Tyre fines in the UAE: Dh500, 4 black points, 7 days

Short answer

Driving on worn, damaged or expired tyres is reported as a Dh500 fine, four black points and seven days' impoundment.
Police across the emirates repeated those same penalties in 2025 and 2026, after the new traffic law took effect.
Before 2025, press reports tied the fine to Article 82 of the Federal Traffic Law.
We could not confirm which article or resolution sets the tyre fine under the 2025 law.
More than 37,900 drivers were fined for unsafe tyres in 2024, 26,413 of them in Abu Dhabi.

In this guide (9 sections)

What is the fine for bad tyres in the UAE?
What counts as an unfit tyre?
Did the 2025 traffic law change the tyre fine?
How many drivers are fined for tyres?
How many crashes do bad tyres cause?
Can my car fail the RTA test because of tyres?
When do police check tyres?
Is there a separate fine for stopping on the road after a tyre fails?
What to check before you act

Driving on worn, damaged or expired tyres in the UAE is reported as a Dh500 fine, four black points and seven days' impoundment of the vehicle. Police in Dubai and Abu Dhabi repeated those penalties in 2025 and 2026, after the new federal traffic law took effect on 29 March 2025.

What we could not confirm is the legal reference. Before 2025, reports pinned the fine to Article 82 of the Federal Traffic Law. We found no published source that names the article or resolution that sets it under the new law.

uaetyre.com is an independent guide. We are not affiliated with any government authority, tyre brand or retailer, and we don't sell tyres. This is general information, not legal advice.

What is the fine for bad tyres in the UAE?

The penalty quoted by police and the press is the same across worn, damaged and expired tyres:

Penalty	Amount	Latest source that repeats it
Fine	Dh500	Dubai Police, via Gulf Business, 11 Aug 2026
Black points	4	Dubai Police, via Gulf Business, 11 Aug 2026
Impoundment	7 days	Dubai Police, via Gulf Business, 11 Aug 2026

The same figures appear in a Khaleej Times report of May 2025, The National on 4 August 2026, and a Gulf News piece on 3 September 2026. Abu Dhabi Police gave the same penalty for expired tyres in July 2022.

Four black points matters more than the Dh500 for some drivers. Points add up across offences, and the impoundment means a week without the car.

What counts as an unfit tyre?

Police statements use a few overlapping terms. In practice, a tyre can get you fined if it is:

Worn: tread below the legal minimum, which is 1.6 mm for cars under the 2012 ESMA rules.
Damaged: cut, cracked or bulging.
Expired: more than five years past the manufacture date on the sidewall.
Unsuitable: the RTA said in 2020 that mountain and snow tyres are not fit for public roads.

A July 2024 Gulf News report listed the wider risk factors police watch for, including tyres that don't meet safety specifications, loads beyond what the tyre can carry, wrong pressure and speeds beyond the tyre's rating.

For how to spot each problem, see our guide to checking tread, bulges and cracks. For the age rule, see the 5-year tyre rule.

Did the 2025 traffic law change the tyre fine?

Here is what we could confirm, and what we couldn't, as of 23 October 2026.

Confirmed:

Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2024 on traffic regulation was issued on 30 September 2024 and took effect on 29 March 2025, according to the UAE Legislation portal.
A Legal 500 summary of the law (October 2024) said a Cabinet resolution would set the penalties and administrative punishments, rather than the decree-law itself listing every fine.
A Gulf Today report (March 2025) said the new law lists driving an unfit vehicle, or one that doesn't meet technical requirements, as a ground for impoundment. It also said licensing authorities can require any vehicle to be re-tested and can bar an unfit vehicle from use until it passes.
Police statements after March 2025 still give Dh500, four points and seven days for tyre offences. Dubai Police did so in August 2026.

Not confirmed:

Which article of the new law, or which Cabinet or ministerial resolution, now sets the tyre fine.
Whether "Article 82" still applies. That reference comes from a Gulf News report of July 2024, which predates the new law. The 2025 and 2026 reports we read give the penalty but no article number.

So the amount appears unchanged in practice. The legal citation is open. If you need the exact legal basis, for example to dispute a fine, check the Ministry of Interior's current fines list or ask the issuing police force.

How many drivers are fined for tyres?

Khaleej Times reported Ministry of Interior figures in May 2025: more than 37,900 drivers were fined for unsafe or worn tyres in 2024. That is about one every 14 minutes.

Emirate	Drivers fined for tyres, 2024
Abu Dhabi	26,413
Sharjah	4,099
Dubai	3,316
Ras Al Khaimah	1,790
Ajman	1,617
Fujairah	599
Umm Al Quwain	80

Abu Dhabi's share is striking: about 70% of the total. Abu Dhabi Police run a "Safe Summer" campaign each year that focuses on tyres, which may explain part of the gap.

More recent figures for Dubai: Dubai Police reported 826 violations for expired tyres between January and May 2026, out of 3,589 vehicle-safety violations (Gulf News, 28 June 2026).

