Car Insurance in the UAE: Third-Party vs Comprehensive

Third-party insurance is the minimum required by law — it covers damage you cause to other people's vehicles and property, but nothing for your own car. It's the cheaper option, typically running in the low single-digit percentage of your car's value annually.

Comprehensive insurance covers your own car too — accident damage, theft, and often fire — at a noticeably higher premium than third-party, roughly proportional to the car's value and age.

For newer or higher-value cars, comprehensive is usually worth the extra cost since repair or replacement would be expensive out of pocket. For older, lower-value cars, some owners opt for third-party only, since a full comprehensive premium can be disproportionate to what the car is actually worth.