Monthly Parking in Dubai: Parkin Card Prices vs Renting a Private Space (2026)

Monthly parking in Dubai costs AED 525 a month with a Parkin card that covers zones A, B, C and D, or AED 262.50 for a plots-only card in zones B and D. Both prices include VAT and were checked on 9 October 2026. A card lets you use any free public bay in its zones, but it doesn’t reserve one. If you need a guaranteed space, renting a private bay in a residential building usually costs about AED 250 to 600 a month.

This guide covers both routes. It explains what a Parkin subscription costs and how to buy one, when a private parking space is the better deal, whether you’re allowed to rent one out in a Dubai building, and what monthly parking costs in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman.

In a nutshell

Cheapest public option:

Parkin’s plots-only card at AED 262.50 a month (zones B and D). Students and private-school staff pay from AED 105 a month near their campus.

Standard public option:

Parkin’s roadside and plots card at AED 525 a month, valid in zones A to D for up to three cars.

Guaranteed space:

a private bay in a building, typically AED 250 to 600 a month, with covered spaces in prime areas up to about AED 900.

Have a bay you don’t use?

With written approval from your building management, you can rent it out. You can list it free on Pistons.AE.

How much is monthly parking in Dubai?

Parkin, the company that runs Dubai’s public paid parking for the RTA, sells monthly subscriptions (still often called seasonal cards or RTA monthly parking). These are the prices on its official subscription map as of 9 October 2026, all including 5% VAT:

Parkin subscription	Where it works	Price
Roadside and plots	Zones A, B, C and D, up to 3 cars	AED 525 a month
Plots only	Zones B and D	AED 262.50 a month
Students and private-school staff	Within 500 m of the school or university	from AED 105 a month
Multistorey car parks	City-centre multistoreys	from AED 735 a month
Dubai Hills	Zone 631G	AED 525 a month
International City	Zone 621Q	from AED 580 a month
Jumeirah Village Triangle	Zone 684T	from AED 675 a month
Business parks and communities (Damac Hills, Sports City, Studio City and others)	That area only	from AED 315 a month

Many websites still quote AED 500 and AED 250. Those were the prices before 1 June 2026, when Parkin started charging 5% VAT on all its services, as Khaleej Times reported.

Subscriptions are sold for one, three, six or twelve months. Parkin only publishes “starting from” monthly prices, so here is a guide to the longer terms. These are the last published RTA rates from 2022 with 5% VAT added, so confirm the exact figure in the Parkin app before you pay:

Term	Zones A to D (approx.)	Zones B and D (approx.)
1 month	AED 525	AED 262.50
3 months	about AED 1,470	about AED 735
6 months	about AED 2,625	about AED 1,365
12 months	about AED 4,725 (about AED 394 a month)	about AED 2,520 (about AED 210 a month)

Parkin has asked the RTA to change how seasonal cards are priced and structured. As of August 2026, Gulf News reported that the rates had not gone up, but it’s worth checking the app for the latest prices.

How to get monthly parking in Dubai

You buy a Parkin subscription online in a few minutes. There’s no physical card: it’s linked to your number plate.

1. Find your zone code. It’s printed on the parking signs and the ticket machines where you park, for example 365C or 314D. The letter tells you the zone.
2. Open the Parkin app or parkin.ae and choose Subscriptions.
3. Pick the plan that covers your area: roadside and plots, plots only, or the plan for your community.
4. Add your vehicles. The standard card takes up to three plates, but only one car can use it at a time.
5. Choose the term and pay. The subscription is active on your plate straight away.

One thing to know before you buy: a subscription gives you access, not a space. Parkin’s own terms say spaces are available “on a first-come, first-served basis”, so in busy areas you may still circle the block after 7pm. Check that your card covers the specific bays you use, especially premium-zone bays (codes ending in P, such as AP or BP), before you rely on it.

Is a Parkin card worth it?

For anyone who parks in a paid zone most days, yes. Since 4 April 2025, Dubai’s peak hours (8am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm) cost AED 6 an hour in premium zones and AED 4 in standard zones before VAT. Paid parking runs from 8am to 10pm, and Sundays and public holidays are free.

With VAT, four peak hours a day in a premium zone cost about AED 25. Over 21 working days that’s roughly AED 530, already more than the AED 525 card, before you count a single off-peak hour. Drivers have noticed: Parkin sold 97,500 seasonal cards in the second quarter of 2026, 38% more than a year earlier, according to Gulf News.

If you only park in a paid zone a couple of times a week, pay by the hour instead.

Resident parking permits in Dubai

Paid parking is spreading into residential communities, and they follow a similar pattern: one free permit per flat, only for buildings without their own parking, with extra cars on a paid plan.

• International City became paid on 1 February 2026 and is run by Parkin. Residents apply for their free permit in the Parkin app. A subscription for an extra car costs from AED 580 a month.
• Discovery Gardens became paid on 15 January 2026 and is run by Parkonic, not Parkin. An extra car costs AED 945 a month or AED 2,625 a quarter including VAT, and you need a title deed, Ejari or lease to apply.

Like a Parkin card, a resident permit lets you park but doesn’t guarantee a space. For a second car, that’s often where a private bay comes in.

