Dubai to Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain by Car (2026)

Dubai is about an hour and a half from a mountain range, about the same from a completely different coastline, and about the same again from a city built around an oasis. Three of the best drives in the country start from your own parking space, and the road north out of the city has just got wider - the RTA opened two new lanes on Emirates Road on 30 August 2026.

This is the practical version of those three trips: which road goes where, what the fuel and the tolls actually come to, which weather rules carry the largest fines, and what a day out does to the mileage allowance on a rental car. We run a rental fleet in Dubai as an RTA-authorised dealer and agency, so the mileage and toll parts we can answer exactly.

The short version

• Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority puts Ras Al Khaimah at roughly 110 km from Dubai and one and a half to two hours by road, on the E11.

• For the east coast, the Sharjah-Khorfakkan Road is 89 km of four-lane road through five tunnels, and it cut the Sharjah to Khorfakkan run from about 90 minutes to about 45.

• No UAE authority publishes a table of road distances between the emirates, so treat every kilometre figure you read - including ours - as an estimate.

• Driving into a flowing valley is an AED 2,000 fine, 23 black points and a 60-day impound, which makes it the most expensive mistake available on these routes.

• Darb toll gates sit on the bridges onto Abu Dhabi island, so a run inland to Al Ain does not pass one.

Ras Al Khaimah: the road north is getting faster

On Sunday 30 August 2026 the RTA opened two new lanes on Emirates Road, taking a five-kilometre stretch in the direction of Wadi Al Amardi from six lanes to eight and lifting its capacity from 12,000 vehicles an hour to 16,000. The RTA expects peak-hour journeys along it to fall by up to 25 per cent.

That is one piece of a much bigger job. The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure is spending AED 750 million widening 25 km of Emirates Road, from the Al Badee Interchange up to Umm Al Quwain, from three lanes in each direction to five. The stated target is a journey up to 45 per cent shorter for people travelling between the northern emirates and Dubai. It is a two-year programme, so there will be roadworks along it for a while yet.

For the drive itself, the emirate's own tourism body, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, puts it at roughly 110 km from Dubai and one and a half to two hours by car on the E11.

Fujairah and the east coast: two ways over the mountains

The east coast is a different landscape altogether, with the Hajar mountains on one side and the Gulf of Oman on the other. The route worth knowing about is the Sharjah-Khorfakkan Road, an AED 5.5 billion project that runs 89 km on four lanes and passes through five tunnels bored into the Hajar mountains, the longest of them 2.7 km. When it opened in 2018 it took the Sharjah to Khorfakkan run down from about an hour and a half to about 45 minutes. The Al Rafisah Dam rest stop opened with it, and it is a natural place to break the journey.

The alternative is the older inland route through Masafi, which brings you out at Fujairah city rather than Khorfakkan. It is the one that suffers first when the weather turns - see the last section.

Either way, fill up before the climb rather than in the mountains, and expect the gradients to use more fuel than your usual consumption figure suggests.

Al Ain: inland, and no toll gates on the way

Al Ain sits in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, which changes two things about the drive.

The first is tolls, and the news is good. Darb is Abu Dhabi's toll system, and its four gates sit on the four bridges that connect Abu Dhabi island to the mainland: Al Maqta, Rabdan on Musaffah Bridge, Sas Al Nakhl on Sheikh Zayed Bridge and Al Saadiyat on Sheikh Khalifa Bridge, renamed in April 2026 to match where they actually are. A run inland from Dubai to Al Ain on the Dubai-Al Ain Road does not go near any of them. Our Dubai to Abu Dhabi guide covers the gates you do cross if the capital itself is the destination.

The second is parking. Q Mobility runs public parking across the emirate of Abu Dhabi, with standard bays at AED 2 an hour, and Khaleej Times reported paid parking arriving in Al Ain's Hai Al Musalla in November 2025. Read the sign rather than assuming a street is free, and see our Abu Dhabi parking guide for how the emirate's system works. As for the distance, no authority publishes one - allow around two hours and check your route before setting off.

What the drive actually costs

Fuel is the biggest line. Special 95 was AED 3.69 a litre through September 2026, so a 260 km round trip in a car returning 7.5 litres per 100 km burns about 19.5 litres - a shade under AED 72. Prices are reset at the start of every month, so check our UAE petrol prices page for the current set before doing your own sum.

Whether you pay Salik at all depends on where in Dubai you start and which way you leave, so look at your route rather than assuming. On our cars, Salik crossings are recharged at cost plus AED 1 per crossing, itemised on your invoice; our Salik guide explains how the gates and tariffs work. Darb sits outside that arrangement, so ask us how it is handled when you book. Parking in another emirate is paid by you, to that municipality, from your own phone - we cannot open, pay or monitor a session on your behalf.

Then mileage. Most of our cars include 250 km a day, 1,400 km a week and 4,000 km a month, with extra kilometres at AED 1. Mileage varies by vehicle, so check the vehicle page before you book. A return day trip to the east coast or Ras Al Khaimah is most of a day's allowance on a daily rental. On a monthly plan it barely registers.

Rain, fog and the mountain roads

The single most expensive mistake available on these routes is driving into a wadi with water moving in it. Under the Ministry of Interior's rules that is an AED 2,000 fine, 23 black points and a 60-day vehicle impound. Standing about near valleys, dams or flood channels during heavy rain is AED 1,000 and six black points. Both figures are carried identically by Khaleej Times and Gulf News.

Rain does other things in the mountains too. Khaleej Times reported rocks and debris coming down onto a mountain road at Masafi after heavy rainfall in October 2025, with the National Meteorological Centre urging drivers in hilly areas to slow down and stay alert. If a storm is forecast for the east coast, the honest advice is to go another weekend.

Speed limits on these corridors change, and not always by the same authority - Abu Dhabi cut the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Road, the E22, from 160 km/h to 140 km/h on 9 February 2026. Read the gantry rather than your memory, and see our UAE speed limits guide for how the buffers work. If anything does happen, a police report is required in the UAE for every accident, including a scratch: call Dubai Police on 999, then message us on WhatsApp. Our accident and police report guide walks through it.

Renting a car in Dubai?

Monthly rentals with us start from AED 1,700. The price includes VAT, comprehensive insurance, registration, routine maintenance, 24/7 roadside assistance and 4,000 km a month on most cars, with delivery and collection around Downtown Dubai. You can pay a refundable deposit of AED 1,500 on most cars, or rent with no deposit for about AED 245 a month more. Fuel is same-to-same, Salik is charged at cost plus AED 1 per crossing, and traffic fines are billed to you, itemised. We are an RTA-authorised dealer and agency in Port Saeed, and every rental is made on a signed Urban Go rental contract. Browse the fleet or see our monthly car rental plans and build a quote on any car, or message us on WhatsApp on +971 50 500 3965.

Sources

• Khaleej Times - Emirates Road to get 2 new lanes; peak-hour trips cut

• The National - Dubai to open two new lanes on Emirates Road

• The National - Dh5.5bn highway between Sharjah and Khor Fakkan opens

• Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority - travel information

• Khaleej Times - UAE fines for unsafe driving in rain and fog

• Gulf News - Dh2,000 fine and 23 black points for entering flood valleys

Last reviewed: 30 September 2026