20 years ago I spent a lot of time in Dubai and have visited less and less frequently since. I have always rented a car on my trips. If you are not easily intimidated and not nervous you can cope with the traffic in Dubai. Dubai is full of people with big cars and small brains. I always rent a small car. I have never liked big cars and especially not SUVs. It is quite common for the drivers of big SUVs to try and intimidate other drivers by driving very close. It does not intimidate me, but be ready for that sort of thing. Range Rovers in particular come with an exemption certificate for most road traffic rules (speeding, erratic lane changing and driving on the bit of road between the central crash barrier and inside lane).

The roads have grown wider in the last 20 years with more lanes and increasingly complex junctions. Even with satnav you are going to miss the right exits. You just accept it and reroute. Fortunately we were there during the quieter time of August so the long queues on Sheikh Zayed Road were not happening.

In the last 20+ years I have driven all over the world, often in Africa. Middle East and Asia. The only accident of any significance I have been involved in during that time was in Dubai 17 years ago and I had a near miss on this trip too. None my fault I hasten to add. Having said all this, if I was going to Dubai tomorrow I would still rent a car without hesitation.