Rent Nissan Micra 2020 in Dubai

Renters who want an automatic gearbox in Dubai without paying an automatic premium get pointed toward the Nissan Micra 2020 more than almost anything else on our economy lot. It is the cheapest sensible automatic we rent, a five-seat hatchback with a proper torque converter box rather than a stripped-out manual that turns every red light into a clutch workout. We deliver it to your door within one to two hours, take a debit card or cash, and the white five-door sits near the bottom of our daily rate list. The question this page settles is simple: does a car this basic and this cheap still cover everything you need for a week in the city?

What the 1.5-litre engine feels like in traffic

The Micra runs a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine, rated around 100 hp and 135 Nm of torque, paired with a 4-speed automatic that sends drive to the front wheels. That gearbox is a generation behind the CVTs some other economy cars in our fleet carry, and the numbers show it: Nissan's own figures put the sprint to 100 km/h at roughly 14.5 seconds, with a top speed near 175 km/h. Around town this rarely registers. Leaving a roundabout or edging out of a car park, the engine has enough in reserve for the moment, and the automatic changes gear early enough that you never miss the extra ratios newer boxes carry. Ask it to climb a steep multi-storey ramp with the air conditioning working flat out and it takes its time rather than surging, a fair trade in a car built to be cheap first and fast never.

Boot space and back-seat reality for a week's luggage

At 3.78 metres long and 1.68 metres wide, the Micra is about as compact as our fleet gets, built on a short 2.44-metre wheelbase that makes it easy to place in a cramped multi-storey bay or spin around on a narrow street without a three-point turn. Ground clearance sits low, the way it does on most small hatchbacks, so ease off over sharp speed bumps and steep ramps rather than powering through them.

Cargo space is where the small footprint costs you something. The boot holds 265 litres, honest small-car capacity rather than anything generous. One large suitcase and a soft holdall fit with the back seats up, but a second hard case will not, so two people arriving with a full week of luggage should plan to fold a seat down or travel lighter. Up front, two adults sit comfortably. In the rear, two adults handle a short trip across town fine, and the centre seat really suits a child rather than a third adult on any drive longer than a few minutes.

Fuel bills, tolls and surviving a parked afternoon

Fuel economy is the real reason the Micra earns its reputation as a cheap car to run. Nissan quotes 15.4 km per litre on the combined cycle, a lab number you will not match with the AC working hard through a Dubai August, but real-world driving on a mix of errands and short hops should still land around 11 to 12 km/l most weeks, by our own desk estimate rather than a published figure. The 41-litre tank stretches a long way on that kind of economy, so you are not stopping at petrol stations often. Two costs sit outside the fuel bill and land on the renter rather than us: Salik at every toll gate, and any RTA fine picked up during the rental.

Heat is the other daily reality, and the Micra's small cabin actually works in your favour here. Less air to cool means the front vents pull the temperature down faster after the car has sat closed in a parking lot than they would in a bigger hatchback or an SUV. The controls are simple dials, not a touchscreen climate menu, and like most cars in this class, the back seat gets little help from rear vents on the hottest afternoons. Point the front vents at yourself, give the engine a minute, and the cabin is workable again well before you reach your first stop.

Where the Micra makes sense, and when to size up

Book the Micra if you are one or two people handling the daily commute, errands and short hops around the city, chasing the lowest realistic combination of rental cost and fuel spend. Few cars in our fleet are easier to park in a tight multi-storey or turn around on a narrow street, and nothing costs less to keep filled for a week of ordinary driving.

Size up in two cases. Four adults with a full week of luggage will find the back seat and the 265-litre boot tight within a day, so a mid-size sedan carries that trip better. And if your plans involve real highway distance, an Abu Dhabi run or repeated overtaking once traffic opens up past 100 km/h, the 4-speed automatic and modest power mean you will be planning moves in advance rather than just flooring it. For everything else, city errands, one or two bags, and a week spent keeping the budget tight, the Micra remains one of the simplest cars on the lot to hand over. The daily allowance runs to 250 km, extra distance costs AED 0.5 per kilometre, and drivers need to be at least 21.