Which UAE mall is the most expensive to park in?

Most malls offer at least three hours of free parking but some charge as much as Dh30 per hour

First Avenue Mall in Dubai's Motor City has introduced paid parking prompting frustration among shoppers. Reem Mohammed / The National

The introduction of a Dh30 per hour parking fee after the first 30 minutes at First Avenue Mall puts it firmly among the most expensive malls in the country to park in.

But the community mall in Motor City is not the only shopping centre in the emirate to introduce hefty parking fees.

All-day free parking is common outside Dubai, with many malls charging a fee only if a car is left there overnight.

But it is a different story in the city itself, where most malls charge a nominal fee once an allocated period of free parking expires.

The Dubai Mall is an exception to the rule – the huge shopping centre offers free all-day parking for anyone who wishes to use one of its 14,500 spaces. Mall of the Emirates also offers free parking – up to a point.

Visitors can park free of charge for up to four hours before a fee of Dh20 per hour is introduced.

And, like many other malls in the country, it offers completely free parking at the weekends and on public holidays.

Dubai Marina Mall made headlines last month when disgruntled motorists complained about the decision to move away from all-day free parking.

The mall now offers three hours’ free parking before an hourly rate of Dh20 comes into effect.

Deira City Centre follows a similar pricing structure as well as offering the first three hours of parking free of charge.

Time Square Centre Dubai, in Al Quoz, charges a lower rate of Dh10 per hour, after an initial free three hours.

The pricing structure at Wafi was a little more complicated.
After three hours of free parking, the complex, in Oud Metha, charges Dh15 for the fourth hour.

Beyond that, motorists have to pay an hourly rate of Dh10. In the UAE capital, meanwhile, motorists are offered a better deal. Yas Mall, Marina Mall and Abu Dhabi Mall all told The National that customer parking was free of charge all day. The situation was the same at RAK Mall in Ras Al Khaimah.