UAE Petrol Prices in September 2026: What Fuel Costs Right Now

UAE fuel prices change once a month, every month. The Fuel Price Committee announces the new rates at the end of each month and they take effect on the 1st, so any page quoting “today's petrol price” is really quoting this month's price. Here is September 2026, what changed, and - because we run a rental fleet in Dubai and fuel is the one running cost that stays yours on any rental - what a tank actually costs on real cars.

UAE fuel prices for September 2026

These rates apply across all seven emirates - Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the rest all pay the same at the pump. Prices include 5% VAT.

• Super 98 - AED 3.80 per litre (August: AED 3.60)

• Special 95 - AED 3.69 per litre (August: AED 3.49)

• E-Plus 91 - AED 3.61 per litre (August: AED 3.41)

• Diesel - AED 4.30 per litre (August: AED 3.80)

Petrol rose by another 20 fils a litre across all three grades - the second straight monthly increase - while diesel jumped 50 fils, a rise of about 13% in a single month and by far the biggest move on the board. The bigger picture: 2026 has been an unusually volatile year for UAE fuel. Prices started the year around AED 2.30 to 2.50 for Special 95, climbed for four straight months through spring as the Gulf security situation pushed oil up, peaked in early summer, dipped in July, and have now risen twice in a row as global oil markets stay unsettled.

Which grade does your car take?

Special 95 is the workhorse - nearly every mainstream car in the UAE runs on it, including almost everything in a rental fleet. Super 98 is for performance and some European engines; check the fuel flap before paying the premium, because a car tuned for 95 gains nothing from 98. E-Plus 91 is the budget grade, used mostly by older cars and some fleets. Diesel in the UAE is mostly a commercial-vehicle story - very few passenger cars here run on it.

If you are renting from us, the answer is simple: every car in our fleet runs happily on Special 95.

What a tank actually costs this month

At September's AED 3.69 for Special 95:

• Compact sedan or crossover (MG 5, Nissan Kicks) - 45-litre tank, roughly AED 165 to 170 brim to brim

• Compact SUV (Kia Sportage) - 54-litre tank, roughly AED 195 to 200

• A month of normal Dubai commuting - around 1,500 km at a typical 7 to 8 L/100km costs roughly AED 390 to 445 in fuel

• Heavy use - if you drive the full 4,000 km our monthly plans include, budget roughly AED 1,030 to 1,180

Those are real budgeting numbers, not marketing ones. Fuel plus Salik plus parking is the honest “cost of driving” stack in Dubai; on a normal commute the three together usually land between AED 600 and 950 a month on top of the rental itself.

How UAE fuel pricing works

The UAE deregulated fuel prices in 2015. Since then a Fuel Price Committee has set pump prices monthly, tracking international oil prices with a small local margin. Practical consequences:

• Prices change on the 1st of each month and hold for the full month - there is no daily movement and no shopping around, because ENOC, EPPCO, ADNOC and Emarat all charge the committee's rate for each grade.

• Announcements land a day or two before month-end. If a big move is coming and your tank is near empty in the last days of the month, it is occasionally worth timing the fill - in months where prices jumped 20 to 30 fils, a 45-litre fill timed right saves about AED 10.

• No emirate is cheaper. Unlike tolls and parking, fuel costs the same in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

Is petrol in the UAE cheap?

By global standards, yes - September's AED 3.69 for Special 95 is roughly USD 1.00 a litre, well under UK or EU prices, though no longer the near-give-away it was a decade ago. Against the region, the UAE sits above subsidised markets like Saudi Arabia but below most of the world's advanced economies. For anyone arriving from Europe: fuel will feel cheap. From the US: broadly similar. From Saudi: expensive.

Fuel and rental cars: how it works

Fuel is yours on any rental, from any company - no rental price includes it. Many companies run full-to-full, but our policy is simpler and fairer: same-to-same. We record the fuel level when you collect the car, and you return it at that same level. Come back lower and the missing fuel is charged, so matching the level before drop-off is always the cheaper move - and you never pay for fuel you did not use.

What is not universal is everything else drivers pay on top - tolls, parking, fines handling - which is exactly where rental bills get creative. Our approach is the same for all of it: published prices, VAT inclusive, itemised, Salik at cost plus AED 1 per crossing, and fuel simply left where it belongs - at the pump, at committee rates, paid by you with no markup because we never touch it.

Renting a car in Dubai?

Every car in our fleet comes with comprehensive insurance, registration and routine maintenance included, and 4,000 km per month on monthly plans. Browse monthly rental plans, our full fleet, or read about flexible car leasing in Dubai. Visitors can check whether their licence is valid with our driving licence checker.

Sources

Prices verified against the UAE Fuel Price Committee's September 2026 announcement as reported by:

• Khaleej Times - UAE petrol and diesel prices for September 2026 announced

• Gulf News - UAE petrol, diesel prices for September 2026 announced

• The National - UAE petrol prices to rise in September with diesel up 13%

This page is updated on the 1st of every month when the new rates are announced. Last updated: 2 September 2026.