Rent Hyundai Creta 2020 in Dubai

Not every week in Dubai calls for the newest shape or the newest gearbox, and that is the case the Hyundai Creta 2020 makes for itself. It is the earlier version of the Creta in our fleet, built before Hyundai reworked the whole car, and it still delivers what most renters are actually after: SUV height, a real boot and running costs that do not punish you for wanting the higher seat. We bring it to your door in one to two hours, so there is no detour to a rental desk before your week starts. This page settles one thing: whether the older Creta's spec sheet still gets the job done, and where the newer car in our fleet earns its higher price.

What you're actually renting

The Creta line in Dubai splits into two distinct cars, and the 2020 is the first generation. Hyundai redesigned the model in late 2020, and the reworked shape only reached UAE showrooms after that, so a 2020-registered Creta is the outgoing car: a 1.6-litre Dual VTVT engine making 123 hp, paired with a conventional six-speed automatic rather than the CVT-style IVT gearbox fitted to the later cars. On the road that means gear changes you can feel instead of the newer car's smoother, stepless pull, and steering with a touch more old-school weight to it. None of that makes it a worse rental. It is an engine and gearbox pairing Hyundai sold across the region for years, and it drives like a normal automatic SUV rather than an economy-tuned CVT. At 4,270 mm long and 1,780 mm wide it is slightly shorter and narrower than the redesigned Creta, sitting on the same 190 mm of ground clearance underneath.

Space, boot and the daily use

The 402-litre boot falls short of the redesigned Creta's, but the gap is 31 litres, closer than the two spec sheets make it sound. It still swallows one large suitcase and a holdall with room to spare, so a couple flying into DXB can load up without folding anything down. Add a third bag or a stroller and the rear bench needs to go flat, which trades the back seats for a floor that handles a supermarket run or a few boxes on moving day.

Up front, two adults sit comfortably with the raised view that is the whole reason people pick a small SUV over a hatchback. The back seat takes two adults or three kids without complaint on an ordinary trip. Put a fourth adult back there with everyone's luggage aboard and it gets tight, which is true of every car this size and not a fault specific to the older one.

At 4.27 metres long and 1.78 metres wide it is a shade smaller than the redesigned Creta, which if anything helps in a tight tower car park or a Marina basement ramp. The 190 mm of ground clearance is unchanged from the newer car and clears the sharp speed bumps around residential compounds and steep mall ramps without a scrape. It is still front-wheel drive on road tyres, so keep it off sand tracks. That was never this car's job.

Running cost, heat and the cabin

The 1.6-litre engine drinks more than the newer 1.5, and that is the one place the lower rental rate shows up on a fuel receipt. Expect around 8 litres per 100 km around town, more if the AC is working hard through a July afternoon in traffic. The 55-litre tank still carries you further between stops than the smaller tank in the redesigned car, good for roughly 650 km before you need a station, so a normal week of driving means one or two fill-ups rather than more.

Mileage is the other figure worth checking before you book. You get 250 km a day, enough for commuting, school runs and mall trips with room left over, and it is AED 0.5 for every kilometre past that. A weekend out to Hatta and back can eat into the allowance, so it is worth watching the odometer on longer days. Salik tolls and any RTA fines fall to the renter, standard across the fleet. You will need to be 25 to take the keys.

Inside, the cabin cools at a fair pace for a car this size, not as fast as a small hatch but well ahead of anything carrying three rows of seats. The Creta has had rear AC vents since this earlier generation, so kids in the back get their own airflow instead of waiting for cold air to drift in from the front after the car has sat in an open lot at midday. That is one advantage the 2020 car does not give up to the newer one.

Who should rent it, and who should size up

Rent the 2020 Creta if you want SUV height and a proper boot without paying for the newest shape in the fleet. It suits a couple or a small family running an ordinary Dubai week: the commute, the grocery run, a DXB pickup with a couple of bags, and the occasional Friday out. The conventional automatic and the slightly higher fuel use are a fair trade for the lower rate, and nothing about the older car feels unfinished or worn out on the road.

Step up to a newer Creta if the smoother IVT gearbox or the extra 31 litres of boot space matter enough to pay for, or if the current cabin's styling is the deciding factor. Size up to a mid-size SUV if you are regularly carrying four adults with luggage, since the back seat and the boot both hit their limit at that point in either Creta generation. And if the plan includes Hatta trails or anything off the tarmac, skip the Creta altogether and book a proper 4x4. This is a front-wheel-drive city car with useful ground clearance, not an off-roader. For everyone else doing an ordinary week in Dubai on a tighter budget, the 2020 Creta does the same job as the newer one, just without the newest badge on the back.