How many crashes do bad tyres cause?

Different sources give different numbers, so we show each with its date:

20 tyre-blowout accidents in 2024 (11 in Abu Dhabi, 7 in Dubai, 2 in Ras Al Khaimah), Ministry of Interior via Khaleej Times, May 2025.
65 tyre-blowout accidents from 2023 to 2025, Ministry of Interior via The National, August 2026.
2% of road deaths in 2024 linked to tyres, according to Road Safety UAE via The National.
22 crashes from tyre bursts in the previous year and more than 18,000 bad-tyre catches, Gulf News, July 2024. These figures differ from the Ministry numbers above.

Can my car fail the RTA test because of tyres?

Yes. The RTA said in October 2020 that a vehicle fails the technical test if its tyres are over five years from manufacture, badly worn or cut. That is separate from a police fine: you can fail the test without ever being stopped on the road.

When do police check tyres?

Tyre checks peak in summer. Recent campaigns include:

Abu Dhabi Police "Safe Summer" (June 2026): check production dates, pressure and load.
Dubai Police "Summer Without Accidents" (July 2026): free 10-point vehicle checks, including tyres, at ENOC AutoPro.
Dubai Police (August 2026): stepped-up checks on worn and expired tyres.

Checks are not limited to summer, but that is when most warnings and campaign figures appear. The heat also raises the risk itself; see our guide to tyre pressure in UAE heat.

Is there a separate fine for stopping on the road after a tyre fails?

Yes, and it can be bigger than the tyre fine. Dubai Police said in August 2026 that stopping in the middle of the road carries Dh1,000 and six black points, and failing to take the needed safety steps after a breakdown carries Dh500. Our guide to what to do after a tyre blowout explains how to stop safely.

What to check before you act

Read the date code on every tyre, including the spare; five years from manufacture is the limit.
Check the tread against the 1.6 mm minimum and look for cuts, cracks and bulges.
Don't fit mountain or snow tyres for road use.
If you're fined and want to challenge it, ask the issuing police force which provision it was issued under.
Fines and articles can change. We checked these sources on 23 October 2026.

Questions people ask

What is the fine for bald tyres in the UAE?

Police statements in 2025 and 2026 put it at Dh500, four black points and seven days' vehicle impoundment. The same penalties cover worn, damaged and expired tyres.

Is the fine for expired tyres the same as for worn tyres?

Yes, as reported. Abu Dhabi Police in 2022 and Dubai Police in 2026 gave the same Dh500, four points and one-week impoundment for expired tyres as for worn or damaged ones.

Did the new 2025 UAE traffic law change the tyre fine?

Press reports after 29 March 2025 still give Dh500, four black points and seven days. We could not find the article or Cabinet resolution that now sets it, so the article number is unconfirmed.

Which article of the traffic law covers worn tyres?

A Gulf News report from July 2024 cited Article 82 of the Federal Traffic Law. That was before the new federal traffic decree-law took effect in March 2025, and later reports give no article number.

Will my car fail the RTA test for tyres?

Yes, if the tyres are more than five years old, badly worn or cut, according to the RTA in 2020. Mountain and snow tyres are also not fit for public roads.

How many people were fined for tyres in the UAE?

More than 37,900 drivers in 2024, according to figures reported by Khaleej Times in May 2025. Abu Dhabi accounted for 26,413 of them.

General information only, not legal or mechanical advice. Rules, fines and prices change; check with the RTA, your local police or a qualified fitter before you act. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Sources

UAE cracks down on vehicles with unsafe tyres as summer peaks (Gulf News, 2024)checked 23 October 2026
One UAE driver every 14 minutes fined for tyre violations in 2024 (Khaleej Times, 2025)checked 23 October 2026
Abu Dhabi: Dh500 fine, four black points for driving with tyres past their expiry date (Gulf News, 2022)checked 23 October 2026
Tread carefully: UAE drivers warned over tyre blowout risk (The National, 2026)checked 23 October 2026
Dubai authorities warn motorists these summer driving mistakes could cost you Dhs1,000 (Gulf Business, 2026)checked 23 October 2026
Dubai Police urge drivers to keep vehicles roadworthy this summer (Gulf News, 2026)checked 23 October 2026
Federal Decree-Law on Traffic Regulation (UAE Legislation portal)checked 23 October 2026
UAE tighter traffic rules become operational March 29 (Gulf Today, 2025)checked 23 October 2026
Legal update: UAE government issues Federal Decree-Law on traffic regulation (Legal 500, 2024)checked 23 October 2026
What the law says on tyres (Gulf News)checked 23 October 2026
Tyre blowouts among leading causes of serious road accidents, warn Abu Dhabi Police (Gulf Today, 2026)checked 23 October 2026
Dubai Police launch summer road safety drive with free checks (Gulf News, 2026)checked 23 October 2026
RTA carries field inspection of vehicle tyres in Dubai (Government of Dubai Media Office, 2020)checked 23 October 2026