Dubai to Abu Dhabi taxi fare in 2026, and what a private car costs instead

A metered Dubai taxi to central Abu Dhabi costs roughly AED 300–370, plus AED 8–20 in tolls and any waiting time. Dubai Marina to Yas Island is closer to AED 230. The return is cheaper: an Abu Dhabi taxi to Dubai runs about AED 240–280, because Abu Dhabi’s meter charges AED 1.82 per km against Dubai’s AED 2.45.

Those figures are our meter maths from the published tariffs, not quotes from a driver. A private Dubai to Abu Dhabi transfer works differently: one fixed price for the car, with fuel, Salik, Darb, waiting and VAT already in it. Below is how each option adds up, so you can pick the one that fits your trip.

How much is a taxi from Dubai to Abu Dhabi?

Dubai taxis run on the meter for the whole trip. Dubai Taxi’s published tariff is the starting point:

Dubai taxi charge	Amount
Street hail start, 6 am – 10 pm	AED 5
Street hail start, 10 pm – 6 am	AED 5.50
App booking start (S’hail, Careem, Bolt)	AED 9 off-peak, AED 13 at 8–10 am and 4–8 pm on weekdays, AED 10 overnight
Dubai airport start	AED 20 (AED 25 for a van)
Per km	AED 2.45
Waiting	50 fils per minute
Tolls	Salik and Darb added at cost

Apply that to the trips people actually take and you get these estimates, before tolls and waiting:

Trip	Distance	Meter estimate
Dubai Marina to Yas Island	about 92 km	about AED 230
Downtown Dubai to Zayed International Airport	about 113 km	about AED 280
Dubai Marina to Abu Dhabi Corniche	about 127 km	about AED 315
Downtown Dubai to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque	about 129 km	about AED 320
Downtown Dubai to Abu Dhabi Corniche	about 148 km	about AED 370
DXB airport to Abu Dhabi Corniche	about 161 km	about AED 415

Dubai’s per-km rate follows the monthly fuel price, so it moves a little from month to month. Check the fare card in the cab.

How much does a taxi cost from Abu Dhabi to Dubai?

An Abu Dhabi taxi to Dubai costs roughly AED 170–280, depending on where you start and finish. Abu Dhabi’s meter is cheaper per kilometre than Dubai’s, and the silver taxis run on it all the way to Dubai. The rates below are from Abu Dhabi Mobility’s taxi fares page.

Abu Dhabi taxi charge	Silver taxi	Airport taxi (from AUH)
Start, day (6 am – 10 pm)	AED 5	AED 20
Start, night (10 pm – 6 am)	AED 5.50	AED 20
Per km	AED 1.82	AED 1.82
Waiting	50 fils per minute	50 fils per minute
Booking fee	AED 4 day, AED 5 night	AED 4 day, AED 5 night

Trip	Distance	Meter estimate
Yas Island to Dubai Marina	about 92 km	about AED 170
Zayed International Airport to Dubai Marina	about 95 km	about AED 195
Zayed International Airport to Downtown Dubai	about 113 km	about AED 225
Abu Dhabi Corniche to Dubai Marina	about 127 km	about AED 235
Zayed International Airport to DXB	about 127 km	about AED 250
Abu Dhabi Corniche to Downtown Dubai	about 148 km	about AED 275

A Dubai taxi drops you in Abu Dhabi but doesn’t work Abu Dhabi’s streets, so for the return you’ll use an Abu Dhabi taxi or an app. That’s good news for your budget. If you’re flying into AUH, our guide to Abu Dhabi Airport to Dubai compares the taxi with the airport bus and the free Etihad shuttle.

What gets added to the meter?

The distance charge is most of the fare, but three extras catch people out.

• Salik: Dubai’s toll gates on Sheikh Zayed Road charge AED 6.30 at peak (6–10 am and 4–8 pm, Monday to Saturday) and AED 4.20 off-peak, VAT included. A trip from Downtown or the Marina usually passes one to three gates.
• Darb: the Ghantoot gate on the E11 near the border has charged AED 4 per crossing, 24 hours, since 4 May 2026. The bridges onto Abu Dhabi island add AED 4 each at 7–9 am and 3–7 pm, Monday to Saturday.
• Waiting: every minute stuck in traffic costs 50 fils. Thirty minutes of queueing on Sheikh Zayed Road adds AED 15.

RTA’s own fare formula lists Salik and the Darb fee as separate charges on top of the meter. Our guide to Salik toll gates in Dubai shows which gates sit on which roads.