Renting a private parking space in Dubai

Most Dubai flats come with one parking bay, and two for larger units. Plenty of people don’t use theirs: they don’t drive, they sold the car, or they’re away for months. Renting that bay by the month gives you your own named space, usually covered or in the basement, right where you live or work.

There’s no official price list for private bays, but the published figures sit in a clear range:

Private bay (Dubai)	Reported price	Source
Bay rented from another resident	AED 5,000 to 7,000 a year (about AED 420 to 580 a month)	Property Finder, March 2026
Al Barsha, neighbouring building	AED 200 to 250 a month	Khaleej Times, April 2025
Downtown, Deira, Marina, Business Bay (marketplace plans)	from AED 250 to 600 a month	Property Finder, March 2026
Covered garage space	up to about AED 900 a month	Marketplace listings, June 2026

So a private bay costs about the same as a Parkin card. The difference is what you get for the money:

	Parkin card	Private building bay
Monthly cost	AED 262.50 to 525	about AED 250 to 600, more for prime covered bays
Guaranteed space	No, first come first served	Yes, one named bay
Shade	Mostly open-air	Usually covered or basement
Where	Anywhere in its zones	One building only
Cars	Up to 3 plates, one at a time	One car
Paperwork	Bought online in minutes	Agreement with the owner, building approval

If you drive around the city all day, the Parkin card wins. If you need one reliable space to come home to, especially in July, a private bay is worth it. You can browse parking spaces for rent in Dubai on Pistons.AE and contact owners directly.

Can you rent out a parking space in a Dubai building?

Often yes, but the building decides, not you alone. Under Dubai’s jointly owned property law, Law No. 6 of 2019, a parking bay assigned to a flat is part of that flat and can’t be sold separately. The law lets owners lease their unit, but both owners and tenants have to follow the building’s rules set by the owners association and building management.

We found no RERA or Dubai Land Department rule that either allows or bans renting a bay to another driver. In practice it comes down to three things:

• If you own the flat, check that the bay is yours on the title deed and ask building management in writing whether an outside car can use it. Many buildings register the renter’s plate or issue them an access card.
• If you rent the flat, you need your landlord’s written consent as well. Lawyers quoted by Khaleej Times in January 2026 said tenants can’t rent out parking as a standalone right without explicit approval in their contract.
• If your community uses a permit system, informal deals may not be recognised. In Discovery Gardens, the operator said third-party parking arrangements are “not valid under the approved rules” and warned residents not to buy spaces through social media.

Some communities have made it easy. JLT’s management, Concordia, runs a scheme that lets owners lease their bays. This isn’t legal advice, so if in doubt, ask your building management first.

How to rent out your parking space

1. Get written approval from building management or the owners association, and from your landlord if you’re a tenant. Ask how a renter’s car is registered and whether there’s a fee or deposit for an extra access card.
2. Set a fair price. Look at what similar bays nearby are listed for. Covered and basement bays in busy areas such as Dubai Marina, JLT and Business Bay rent for more than open-air ones, and a longer minimum term can justify a lower monthly price.
3. List it with good photos. Show the bay itself and the car park entrance, and name the building people know. List your parking space free on Pistons.AE: it takes two minutes, and renters can message, call or WhatsApp you directly. We don’t take a commission.
4. Agree the terms in writing. A short agreement (even a WhatsApp message) should cover the bay, the rent, the minimum term, any deposit, the notice period and what happens if the access card is lost.
5. Hand over access and register the renter’s plate with security if your building asks for it.

When the space is rented, mark it as rented so you stop getting messages, and relist it in one tap when it’s free again.

Renting a bay? Check these five things first

• See the bay in person and test the access card or remote.
• Ask to see the building management’s approval, and the title deed or the Ejari plus landlord’s consent.
• Confirm your plate will be registered so your car isn’t treated as an unknown vehicle.
• Pay monthly rather than a year upfront, at least at first.
• Never pay a deposit by bank transfer before you’ve seen the space.

Every owner who lists on Pistons.AE confirms they have written approval from their building management. Still, ask to see it: it protects you both.

Monthly parking in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman

The other emirates sell similar public subscriptions. These are the most recent reported prices. The operators’ own price pages don’t always show them, so confirm before you pay:

Emirate	Monthly option	Longer term	How to buy
Abu Dhabi (Mawaqif)	Standard-zone permit: AED 391 a month	AED 4,695 a year; resident permit AED 800 a year for the first car, AED 1,200 for the second	TAMM or the Darb app
Sharjah	All-city card: AED 390 for 30 days; two-zone card: AED 166 a month	AED 2,300 a year (all city)	Sharjah Municipality portal or the Mawqef app
Ajman	30-day ticket: AED 300	Annual card: AED 2,350	AjmanOne app or SMS 5155

Sources: Abu Dhabi figures from dubizzle (September 2026) and Gulf News (October 2026). Sharjah figures from Khaleej Times, which reported in June 2026 that subscription prices were unchanged when paid hours were extended to midnight on 1 July 2026. Ajman figures from the Ajman government service catalogue.

Frequently asked questions

Find or list a parking space on Pistons.AE