Thrifty is a economic Car Rental in Dubai, Abudhabi, Sharjah in the UAE.Get a discount on your rent a car in Dubai with Thrifty.Book your rental car online.
Thrifty Car Rental (thriftyuae.com) has 146 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 1.4 out of 5.
Also known as
thriftyuae.com
Website
thriftyuae.com
Category
Vehicle Rental
Location
Independence, Kansas
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
About these reviews
Replies
The company replied to 18% of reviews.
Latest
Most recent review: October 2026.
Edits
Reviews are shown as their authors wrote them. The company can reply, but cannot edit them.
Score
This company cannot pay to remove reviews or change its score.
Unauthorised Credit Card Deduction and Failure to Provide Explanation
Very disappointing and frustrating experience with Thrifty. An unexplained deduction was made from my credit card without any description or prior notification. After repeated follow-ups and a lengthy call, I was told it was for parking—despite the fact that I did not use any paid parking.
When I challenged the charge, the representative was uncooperative and refused to provide supporting details. I was told a complaint had been raised, but no complaint reference was provided and, so far, no action has been taken.
Completely unacceptable lack of transparency and customer service. Shameful experience.
KA
Kayenat A.
Hidden Fees & Pricing
Hidden Fees & Pricing: without a concern cut money in my account.. when I called she told 21 days if any problems or fine cut again
Etc...and she told u sign the paper etc...really don't trust ...
HB
Himanshu B.
Negative reviews if that was on option
Negative reviews if that was on option. Poor car built different from pictures. Absurd traffic fines. I never parked in the discovery gardens open parking, but thrifty statement mentions 22 hours, 16 hours and 6 hours car park on 3 occasions without any head and tail. Utterly frustrating customer services. Never ever use thrifty.
LM
Les M.
It's no wonder Thrifty scores so low in…
It's no wonder Thrifty scores so low in these reviews. Their customer care is awful. Having rented a premium car for four months, I had a blowout on the highway and had it replaced quickly at my expense. I asked by email for the other three heat-cracked tires to be replaced over the next two weeks — no response, not even an acknowledgment. On the day the latest hire period came to an end, Thrifty offered a 300 AED discount on the car hire to "compensate" for a 1600 AED tire I had to pay for myself. A car should be hired fit for purpose, and any required repairs should be handled promptly by Thrifty when requested — not ignored for weeks and then brushed off with a low offer. Avoid this company if you value basic accountability.
Response from Thrifty Car RentalAug 11, 2026
Dear Les Magill,
Thank you for your feedback , please note after investigating this case with all the concerned team, we came to know that you were unable to provide with the receipt of AED 1600, due to which the reimbursement was not approved , kindly provide us with the receipt to proceed with the same.
Please feel free to contact us directly at [email protected] or call us at 800 4770. Our dedicated team is here to assist you and address any concerns you may have.
We look forward to resolving the issue and providing a better experience moving forward.
Team Thrifty
MS
Mike S.
If I could give this company zero…
If I could give this company zero stars, I would. I had minor issues throughout the year on my 10 month lease, slow responses, inconsistent messaging through WhatsApp, but nothing too awful but frustrating. When it came time to return my car, customer service fell apart. I attempted to schedule my car to be picked up a week in advance. After assuring me that pickup was scheduled, no one ever came. I was left scrambling the day before I’m leaving the country and had to drive the car to YAS mall myself to return (the guys there were generally helpful but not happy with me). Then I get charged for breaking my lease early, which I had to explain multiple times that I’m on a 10- month lease and not 12 months. Email responses takes days to respond to, even though I respond within minutes of receiving. No one will pick up the phone to quickly resolve issues. Now, I’m waiting for my damage deposit to be returned fully. I received half my deposit today. They have done the same thing with several of my colleagues. I look forward to renting with someone else next year.
MS
MOHAMMAD S.
