Rent Nissan Patrol 2020 in Dubai

We've kept a Nissan Patrol V8 in the Dubai fleet for years, and the Nissan Patrol 2020 is the same proven formula: the 5.6-litre engine, the four-wheel-drive hardware, and a track record of shrugging off whatever the road or the dunes throw at it. Renters who've taken this generation out to Hatta, up Sheikh Zayed Road at real speed, and back from the airport with a full car keep coming back to it, because it does the job without drama. We deliver it to your door in one to two hours. What years of handing this exact car to renters actually prove, and where it still catches people out, is what this page settles.

The V8, and what years of use have proven

This is the Y62-generation Patrol, the facelifted body-on-frame wagon Nissan sold across the GCC through 2020, not the redesigned model that came later. Under the bonnet sits a 5.6-litre petrol V8 making 400 hp at 5,800 rpm and 560 Nm at 4,000 rpm, sent through a seven-speed automatic to all four wheels with a proper low-range transfer case. Nothing about that has needed reinventing in the years we've run this car. It still pulls to 100 km/h in around 6.6 seconds, still holds 120 on the highway without a hint of strain, and still climbs a soft dune with the low range engaged rather than just looking the part.

What years of use have actually taught us is where this car earns its keep and where it doesn't. The V8 rarely gives trouble even after long, hot summers of back-to-back bookings, and the four-wheel-drive system keeps working on Hatta's looser tracks long after a soft-road crossover would have given up. One thing worth checking before you book: some Patrols from this year run the smaller 4.0-litre V6 instead. It's a competent engine, just noticeably quieter and less muscular, so if the V8 is why you're choosing this car, ask us to confirm which engine your unit carries.

Seats, boot and the honest cargo trade-off

Seven seats, and the Patrol actually means it. The middle row is wide enough for three across, or two adults with room to spare, and it slides and tips forward so reaching the third row isn't a climb over folded seatbacks. Adults can sit back there for the drive to Abu Dhabi, not just the ten minutes to school.

The trade-off is luggage, and it's worth being honest about it. With all seven seats up, the boot behind the third row takes a few soft bags and a pushchair, not a stack of hard suitcases for a family of seven. Fold one side of the third row down and you get a proper load bay for cases while five or six people still travel. Drop the whole row and it swallows a big family's luggage for a week with room left over. The only day this catches you out is the one where you need every seat filled and every case packed at once, and for most trips that day doesn't come.

Fuel, heat and running a full-size 4x4

A 5.6-litre V8 was never going to be frugal, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. The combined figure lands around 14 L/100km, but real consumption in Dubai traffic with the AC working hard tends to sit closer to 16 or 17. The 140-litre tank absorbs that difference well, giving you several days of normal driving between fills even with a heavy right foot.

Mileage is the number to plan around, and on this Patrol it matters more than usual. The daily allowance is 250 km, and every kilometre past that costs AED 5. That's a steep overage rate, so it's worth tallying your day before you leave rather than finding out at drop-off. City errands, school runs and airport pickups sit comfortably inside 250 km, but a full day out to Hatta and back, plus the driving around it, can close that gap faster than people expect. You'll need to be 21 to take the keys, and Salik tolls and any RTA fines land on you as the renter, the same as on any car we hand over.

Cooling a cabin this size takes real effort, and the white paint helps more than people assume. A white body reflects more heat than a dark one, so the panels stay cooler to the touch after hours in a parking lot. That said, no paint colour beats a few hours of direct July sun coming through the glass. Climb back in and it takes a couple of minutes of strong front vents working before the cabin drops to a comfortable temperature, and rear vents mean the third row isn't stuck with whatever warm air the front seats leave behind. Size shows up at the mall and in the tower car park too. At just over 5.1 metres long, the Patrol wants a full bay rather than the gap near the trolley return, though 275 mm of ground clearance means speed bumps and steep ramps stop being something you slow down for.

Who should rent this Patrol, and who should size down

Book it if you're a large family or a group travelling with real luggage, or if your week actually mixes highway distance, seven seats and a day out toward the dunes. Years of renting this exact car back its reputation as a proven SUV rather than an experimental one, and the V8 makes long drives feel short. The minimum age to rent it is 21, and that AED 5 per-km overage rate rewards renters who plan their mileage rather than guess at it.

Size down if it's one or two of you running errands with the odd airport pickup. You'll be parking a five-metre SUV built for seven and feeding a thirsty V8 for a job a mid-size crossover handles for less, with less risk of tripping that steep per-km charge. The Patrol earns its size back on the week that actually needs seven seats and a run into the sand, not as a default because it's the biggest name on the list.