Rent Mg Rx5 2023 in Dubai

For a week of Dubai errands on a tight budget, the MG RX5 2023 is one of the cheapest family-size SUVs we keep, and right now the rate includes 250 km a day with no charge on extra kilometres beyond it. We deliver it to your door inside one to two hours, fuelled and ready. The case for this car is simple and honest: it gives you a five-seat SUV body, a high seat and a turbo engine that's frugal in city traffic, for the price of a small hatchback. It isn't a premium drive and it doesn't pretend to be. What it is, is sensible, roomy enough, and cheap to run, which is exactly what a lot of Dubai weeks call for.

What you're actually renting

The RX5 is a compact-to-midsize SUV with a 1.5-litre turbocharged four making 169 hp, sent through a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic to the front wheels. That's a willing little engine for the size of the car. It pulls away from lights cleanly and has enough mid-range to merge onto Sheikh Zayed Road without drama, though a fully loaded car asking for a hard overtake will remind you it's a small turbo doing the work. For city driving and steady highway cruising, which is most of what a rental does here, it's perfectly adequate.

Inside it seats five with a proper boot, a raised driving position and the basics done sensibly. This is value transport, not a luxury cabin, and judged on that it does the job.

Fuel, and why this is the value pick

The running cost is the reason to choose the RX5. A small turbo four in a moderate body sips fuel compared with the bigger SUVs, and in city stop-and-go you'll go noticeably longer between fills than friends in a thirsty V6. The 55-litre tank gives a sensible range for a week of school runs, mall trips and the occasional airport drive. Add the 250 km a day built into the rate with no extra-kilometre charge, and the maths is friendly for anyone watching the budget across a full week.

Space, boot and the family fit

For two adults and two or three kids the RX5 is comfortable, with a flat floor in the back and enough rear room for short and medium trips. The boot takes a couple of large cases plus soft bags, fine for a DXB or DWC pickup with a family of four and a week's luggage. Fold the rear seats and you've got a long, useful load floor for a pram, sports kit or a big mall haul. Pack for five adults with full suitcases and it tightens, as any car this size does, but for the normal family job it's roomy enough.

Heat and the AC

A parked RX5 bakes in July sun like anything else here, and the honest expectation is that the first minute is unpleasant whatever you drive. The cooling is adequate for the cabin size: the front vents pull the worst of the heat out within a few minutes once you're moving. Drop the windows for the first thirty seconds to dump the trapped air, then let the system settle. It's a budget car, so don't expect three-zone climate luxury, but for the size of cabin it cools to comfortable without fuss.

Parking, bumps and Dubai roads

At 4.5 metres the RX5 is easy to place. Tight Marina bays, older multi-storey ramps and mall car parks are all straightforward, and the high seat helps you judge the corners. The 145 mm ground clearance is on the lower side, so take the sharpest speed bumps and steep mall lips at a crawl rather than charging them, and you won't scrape. It's a front-wheel-drive road crossover, so it's a city and highway car, not a desert tool. For soft sand you want a proper 4x4. For everything a normal Dubai week involves, it copes fine.

A few standing rules: Salik tolls and any RTA fines during your rental pass to you, seat belts are mandatory in every seat, and a child seat is required for under-fours, which we can fit.

Who should rent it, and who shouldn't

Rent the RX5 2023 if you want a five-seat SUV for the lowest sensible running cost, you value space and a high view over a premium badge or a quick engine, and your week is city errands with the odd highway run. It's one of the best-value family SUVs we hand over, and the no-charge extra kilometres sweeten it further.

Pick something else in two cases. If cabin quality and a refined drive matter to you, a premium compact SUV rides and feels a clear step above, for more money. And if you're heading into real dunes or need genuine off-road ability, this front-wheel-drive crossover isn't the tool, so rent a proper 4x4. For cheap, roomy, no-drama family transport, though, the RX5 earns its place.