Rent Hyundai Elantra 2020 in Dubai

Most weeks, the renters who walk away happiest with the Hyundai Elantra 2020 are the ones counting dirhams. We rent it across Dubai to commuters on a monthly budget and to visitors who want a real sedan without sedan money, and we take whatever's in your pocket on delivery: cards, cash, bank transfer, Apple Pay or Google Pay. That flexibility matters when you're trying to keep a long stay cheap. This is the older-generation Elantra, and that's the whole point of it. It's the least expensive way into a comfortable, economical compact sedan, and the rest of this page is about whether that trade is right for you.

Why book the older Elantra at all

The honest pitch is value. You get a full five-seat sedan with a proper boot, a 2.0-litre automatic, and running costs that stay low, all for less than a newer Elantra or anything midsize. For an airport pickup, a month of commuting, or a family visit where the car just needs to be roomy and dependable, that's usually enough.

What you give up is newness. The cabin is the previous generation, so the dashboard is plainer, the screen is smaller, and the plastics feel their age next to a 2022 or 2023 car. Nothing about it is unpleasant. It just isn't trying to impress you. If a sharp interior and the latest tech matter to you, step up to a newer Elantra. If you regularly carry four adults with luggage on long highway runs, a midsize sedan gives more shoulder room and a calmer cruise. For everyone else, the 2020 does the job for less.

Specifications

Running costs and refuelling

The 2.0-litre is the unglamorous part of the appeal. It pulls a light sedan along without fuss and sips fuel doing it, roughly 6.4 litres per 100 km in mixed driving. On the 50-litre tank that works out to around 750 km in theory, though Dubai reality trims that. Constant AC use and stop-start traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road push consumption up, so plan on real-world figures a touch thirstier than the brochure.

What that means at the pump: a commuter doing the usual city and highway mix fills up maybe once a week, sometimes less. Fuel here is cheap, the tank is a sensible size, and you won't be planning your week around petrol stations. That's a big part of why this car books out to people staying a month or more.

Heat and cabin cooling

Dubai summers sit in the mid-40s, and a car parked in the open turns into an oven by midday. The Elantra's AC is conventional but effective. Front vents push hard, and the cabin volume is modest enough that the cabin comes down to something bearable within a few minutes of driving, faster if you crack the windows for the first stretch to dump the trapped heat. There are no rear vents to speak of on this generation, so back-seat passengers rely on airflow from the front. For two adults up front it's a non-issue. With kids in the back on a long afternoon drive, point the centre vents rearward and they'll be fine.

Parking and city manoeuvring

At a hair over 4.6 metres long, the Elantra is compact enough for Dubai's tighter spots without feeling small inside. It slots into multi-storey bays, handles mall-ramp U-turns, and parks without the nervous shuffling a bigger sedan demands. Light steering helps in the city. Ground clearance is modest, so take the steeper community speed bumps and a few mall ramp lips gently, but you won't be scraping on anything normal. For someone new to driving here, it's an easy car to place.

On the road and airport runs

Out on the E11 the 150 hp feels adequate rather than quick. There's enough to merge and overtake confidently at highway speed, and the car settles into a relaxed cruise without straining. It isn't built to thrill, but for the daily run between Dubai and the northern emirates, or a relaxed motorway stretch, it does the job calmly.

For airport duty it earns its keep. The boot is around 458 litres, which swallows two large checked cases plus a couple of soft bags without playing luggage Tetris. A family of four landing at DXB with a week's worth of bags fits, and the low door sills make loading easy. Runs out to DWC are equally simple. If you're routinely carrying four big cases and a fifth passenger, you're at the edge of what this boot does comfortably, and that's the cue to look at something larger.

Tolls, fines and the basics

A few things sit on you, not us. Salik tolls are billed to the renter, so each gantry you pass is on your account. RTA fines pass through to you as well, so keep an eye on speed limits, which change quickly along Sheikh Zayed Road. Seat belts are mandatory in every seat, front and back, and children under four need a proper child seat. None of this is unusual, but it's worth knowing before you set off.

Who should rent it

Rent the Hyundai Elantra 2020 if you want the cheapest comfortable sedan that still feels like a real car: a commuter for a monthly stay, an easy airport runabout, or a roomy-enough family car where price beats polish. It's economical, simple to park, and it carries luggage properly. Skip it if you want a modern cabin and the newest screen, in which case a newer Elantra is the call, or if you're regularly four adults deep on long highway hauls, where a midsize sedan will treat everyone better. For value-first renters, this is the one we'd hand you the keys to.