensing services on 9 October 2024, keeping the existing service centres in Abu Dhabi City, Al Ain and Al Dhafra.¹⁴ Its licensing page sends every vehicle transaction to TAMM, with UAE Pass and an active traffic file.¹⁵ Insure first: a vehicle cannot be licensed or renewed without a UAE insurer’s policy (Art 19(1)).¹⁶

ADNOC runs more than 30 inspection centres across the UAE, some open 24 hours, and gives 800 3333 for registration questions.¹⁹ Darb tolls on an Abu Dhabi plate can be paid at renewal, so the plate needs no wallet balance.²⁰ Fee rules, the 2027 insurance period and the five-vehicle cap are in the registration renewal guide.

Which Darb gates will charge you, and when?

Six gates, AED 4 a crossing, read by number plate cameras with no tag.²⁰ Darb runs under Law 17 of 2017.²¹

• Register within 10 working days of your first crossing, whatever emirate your plate is from. Registration is AED 100 a vehicle: AED 50 fee and AED 50 wallet balance.²⁰
• No caps. Daily and monthly caps were removed; Dubai Eye reported the change from 1 September 2025.²⁵²⁶
• Fines. Unregistered vehicle AED 100, then 200, then 400. Insufficient balance AED 50 a transaction after 5 working days, for plates from outside Abu Dhabi. Plate tampering or damaging a gate AED 10,000. Total fines on one vehicle are capped at AED 25,000 in the year from the first violation.²⁷
• Exemptions on request, one vehicle each: people of determination, low-income families, senior citizens and retired citizens. Motorcycles, taxis, school buses and emergency vehicles are exempt automatically. Electric cars are not listed.²⁸
• Selling the car. The system removes it from your account within hours of the ownership transfer.²⁰

A commute through one bridge gate in both peaks costs AED 8 a day, or AED 176 over 22 working days. That is our arithmetic. The Salik comparison for Dubai trips is in the Salik guide.

What is the speed limit on your road, and is there a buffer?

The sign, with no buffer. Abu Dhabi Police removed the 20 km/h grace speed from 12 August 2018 and raised the signs to match.¹ Gulf News repeated in September 2026 that 101 km/h on a 100 km/h road is a violation.²⁹ Under the federal schedule, up to 20 km/h over is AED 300, up to 30 km/h over is AED 600, and points and impound start above 50 km/h over.³⁰ From 1 January 2027, Cabinet Resolution 174 calculates every speeding fine from the sign (Art 14(2)).³¹

In fog, Abu Dhabi Police activate 80 km/h limits on external roads and lift them when visibility returns, as in September 2026.³⁴ Read the digital sign on Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street each time. Driver duties and child seat rules are federal and sit in the road rules guide.

How much do you save by paying a fine early?

35% if you pay within 60 days of the violation, and 25% after that up to a year from the date it was written. Dangerous violations are excluded. Abu Dhabi Police restated this on 26 February 2026 and pointed drivers to TAMM, with interest-free instalments through banks.³⁵ Gulf News named Mashreq, ADIB, ADCB and FAB.³⁶ The scheme dates from 22 December 2019.³⁷

The 2019 exclusion list covers more than 60 km/h over the limit, red lights, phones and other distraction, tailgating, sudden swerving, alcohol or drugs, causing death or a serious accident, fleeing an officer, not giving way to emergency vehicles, school bus stop sign offences, overtaking on the hard shoulder and noisy vehicles.³⁸ The 2026 notice gives no list, so check the reduced price in TAMM before paying. Abu Dhabi Police denied a 50% discount in May 2024.³⁹ The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department lists a request to move violations to court for objection or reduction, at no fee, with a statement certified by Abu Dhabi Police.⁴⁰⁴¹ Fine amounts and black points are in the traffic fines guide; the full discount position is in the fine discounts guide.

What happens if your car is impounded in Abu Dhabi?

You can keep it at home for AED 15 a day. TAMM lists Smart Vehicle Impounding as an Abu Dhabi Police service at AED 15 for each day, applied for with UAE Pass or at a service centre, with Emirates ID and proof of identity.⁴² A device fitted by police alerts a control room if the car moves. The service has run since May 2019 and covers light and heavy vehicles, trucks and buses, and most violations.⁴³ The owner, or someone with power of attorney, signs a declaration at a customer service centre and pays the fees first, as Abu Dhabi Police reminded drivers in August 2026.⁴⁴⁴⁵ A certificate to release an impounded vehicle at the end of the period is AED 100 on TAMM.⁴⁶

Abu Dhabi also sets its own release amounts under Law 5 of 2020, applied from 9 September 2020.⁴⁷

Buying out impound days under the federal rules, and Dubai’s separate amounts, are in the traffic fines guide.

What does parking cost, and what if you leave the car for months?

Mawaqif charges AED 3 an hour in premium bays, white and turquoise, for up to 4 hours, and AED 2 an hour or AED 15 for the day in standard bays, black and turquoise. Charges run 8am to midnight and parking is free on Sundays and public holidays. Resident permit bays are for permit holders from 9pm to 8am, and villa resident bays all day. Mawaqif enforces Law 18 of 2009.⁵¹ Permits are applied for on TAMM, and you pay in the Darb app, the TAMM app, by phone or at machines.⁵²

A neglected car is a municipal violation. The Department of Municipalities and Transport restated the penalties under Law 2 of 2012 in March 2025.⁵³

Before a long trip, park in a permitted bay, cover the car and keep it clean.

How safe are Abu Dhabi’s roads?

The Integrated Transport Centre put the emirate’s road death rate at 3.11 per 100,000 residents for 2025, against 3.41 in 2024, and the cost of accidents at Dh5.2 billion: Dh4.4 billion from minor accidents and Dh794 million from major ones.⁵⁶⁵⁷ Al Etihad reported the same press conference with Dh5.26 billion in total and Dh497 million for major accidents.⁵⁸ Its 2025 report gave deaths down 33% and serious injuries down 18% over the 2021 to 2025 plan, with registered vehicles up 10% and population up 8% in 2025. Distraction caused 33% of accidents and 43% of deaths, 51% of deaths were on external roads, and new drivers caused 25% of accidents.⁵⁹⁵⁸

The Ministry of Interior’s national series records 1,716 accidents in the Abu Dhabi block for 2025, up from 1,358 in 2023, with 551 under distraction.⁶⁰⁶¹ On the Statistics Centre’s revised 2023 population of 3,847,585, the 2023 count is 35.3 per 100,000 residents, our calculation.⁶² These are accident records, not claims. The national tables and their limits are in the UAE traffic statistics study.

Which insurers are based in Abu Dhabi?

Eight insurers profiled on this site give an Abu Dhabi head office on their own contact or company pages, and each holds a Central Bank licence in the September 2026 register.⁶³ ADNIC,⁶⁴ ADNTC,⁶⁵ Al Ain Ahlia,⁶⁶ Al Dhafra,⁶⁷ Al Wathba,⁶⁸ Emirates Insurance,⁶⁹ Insurance House⁷⁰ and Methaq Takaful.⁷¹⁷² Where an insurer is based does not change your policy: the unified third party and loss and damage policies apply in every emirate. The traffic law requires cover from an insurance company licensed in the UAE (Art 19(1)) and names no emirate.¹⁶