Frequently Asked Questions

Usually yes. Most suppliers block a security deposit on the main driver's card at pickup and release it after the car is returned undamaged. Part of the fleet, however, is listed with no deposit at all - the condition is set per offer and shown in the search results before you book.

Sometimes. Some suppliers accept a debit card, and cars listed without a deposit remove the need for a large available limit altogether. The advance payment is always made by card online; cash is not accepted for it.

A national driving licence written in Latin script is accepted by most suppliers, and GCC licences are accepted directly. Licences issued in other alphabets are normally paired with an International Driving Permit. The exact requirement is set by the supplier and stated in the conditions of each offer.

Minimum age is set by each supplier and is typically higher for large 4x4 models than for small cars. Where a driver is below the standard threshold, a young-driver surcharge may apply instead of a refusal.

Not for most journeys. Muscat, the coastal road to Sur, Nizwa and Salalah are all sealed roads that any car handles. A four-wheel drive becomes necessary for Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams, where police checkpoints verify the vehicle, and for the Wahiba Sands and the wadi tracks.

Usually not. Standard cover assumes sealed roads, and sand, water crossings and undercarriage damage are commonly excluded. Suppliers offer an extended waiver for off-road use, which has to be added before you leave the desk.

In the arrivals hall on the ground floor of the passenger terminal, or in the short-term car park beside it. Most suppliers work on a meet-and-greet basis rather than from a permanent desk, and the meeting point is printed in your voucher.

Give the flight number at the booking stage. It allows the supplier to track the arrival and wait, rather than treating a late passenger as a no-show. Without it, a delayed landing can cost you the reservation.

Only with the supplier's written permission and separate insurance, and many suppliers do not allow it at all. Crossing without that permission voids the cover. The same restriction applies in reverse to cars rented in Dubai.

Some suppliers allow a one-way return to another Omani city or to a city address, normally for a relocation fee. Set the drop-off point in the search form before booking, because both price and availability change when it differs from the pickup point.

Same-to-same is the norm: you return the car with the fuel level you received. Petrol is inexpensive and stations are frequent on main routes, but sparse beyond Nizwa and in the Sharqiyah, so fill up before long inland stretches.

Roads are modern and well signposted, and traffic drives on the right. The particular hazards are long empty stretches that encourage speed, camels on unfenced roads at dusk, and flash floods in wadis during rain. Speed cameras are common and fines follow the car.

Two peaks. The winter months from November to February across the north, when the weather suits touring, and the khareef monsoon from June to September in Dhofar, when Salalah fills and cars sell out early.

The supplier first - the agreement is with them, and their contact details are in your voucher. If they are unreachable or the answer contradicts what was written in the offer, email us at [email protected] with your booking reference and we will help you chase it.