Is Uber or Careem cheaper than a taxi to Abu Dhabi?

Sometimes, and you’ll only know on the day. Uber and Careem both show a price before you confirm, and that price moves with demand. At quiet times it can land near the metered taxi; on a weekday evening or a Yas Island event night it can go well above it. Booking a Dubai taxi through Careem or S’hail uses the taxi tariff above, with the higher app starting fare.

Our advice: open both apps, compare the upfront price with the meter estimate for your trip, and take the lower one. If the ride matters (a flight, a meeting, a family with bags), a fixed price booked in advance removes the guesswork.

Taxi or private car: what does the whole trip cost?

A taxi looks cheaper for one person going one way. The gap closes, and often flips, once you add people, luggage or a return.

Scenario	Taxi	Private chauffeur
One person, one way, cabin bag	AED 300–370 plus tolls	Fixed transfer price, see the rate table on our route page
Family of four with four suitcases	Two cars or a van taxi, if one is free	One SUV (GMC Yukon or Cadillac Escalade), tolls and waiting included
Day trip, same car all day	AED 300–370 out, AED 240–280 back, plus local taxis in Abu Dhabi	One car and chauffeur for the day, waiting included
Business meetings at two addresses	New taxi at each stop	Car waits outside each meeting

For day trips, published Dubai rate cards from September 2026 put a business sedan with driver at AED 500–850 for a half day and AED 600–1,300 for a full 10-hour day, with many operators adding AED 125–200 when the car leaves Dubai. A large SUV runs AED 1,300–2,000 for a full day. Compare that with two taxi legs plus local rides and the private car is often within a few hundred dirhams, with none of the waiting.

What’s in our price: the chauffeur, fuel, Salik and Darb tolls, airport parking, 5% VAT, water and Wi-Fi. We don’t add surge or night surcharges. For the trip back, see our Abu Dhabi to Dubai limo page. Our limo vs taxi in Dubai guide covers the same choice for trips inside the city.

How to keep the taxi fare down

1. Start from the south if you can. Dubai Marina and JLT are 20 km closer to Abu Dhabi than Downtown, which saves about AED 50 on the meter.
2. Travel between 10 am and 4 pm. You avoid Salik’s AED 6.30 peak rate, Darb’s bridge charge and most of the waiting time.
3. Hail on the street instead of booking in an app. The street start is AED 5; an app booking at peak starts at AED 13.
4. Come back on an Abu Dhabi taxi. Its AED 1.82 per km is about a quarter cheaper than Dubai’s AED 2.45.
5. Skip the taxi for a day trip. Two long taxi legs plus local rides usually cost close to a half-day car, and the car waits for you.

Still weighing the bus or the new train? Our guide to the Dubai to Abu Dhabi distance and travel time compares every option, including the AED 25 bus and Etihad Rail from AED 39.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a taxi from Dubai to Abu Dhabi?

Roughly AED 300–370 on the meter to central Abu Dhabi, using Dubai Taxi’s AED 2.45 per km for 125–150 km. Add AED 8–20 in Salik and Darb tolls plus 50 fils a minute of waiting. Dubai Marina to Yas Island is about AED 230, and DXB to the Corniche about AED 415.

How much does a taxi cost from Abu Dhabi to Dubai?

About AED 170–280, depending on the start and end points. Abu Dhabi’s silver taxis charge AED 5 to start by day and AED 1.82 per km, so the Corniche to Downtown Dubai comes to around AED 275. From Zayed International Airport, the start is AED 20, putting Dubai Marina at about AED 195.

What is the cheapest way from Dubai to Abu Dhabi?

The RTA intercity bus at AED 25 on a Nol card. Route E101 runs from Ibn Battuta to Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station in about 1.5 hours. From 30 September 2026, Etihad Rail from Al Yalayis starts at AED 39, but its Abu Dhabi station is in Mohamed bin Zayed City, about 30 km from the Corniche.

How much does an Uber cost from Dubai to Abu Dhabi?

Uber and Careem show an upfront price that changes with demand, so there’s no fixed figure. At quiet times it can be close to the metered taxi; at weekday peaks and on event nights it’s often higher. Compare the app price with the meter estimate for your route before you book.

Is it cheaper to hire a car with a driver for a day trip to Abu Dhabi?

Often it’s close. Two taxi legs plus local rides in Abu Dhabi can reach AED 600–700 before tolls, while published Dubai rate cards (September 2026) list a business sedan with driver at AED 500–850 for a half day. The private car also waits for you and includes tolls.