Rent Kia Forte 2020 in Dubai

The Kia Forte 2020 rents in Dubai as a roomy economy sedan, and we bring it to your door in one to two hours with the option to skip the deposit entirely. At 145 AED a day it's one of the cheaper four-door automatics on our fleet, and the reason to pick it over a small hatch comes down to one thing: a proper boot and a back seat that fits adults. If your week here means airport runs, a few people in the car, and luggage that actually has to go somewhere, this is the sedan that does it without the sedan price.

Why a sedan and not a hatch

Most budget rentals in Dubai are small hatchbacks. They're fine for one or two people darting around Downtown, but they run out of room the moment you add a third passenger and a couple of cases. The Forte is longer than those cars by a clear margin, and that length goes where it counts: rear legroom and a sealed boot. Three adults fit across the back for a city hop, and two will be comfortable for a longer drive out to Hatta or down to Abu Dhabi.

It's a five-seater, front-wheel drive, with an automatic gearbox. Nothing exotic, and that's the point. You're renting it to move people and bags reliably in the heat, not to carve up a track.

The boot, and whether your luggage fits

This is where the Forte earns its keep. The trunk holds 434 litres, which is large for an economy car and noticeably more usable than a hatch's load bay because it's a deep, square space behind a closed lid. Two large suitcases plus a couple of soft bags go in without a fight. Pulling three or four people off a DXB flight with full-size cases each? You'll fit it, which is more than most cars at this rate can claim. The rear seats fold if you ever need to carry something long, but for normal airport-and-mall duty you won't need to.

Engine and how often you'll fill up

Under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre petrol four making 147 hp, driving the front wheels through Kia's automatic. It's an easy car to drive in traffic. Power is modest but smooth, and it pulls away from lights and merges onto Sheikh Zayed Road without drama. Above 120 it's working rather than relaxed, so treat it as a comfortable cruiser, not an overtaking machine.

Fuel is where it quietly saves you money. The 53-litre tank paired with this engine's economy means city driving sits around 8 litres per 100 km, dropping closer to 6 on a steady highway run. A tank realistically covers most of a week of normal Dubai use, so you're not detouring to a station every other day.

Spec at a glance

Heat, and how fast the cabin cools

From May to September this is the spec that matters most. Leave any car parked in the open at 45 degrees and the cabin turns into an oven. The Forte's air conditioning is honest economy-car cooling: the front vents pull hard and the cabin comes down to comfortable within a couple of minutes of driving with the doors shut. There are no fancy climate zones and rear passengers rely mostly on airflow from the front, so on the hottest afternoons let it run for a minute before you load kids in the back. For the rate, it does the job.

Parking, ramps and city size

At 4.64 metres the Forte is longer than the hatchbacks it competes with, so the tighter multi-storey bays in older Marina and Deira buildings ask for a bit more care when you reverse in. Nothing difficult, just not pocket-sized. The 135 mm of ground clearance is standard sedan height, which clears Dubai's speed bumps and most mall ramps fine as long as you take the steeper ones slowly and at an angle. Keep it on tarmac. This is a road car with no business on soft sand.

Costs that fall to you

Salik tolls are billed to the renter as you pass each gantry, and any RTA fines during the rental come to you as well. A child under four needs a child seat by law, and we'll fit one on request. Standard Dubai rules, worth knowing before you set off.

Who should rent it

Rent the Forte 2020 if you want the cheapest comfortable way to move three or four people and real luggage around Dubai for a week. It's the sensible pick for airport pickups, family visits, and anyone who finds a hatch too small but doesn't want to pay sedan money. If it's just you and a partner doing short city runs, a smaller hatch will park easier and cost a little less to fuel. And if you need genuine off-tarmac ability for the dunes or a loaded Hatta trip with five adults, skip the Forte and size up to an SUV. For everyone in between, it's a lot of practical car for the daily rate.