# Car related info- Dubai



## Horus27 (Jan 15, 2016)

Hello everyone, 

I'm moving to Dubai in 2 months and I have some questions about 1) buying a car. 2) shipping my car. 3) car repair costs in Dubai. 

I was wondering how easy (or difficult) it is for a new person with no credit history to get a loan to buy a car. 

If anyone has experience with shipping a car from the U.S. Any details regarding shipping costs, fees related to registering the car in Dubai or paying customs will be appreciated. 

Also, I would like to get details for repair costs with actual amounts for work done on the car so I can compare to what I usually pay. 

Lastly, how much would car insurance premiums for a slightly used German car ex. Bmw or Audi 

Thank you


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## Sunder (Mar 11, 2014)

Horus27 said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I'm moving to Dubai in 2 months and I have some questions about 1) buying a car. 2) shipping my car. 3) car repair costs in Dubai.
> 
> ...


Hi,

Buying a car is the most easy thing in Dubai. You need to have your resident visa, letter from employer mentioning salary, a bank account and i some cases last 3 months salary slip.

The loan will be arranged by your banker itself at the showroom.

Its hard to say about repair costs, but insurance covers everything. Generally 5% of the car value is insurance cost of a year. You need to renew insurance every year.

I dont know about insurance on used cars, but there have to be something extra other than 5%.

No idea about shipping cost either, Car will cost you much cheaper than US, if I am correct ( no taxes).

Thanks,
Sunder.


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## Horus27 (Jan 15, 2016)

Sunder, 

Thank you for the info. Please clarify what you mean by insurance usually covers everything. I was asking about insurance against collision, accidents, theft an such. Car breakdown usually covered by the manufacturer's warranty. But the owner will be responsible for repairs for older cars out of warranty. 

If anyone has experience with car repair costs please share. Thank you.


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## Roxtec Blue (Jan 14, 2013)

Horus27 said:


> Sunder,
> 
> Thank you for the info. Please clarify what you mean by insurance usually covers everything. I was asking about insurance against collision, accidents, theft an such. Car breakdown usually covered by the manufacturer's warranty. But the owner will be responsible for repairs for older cars out of warranty.
> 
> If anyone has experience with car repair costs please share. Thank you.


Suggest you head to the "sticky" for most of the info you require. Search function works ace on the forum too.

Insurance is either fully comprehensive or third party. Under the fully comp many insurers also include other "extras" such as cover in other GCC countries. Normally this equates to approx 5% of the new or agreed value of the vehicle.

It is unlikely that a car five years old would be repaired at a main dealership. I'm pleased to say mine is out off the manufacturers warranty so now goes to a Porsche specialist who actually know what they are doing and I don't have to wait for three weeks to get a service done.

It's impossible say what repairs will cost. What car? What parts? How long is a piece of string..............


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## ttdubai (Dec 28, 2015)

_Car repair:_
Compared to Europe, cheap. In Sharjah, even cheaper.

_Inspection:_
Regular 30,000 km-inspection for a premium-class SUV:
Dubai: 850 AED
Europe: 1,300 EUR (~ 5,204 AED)
(my experience, same car, incl. materials)

_Insurance:_
Premium depending on nationality, drivers license and NCD (no claims discount, based on claims-free period). Foreign claims-free statements are mostly accepted. (I presented a document from my previous insurance in Europe confirming 10 years+ claims-free. It was accepted here.)

I pay about 1/6 of the previous premium in Europe here for roughly the same cover (fully comprehensive). The comparison is not easy because in Europe you can drive in more than 30 states, whereas most UAE insurances only cover UAE and Oman.

To get an idea about the premiums, AXA Gulf has a calculation tool on their website.

_Import:_
I used a forwarding company that imported the car by ship. They towed the car to my place over here and gave me the VCC (Vehicle Clearance Certificate, see Request for Vehicle Clearance Certificate (VCC) ).
I had the car towed to the car testing center. (Towing is cheap, just visit the car testing center before, you will see tow trucks on the parking lot, just ask some of them for a good price.) With the VCC, you can have the car tested. After that, go to the typing center inside the registration office (because car is NON-GCC spec). As soon as testing is finished, proceed with normal car registration (lots of explanation for it online, for instance here: Car registration Dubai ).


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## Horus27 (Jan 15, 2016)

Roxtec, 
Thanks for the info about the insurance. I know it's impossible to tell how expensive car repairs are because it's all relative; that is precisely why I asked for people to share actual work done with actual $ amount, (ex: all four brake disks and pads on 2010 BMW 3 serious 2000 dhs). Then I can make the comparison to what I would normally pay here in the US. But thanks anyway I appreciate your response.


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## Horus27 (Jan 15, 2016)

ttdubai, 
Thank for the detailed info. 
I'm just trying to see if it will be worth it to ship my car since it's all paid off (and deal with all the shipping, inspection, customs, and also repair costs should something breakdown) or buy a new or slightly used with some kind of warranty.


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## Racing_Goats (Sep 5, 2015)

As Sunder said a good guide to estimate cost of fully comp insurance is 3-5% of the car value.

Euro cars are generally more expensive to service and repair than Japanese, Korean and American brands, but it's not too excessive really compared to th same repair in the US or many European countries. As with other countries if your car is out of warranty an independent garage is a LOT cheaper than dealerships for repairs and maintenance.

Availability of parts can also be an issue in some cases - I had a vw passat cc a few years ago and a gearbox (DSG) fault took almost two months to source a new transmission and fix under warranty, and i had to argue for weeks to get a courtesy car as they started by saying it was caused by driver error.. 

Having said that I've heard similar stories re toyota parts from Japan and ford f150 trucks gathering dust waiting on parts.


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## Grt1 (Nov 7, 2012)

You can maybe email a car registration company in Dubai and get a detailed estimates regarding registration and insurance of your car in Dubai... the company i use is iCar, their website is Car Registration & Renewal , car registration Renewal, Car Insurance , Car Inspection .. hope this helps


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## ttdubai (Dec 28, 2015)

Grt1 said:


> You can maybe email a car registration company in Dubai and get a detailed estimates regarding registration and insurance of your car in Dubai...


I also tried that with different companies when I registered my first car in Dubai, I emailed about 10 companies before.

Result: 0 replies.

For the insurance, better use an insurance agent (lots of them in malls, for instance in Mall of Emirates, also lots of them at car registration centers). Take your claims-free certificate, drivers license (UAE + home) and car papers with you. They will directly make an offer.

Car registration is not rocket science, I would do that on my own. The car registration center in Al Quoz (Industrial 3) is open 24 hours. At nighttime, it is empty, everything goes quickly.

(Attention: If you need typing (for non-GCC spec cars), the typing center may be closed at night or on public holidays.)


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## Horus27 (Jan 15, 2016)

Thanks you all, I'll check out these links.


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