By Mohammed Rashad Hussain, Managing PartnerPublished 5 min read
How much is a taxi from Dubai to Abu Dhabi?
There is no fixed RTA fare for this trip. Its tariff is a formula: a starting fare, plus a charge per kilometre, plus waiting time, plus tolls. The per-kilometre rate was not printed on RTA’s tariff or taxi service pages when we checked on 17 October 2026, so we will not quote a total.
What we can give you is the size of the trip. Downtown Dubai to central Abu Dhabi is about 139 km, roughly 1 hour 28 minutes without traffic. From Dubai Marina it is about 119 km and 1 hour 14 minutes. Those figures come from the OSRM route planner on OpenStreetMap data. Every kilometre of them is on the meter.
For scale only, Abu Dhabi publishes its own rate: AED 1.82 a km in its silver taxis. Over 139 km that is about AED 253 for distance, before the AED 5 start, waiting and tolls. It is Abu Dhabi’s tariff, not Dubai’s, so use it as a sense of order, not a quote.
How are Dubai and Abu Dhabi taxi fares calculated?
The two emirates run separate tariffs. Which one applies depends on where the trip starts.
| Dubai taxi (RTA) | Abu Dhabi silver taxi | |
|---|---|---|
| Start, street hail | AED 5 from 6 am to 10 pm, AED 5.50 overnight | AED 5 by day, AED 5.50 at night |
| Start, app booking | AED 9 to AED 13, by day and hour | Booking fee AED 4 by day, AED 5 at night |
| Distance | Kilometre charge, rate not printed | AED 1.82 per km |
| Waiting | 50 fils a minute | AED 0.50 a minute |
| Minimum fare | AED 12 street, AED 13 app | AED 12 |
| Tolls | Billed to you on top | Not stated on the page |
RTA’s taxi service page says Dubai Taxi covers trips within Dubai and trips from Dubai to another emirate. It does not cover trips that start in another emirate. So a Dubai to Abu Dhabi ride is a Dubai tariff trip, and the ride back is not.
Our guide to Dubai taxi fares explains the Dubai start fares by hour and channel.
Do you pay Salik or Darb tolls on a taxi trip?
Yes. RTA’s formula lists toll charges among the fees billed to the passenger. There are two systems on this road.
- Salik in Dubai: AED 6 a pass from 6 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 8 pm on weekdays, AED 4 off-peak, free from 1 am to 6 am. Which gates you pass depends on your start point. See Salik tolls in Dubai.
- Darb in Abu Dhabi: the Ghantoot gate on Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Street charges AED 4 a crossing, 24 hours a day, since 4 May 2026. Peak-hour gates on the approaches to Abu Dhabi island charge AED 4 at 7 to 9 am and 3 to 7 pm, Monday to Saturday. Details are in our Darb toll guide.
On a return day trip you cross each toll twice. A single Ghantoot crossing is small, but the totals add up on the meter without announcement.
Uber and Careem from Dubai to Abu Dhabi: what changes?
An app changes how the price is set, not the road. Uber shows a price estimate for each ride option before you book. Dubai’s RTA taxis also appear in apps, and those bookings carry the AED 9 to AED 13 start.
Two cautions. First, we could not confirm that every ride class accepts a pickup in Dubai and a drop-off in Abu Dhabi, so enter the address and see what the app offers. Second, a price shown in the app is for that moment, and it can move with demand. Screenshot it before you confirm.
Our comparison of chauffeur, taxi and Uber in Dubai goes through the licence and insurance side.
What a private chauffeur price includes
A private car is priced for the vehicle and the route, not by the meter. When Assure quotes Dubai to Abu Dhabi on WhatsApp, the quote states:
- the car class, for example a business sedan or a van for 6 or more passengers
- the pickup and drop-off addresses
- waiting time allowed, and how extra waiting is charged
- whether Salik and Darb tolls are in the price
- meet and greet if you arrive at DXB, DWC or Zayed International
A partner vehicle is an option too, when one is free on your date. The page for the Dubai to Abu Dhabi transfer lists the vehicle options. Assure is RTA licensed and answers on WhatsApp and phone 24/7.
The return fare: Abu Dhabi to Dubai
A taxi that starts in Abu Dhabi uses Abu Dhabi’s tariff, not RTA’s. Hailing one on the Corniche, at Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station or outside Zayed International Terminal A therefore means a different start fare and a booking fee in the app. We found no published intercity fare table for Abu Dhabi taxis, so agree the terms with the driver or use an app quote.
If you plan to come back the same day, a private car can wait for you. Quote the waiting time and the return in one request. For the airport run in the other direction, see Abu Dhabi Airport to Dubai.
How to get a fixed quote on WhatsApp
Send four things to +971 56 684 8148: the pickup and drop-off, the date and time, how many people, and how many bags. Add your flight number if you land at an airport first. We reply with a single quote for the vehicle. All the other ways to make the trip, including bus and train, are compared in how to get from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. More road options from the city are in our road travel guide.
If you were considering a lift in a private car for cash, read car lift from Dubai to Abu Dhabi first. It covers the fines.
Photos in this guide
A cream Dubai Taxi with a red roof and a yellow TAXI roof sign, parked at the kerbShahroozporia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Tall lamp posts lining the Dubai to Abu Dhabi freeway, with traffic silhouetted against a pale skyBasil D Soufi / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
A toll gate gantry reading Al Maqta Bridge Toll Gate over an Abu Dhabi road, with the bridge arches beyondTotakan sugiar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A silver Abu Dhabi taxi with a yellow roof sign, parked at the roadsideAravind Sivaraj / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
