Woop Drive launches keyless car rentals in UAE — no desks, no deposits, no hassle

Woop Drive has launched its desk-free, keyless car rental service in the UAE. According to Woop Drive's announcement, the fully digital platform eliminates rental counters, physical keys, paperwork, and those massive frozen deposits that can ruin your holiday budget before it even starts.

How Woop Drive actually works

The whole thing runs through an app — no more standing in queues for an hour during peak times. You book your car online, pick it up at the airport or have it delivered to your hotel, and unlock it through the app. No paperwork to sign, no credit card to freeze for security deposits, and definitely no dealing with rental desk staff who act like they're doing you a favour.

As CEO Ričardas Šukys puts it: "Renting a car right after you land in your destination country usually means added stress, time constraints, and hurry. Nobody wants to spend their first vacation hours at the rental desk when you've already booked yours online. But that's what happens. We knew this process could be simplified and become as easy as ordering food through an app."

The platform integrates with professional rental fleets, so you're getting properly insured, quality vehicles — just without the traditional hassles. The UAE has been crying out for innovation like this, especially with how busy Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports get during peak tourist season.

Why this matters for UAE travellers

Time savings are real here. A recent J.D. Power study found that skipping the rental counter results in 36% faster pickup and increases customer satisfaction by 8%. When you're dealing with Emirates or Etihad connecting flights and want to get to your hotel quickly, that's ballistic time savings.

The UAE car rental market has seen some digital innovation recently — you can already rent cars by texting AI — but Woop Drive's approach is more comprehensive. They've eliminated the biggest pain points: frozen deposits (which can be Dhs 2,000-5,000), mandatory credit cards, and those awful rental desk experiences where you wait forever just to sign papers.

Coral Travel's Marketing Director Olga Belova sums it up well: "Tourists often complain about the car rentals, and frankly, there were no simple solutions for that up until now. We're glad to finally provide a service that will ensure that every holiday starts smoothly."

UAE availability and what's next

As of launch, Woop Drive has over 15,000 vehicles available across its network, with both airport pickup and hotel delivery possible in the UAE. The service launched simultaneously in Greece, Spain, Montenegro, Seychelles, and UAE — all major tourist destinations where rental desk queues are notoriously brutal.

The timing makes sense. According to International Air Transport Association data, air passenger levels are predicted to surpass 5 billion in 2026, and the UAE is positioning itself as a major transit hub. Traditional car rental infrastructure simply can't handle that volume efficiently.

Woop Drive plans further market expansion throughout 2026, which could pressure traditional rental companies to finally modernise their operations. The partnership with Coral Travel — one of Europe's largest tour operators serving millions of travellers annually — gives them serious distribution reach.

Woop Drive availability in UAE

Woop Drive is available now in the UAE with pickup at major airports and delivery to hotels. The company hasn't released specific pricing for UAE operations yet, but the elimination of security deposits alone could save travellers thousands of dirhams in frozen funds. More destination launches are planned throughout 2026, with the UAE serving as one of five initial launch markets alongside Greece, Spain, Montenegro, and Seychelles.

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