Rent Nissan Kicks 2021 in Dubai

Pay how you like when we drop it off, by card, cash, or wallet, and you've sorted the small print on a Nissan Kicks 2021 before the keys change hands. We rent this subcompact crossover across Dubai, and an older model year keeps the rate soft, which is the whole point of this one. If you want a higher seat, crossover looks, and an easy car to thread through city traffic without paying crossover-flagship money, the Kicks earns its place. What it isn't is a four-adults-and-luggage machine or a desert tool, and this page is honest about where that line sits.

Who this car actually suits

Think of the 2021 Kicks as a runabout for one or two people who want to sit up high. The driving position gives you a clear view over Dubai traffic, which makes lane changes on a busy road far less stressful than a low hatchback. For a solo commuter, a couple doing errands, or a visitor wanting a tidy car for a week of city moving around, it fits.

Where it stops fitting is a full house. Five seatbelts exist, but three adults across the back on a long run is a squeeze, and the boot will remind you it's a small car. If you're a family of five with a week of cases, size up to a larger crossover or a sedan.

Specs at a glance

Parking and city manoeuvring

This is where the Kicks shines for the money. At 4.3 metres long and 1.76 wide, it slots into tight multi-storey bays that leave bigger crossovers hunting for space. Marina ramps and mall parking spirals don't faze it, and the high seat means you can see the kerb and the bollards you're trying not to clip.

Ground clearance is 210 mm, which is generous for this class. Dubai's speed bumps, the steep ones outside communities and the long ramps at malls, won't have you wincing the way a low car does. You can drive over a raised car-park entry without holding your breath. Just remember the clearance is the only off-road credential here. Front-wheel drive and road tyres mean sand is a no. Keep it on tarmac.

The engine, and being honest about the highway

The 1.6 makes 122 hp through a CVT, and that combination is built for city speed, not drama. Around town it's smooth and quiet, and the automatic takes the strain out of stop-and-start traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road. Pulling away from lights and crawling through Deira at rush hour is exactly its comfort zone.

Push it onto the E11 at full pace and the modest power shows. Overtaking at 120 needs planning, and the CVT gets vocal when you ask for a sudden burst. It'll cruise the highway happily enough, but if your week involves a lot of fast inter-emirate driving with a full load, a more powerful car will feel less worked. For airport hops to DXB or a quick run out to DWC, it's perfectly fine.

Fuel, range and what you'll actually spend

The Kicks sips fuel, and that's a real reason to pick it. At a combined 6.1 L/100km, a 41-litre tank gives you roughly 670 km. For a typical week of Dubai errands and commuting, that's one fill, maybe a top-up. You won't be queuing at the pump every other day, and on Dubai's fuel prices the running cost stays low. That frugality is the older Kicks' quiet strength against thirstier crossovers.

Heat, AC and the cabin

A parked car in a Dubai summer turns into an oven, and the Kicks is a small cabin, which actually works in your favour here. The AC has less air to chill, so front vents pull the temperature down quickly once you're moving. Give it a couple of minutes with the fan up after a midday park and it's comfortable. There are no rear vents, so back-seat passengers wait a little longer to feel it on a 45-degree afternoon, but for one or two up front the cooling is strong and quick.

Costs and rules to know

A few Dubai basics carry to you as the renter. Salik tolls are billed to you for every gantry you pass, so plan routes if you're toll-conscious. Any RTA fines during the rental are yours too. Seat belts are mandatory in every seat, front and back, and that's enforced. None of this is Kicks-specific, but it's worth knowing before you set off.

The verdict

Rent the 2021 Kicks if you're a solo driver or a couple who want a cheap, frugal, easy crossover for city life, with a high view and enough clearance for Dubai's bumps and ramps. It parks anywhere, sips fuel, and at an older-year rate it's one of the better-value ways into a crossover shape. Skip it if you regularly carry four adults with luggage, do long high-speed highway stints fully loaded, or want anything resembling off-road ability. For those, a bigger crossover or a sedan is the smarter book. For everyone else after a no-fuss city runabout that sits tall, this one's an easy yes.