The worst rent a Car Company in whole UAE
The worst rent a Car Company in whole UAE. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR ANY ONE TO DEAL WITH. I rented A Car, and iam suffering with the team to give me the simple Papers (Agreement, Receipt, Tax Invoice), i want to name Alvi from Thrifty Team, he does nothing to help or support the customer, i have very very bad experience with him and Thrifty Team. Its WASTE OF TIME to deal with such company
Response from Thrifty Car RentalJul 24, 2026
Dear Mohammad,
Greetings !
We are sorry to hear about your experience and regret any inconvenience caused.
we would like to clarify to you as per your initial request to amend the receipt, please note we will be able to provide you with the amended receipt upon your return date to reflect the total amount.
Please feel free to contact us directly at [email protected] or call us at 800 4770. Our dedicated team is here to assist you and address any concerns you may have.
We look forward to resolving the issue and providing a better experience moving forward.
Team Thrifty
LL
Leïla Ben A.
Avoid this company!
Avoid this company!
I had a very disappointing experience with Thrifty Dubai.
When returning the vehicle, we were unexpectedly charged an additional AED 900, supposedly for parking fees, tolls, and traffic fines.
When we reviewed the detailed list, we found several parking charges for locations we had never even used. Despite challenging these charges, no satisfactory explanation was provided.
What is even more shocking is that at no point during the rental agreement were we clearly informed that these additional charges could be applied. You only discover them when returning the vehicle, with little opportunity to dispute them.
This business practice is unacceptable and gives the impression that customers are being charged unjustified fees.
I strongly discourage anyone from renting from Thrifty Dubai. I will never use this company again. Be extremely cautious if you decide to rent a car from them.
Response from Thrifty Car RentalJul 21, 2026
Dear Ms. Leïla,
We are sorry to hear about your experience and regret any inconvenience caused.
Please note that we can only notify customers about traffic fines or parking violations once the offence has been recorded and officially received by us. If you have any concerns or wish to dispute any of the fines or charges, you may contact the RTA directly for further clarification.
Alternatively, we would be happy to investigate the matter further and provide you with more details regarding the charges. Please feel free to contact us directly at [email protected] or call us at 800 4770. Our dedicated team is here to assist you and address any concerns you may have.
We look forward to resolving the issue and providing a better experience moving forward.
Team Thrifty
LC
Lauren C.
Do not hire a car through Thrifty, ever!!
Do not hire a car through Thrifty. Ever.
I’m not usually one to leave bad reviews, but I genuinely want to warn people before they make the same mistake I did.
I didn’t check the reviews before taking out a lease with Thrifty, and I really wish I had. Over the last few months I’ve noticed I’ve been charged for parking fines that don’t actually exist. When I cross-check them with the RTA, there is no record of the fines at all.
The communication is honestly some of the worst I’ve experienced from any company. You’ll find yourself sending multiple emails, chasing for updates, and getting little to no response.
To make matters worse, I recently lost my job due to the impact the regional conflict is having on businesses in Dubai and I now have to leave the country. I explained the situation to Thrifty and asked what options were available. Instead of trying to help, I was told I needed to pay an early termination penalty of over AED 4,100. Today that amount has suddenly increased to AED 4,500 with absolutely no explanation why it has now increased further.
I have repeatedly explained that I do not have the money to pay this and that I have no choice but to return the vehicle before leaving the UAE. I asked if there were any alternative solutions or payment options and was ignored multiple times. The only response I received was another payment link.
Most companies in Dubai have shown understanding and flexibility towards residents facing circumstances outside of their control. Thrifty, on the other hand, seems more interested in extracting as much money as possible while offering zero support, zero communication, and zero compassion.
Between the unexplained charges, the questionable parking fines, the lack of communication, and the complete absence of empathy, this has been one of the worst customer experiences I have had in Dubai.
Avoid at all costs!!
Response from Thrifty Car RentalJun 24, 2026
Dear Customer,
We sincerely apologize for your recent experience with us. Your feedback is incredibly valuable, and we are committed to making things right.
Please feel free to contact us directly at [email protected] or call us at 800 4770. Our dedicated team is here to assist you and address any concerns you may have.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We look forward to resolving the issue and providing a better experience moving forward.
Best Regards,
Team Thrifty