Thrifty Car RentalReviews of thriftyuae.com

Very disappointing experience with Thrifty UAE. They provided me with a defective car that had serious steering wheel vibrations when braking and driving above 100 km/h, making it unsafe to drive. Despite reporting the issue, it took them 2–3 days and several calls to replace it, leaving me without a usable vehicle during that time. On the day of my contract renewal, they suddenly informed me of a 250 AED price increase without any prior notice, claiming it was company policy. I decided to end my contract, and although they gave me three days to consider my options, they later charged me for those days. Extremely unprofessional service, poor communication, and a complete lack of concern for customer safety. I would not recommend Thrifty UAE.

Terrible company with questionable business practices. They issue arbitrary fines without providing any evidence and fail to refund money they owe you. I strongly urge the UAE authorities to investigate this company’s practices and hold it accountable. I would not recommend this company to anyone.

I rented a car for just 4.5 days at a total cost of AED 1,200, yet Thrifty demanded an outrageous AED 2,500 security deposit — MORE THAN DOUBLE THE RENTAL COST! I understand that deposits are standard practice worldwide, but this amount is simply excessive, and I had no alternative but to accept it that day. NOW HERE COMES THE MOST RIDICULOUS PART: IT TOOK 29 DAYS TO REFUND MY MONEY! Seriously, are we living in 2026 or the 1990s? Even insurance companies can process complicated claims and refunds within days, yet Thrifty needs almost an entire MONTH to return a customer’s own money! Absolutely disgraceful, completely unacceptable, and an embarrassment for an international brand — NEVER AGAIN, and I strongly advise everyone to STAY AWAY FROM THRIFTY UAE!

I use Thrifty quite frequently, but I find their lack of consideration in two particular areas extremely frustrating. 1. Delays in returning the security deposit Thrifty regularly takes 3–4 weeks to return the security deposit. When I have raised this, I have been told that the delay is due to my bank. However, I have checked directly with my bank, and they have confirmed that there is no issue or delay on their side. In my experience, other car rental companies return security deposits within a few days, so I do not understand why Thrifty requires several weeks to process the refund when other companies return via the same bank quickly, clearly it is not the bank. My bank has said Thrifty Finance does not process or cancel the deposit which is why it's not returned quickly. I have also been told by Thrifty staff that they wait for any fines to come through before releasing the deposit. However, the fines system in Dubai is extremely fast, and fines generally appear within 24 hours. This does not seem to justify holding a customer's deposit for several weeks. 2. Excessive administration fees and payment of fines Thrifty charges close to AED 100 in administration fees for each fine. What is particularly frustrating is that Thrifty pays the fine the following morning, rather than allowing the customer reasonable time to review and, where appropriate, challenge the fine. When a fine is passed on to the customer, Thrifty does not provide the full details or supporting evidence, such as the photograph, location, or other information relating to the alleged violation. Instead, the customer is simply informed that there is a fine and is charged the fine amount plus the administration fee. More importantly, once Thrifty has paid the fine, the customer can no longer appeal it through the RTA or Dubai Police systems, as the fine has already been settled. This is a significant issue because I have personally incurred thousands of dirhams in fines that, had I been given the opportunity to review and appeal them myself, I believe I could have successfully challenged. I have been a frequent Thrifty customer, but these practices are extremely frustrating and leave customers with very little ability to question or challenge charges before they are finalised. I would strongly encourage Thrifty to review both its security deposit process and its handling of fines, particularly the timing of fine payments and the lack of supporting documentation provided to customers.

Very disappointing experience with Thrifty. The car delivered was not the model I had booked, and worse, it was in poor and unsafe condition due to a tyre issue. Despite contacting customer care several times, nobody was able to provide an effective solution. I ultimately had to terminate the contract after only a few days. Despite the inconvenience, wasted time, and safety concerns, I received no compensation or meaningful gesture from Thrifty. I would not recommend their service based on this experience.

DO NOT RENT FROM THIS AGENCY – TOTAL SCAM! I honestly cannot wait for my contract to end. This has been, by far, the most unprofessional experience I’ve ever had in dubai. Their accounts and admin departments are a complete disaster. I pay my traffic fines directly from RTA , and then they turn around and try to charge me for them again. I’ve been dealing with Usha, who is completely useless—she doesn't read emails or follow up on anything. I requested a copy of my signed contract back in October, and I didn't get it until August. It took them nearly a full year just to send me my own contract! On top of that, they're making up illegal fees that aren't even stated in the contract. They charge a 100 AED "late fee," It’s completely ridiculous. To cap it all off, they applied that 100 AED charge last month, removed it after I disputed their mistake, and then quietly added it right back to my bill this month. when I asked to explain the 100 , "Oh, now you owe 100 AED for August AND 100 AED for September." I was also in an accident and submitted the official police report right away nobody from their team ever bothered to follow up or help. Absolute scammers. Save yourself the headache and avoid Thrifty at all costs!

⭐ 1/5 — Misleading booking, broken promises and unacceptable service. Thrifty took my payment for a one-month rental of a 2025 Nissan Patrol and confirmed it was available. They then delivered an old face trim 2024 model. I accepted it ONLY because they promised to provide the booked 2025 model within two days. It is now day three, and the manager’s explanation is that the previous customer decided to extend their rental. That is Thrifty’s responsibility to manage—not an excuse to disregard my confirmed, paid booking. They were happy to take payment and confirm availability, yet failed to deliver what I paid for and then broke their replacement promise. This has seriously damaged my trust in the company. I have raised a formal complaint with Dubai Consumer Protection requesting an investigation and appropriate action. Customers should not have to escalate a complaint to receive what was confirmed and paid for. Based on this experience, I would strongly advise others to think twice before booking with Thrifty.

Very disappointing and consumer-unfriendly experience. I booked and paid for a rental car online using my Emirates ID. At the time of booking, there was no clear and prominent warning that a UAE driving licence was mandatory in order to collect the vehicle. When I arrived to pick up the car, I was informed that they could not hand it over because I had not yet converted my driving licence to a UAE licence. I completely understand that a valid UAE driving licence may be a company requirement. However, this requirement should have been clearly communicated BEFORE allowing the customer to complete the booking and payment. The reservation was eventually cancelled, but I was still charged a cancellation fee. I was told that this was covered somewhere in their terms and conditions. While I understand that terms and conditions exist, hiding an important eligibility requirement in the fine print is not what I would consider a transparent or customer-friendly booking process. Unfortunately, the attitude at the desk also made the experience worse. The staff member assisting me appeared quite unfriendly and seemed reluctant to help resolve the situation. I accept that I should have checked the full terms and conditions myself, so I take this as a lesson. However, from a customer experience perspective, a basic eligibility requirement such as “UAE driving licence required at pickup” should be clearly highlighted before payment, not discovered only after arriving at the counter. For me, the issue is not simply the cancellation fee. It is the lack of transparency and the way the situation was handled. I would strongly recommend customers carefully verify all eligibility requirements before booking with this company. Personally, after this experience, I will choose a more transparent and customer-oriented rental company in the future. Update: Thrifty Abu Dhabi reached out to me personally and addressed my concerns professionally. They apologized for the experience and the communication at the counter, and most importantly, they processed a 100% refund of my booking, including the cancellation charge. I appreciate their effort to resolve the issue and their customer support. I’m happy that we were able to close the matter positively, and I would consider using Thrifty again in the future.