Fleet · High-roof panel van
Toyota Hiace high-roof van rental in Dubai
The van most of our customers end up in, and it is the high-roof body — 1.6 m of interior height rather than the 1.34 m you get in a standard-roof Hiace. 9.8 m³ of load space and a 1,200 kg payload — enough for a one-bedroom move, a day of parcel deliveries, or a shop restock, without paying for a bigger vehicle you do not need.
From AED 180 per day
1,200 kg payload
Automatic
Free delivery in Dubai
Photographs
The actual Toyota Hiace
Our own Hiace vans, photographed in the yard. The rear view with the doors open is the useful one: it shows the bulkhead behind the seats and the shape of the space you are loading into. The second van below is the standard-roof Hiace, the same model with the lower body, which we also run.
Dimensions
Drawn to scale
The load space measured, not estimated. If what you are carrying is close to these figures, send us the dimensions and we will check the exact vehicle before you book.
- 3.1 mload length
- 1.6 mload height
- 1,200 kgpayload
Specification
Will your load fit?
Measure the longest item you are moving and check it against the load length below. If it is close, message us — we would rather tell you than have you turn up with a sofa that will not go in.
| Load volume | 9.8 m³ |
| Load length | 3.1 m |
| Load width | 1.6 m |
| Load height | 1.6 m |
| Roof | High roof |
| Payload | 1,200 kg |
| Seats | 3 |
| Engine | 2.8L diesel |
| Transmission | Automatic |
| Doors | Rear double doors and side sliding door |
We run the Hiace in both roof heights. The figures on this page are the high-roof van, which is the one most customers take and the one worth having when the load is bulky rather than heavy. The standard-roof Hiace is also in the fleet, and it is the same van with a lower body — ask us for its interior height before you book if you are close to the limit.
Roof height
High roof or standard roof: which Hiace to ask for
We run both. They share a badge, a cab and a daily rate, but not a load space, so it is worth knowing which one your job needs before the van turns up.
The difference is bigger than the roof. Toyota’s own regional specification gives the standard-roof Hiace cargo area 6.04 m³ and the high-roof version 9.80 m³, so the high roof carries about sixty per cent more, not the few centimetres of headroom the name suggests. Inside, that is the difference between 1.34 m and 1.6 m of height, which decides whether a wardrobe travels upright and whether a person can stand, or at least crouch comfortably, while loading.
The high roof earns its place on bulky, light loads: furniture, stacked cartons, exhibition stands, anything that can go up as well as along. It is also the easier van to load by hand for a full day, because nobody spends the day bent double inside it.
The standard roof is the better choice when height works against you. Courier parcels and trade tools rarely need the extra space, and a lower van clears more of the height barriers at basement car parks and delivery yards. If the drop-off point has a height limit signed at the entrance, tell us what it says when you book and we will send the van that fits under it.
When the van arrives, the body shows you which one it is: the high roof rises well above the line of the cab, while the standard roof runs almost level with it. If your tallest item is within a few centimetres of 1.6 m, measure inside before you load rather than trusting the category.
Weight
Loading 1,200 kg without overloading the van
Most people check whether a load will fit and never check what it weighs. On a Hiace the space usually outlasts the payload with dense goods.
It helps to picture 1,200 kg. It is 24 bags of cement at 50 kg each. It is roughly 64 cases of twelve 1.5-litre water bottles, which fill only a small corner of the load space while taking the van to its limit. A single pallet of floor tiles can come close to it on its own. Bottled water, tiles, paper and anything liquid are the loads that overload a Hiace without anyone noticing.
Where the weight sits matters as much as how much there is. Put the heaviest items on the floor, forward against the bulkhead behind the seats, and build lighter things up and back from there. That keeps the weight between the axles rather than hanging off the rear doors, and it means a hard stop presses the load into the bulkhead instead of letting it slide. Strap anything tall or loose to the sides so it cannot tip.
An overloaded van brakes over a longer distance and its tyres run hotter, and a Dubai road surface in July adds heat of its own. If your load is close to 1,200 kg, send us the weight from the supplier’s paperwork and we will tell you whether the Hiace is right or whether it needs the Transit or a pickup.
Rates
Toyota Hiace hire rates
In AED, including comprehensive insurance, registration and maintenance. Fuel, Salik, fines and 5% VAT are charged separately.
| Term | Rate | Mileage included |
|---|---|---|
| Per day | AED 180 | 150 km per day |
| Per week | AED 1,050 | 1,000 km per week |
| Per month | AED 3,000 | 3,500 km per month |
Extra kilometres are charged at AED 0.50 each. Longer contracts and multiple vans are priced individually — ask for a fleet quote.
What people use the Hiace for
Daily deliveries
E-commerce and parcel routes across Dubai. The automatic gearbox and side sliding door make dozens of stops a day far less painful.
Small home moves
A studio or one-bedroom flat usually fits in one or two runs. Bed, sofa, wardrobe and boxes all go in without dismantling much.
Shop and stock runs
Restocking retail, restaurant supplies, market collections. Most businesses on a weekly run take this on a monthly contract.
Delivery routes
Running a delivery route from a Hiace
A day of twenty or thirty drops is won or lost in how the van is loaded before it leaves.
Load the van in zones rather than in one heap. The first stretch of drops goes nearest the doors you will open most, which on a route with kerbside stops is usually the side door, and the later drops go further in. Bulky items for a single customer go at the rear, where they come out in one movement. If the side door is blocked by the load, every stop turns into walking round to the back and climbing in.
Crates or labelled cages save more time than any gearbox. A parcel that has to be searched for at each stop costs a minute, and on a thirty-drop day that is half an hour gone before traffic is counted. Keep the delivery sheet in the same order as the load, so the driver reads the next drop and reaches straight for it.
Heat is the other thing a dry route has to plan around. A closed panel van parked in the sun gets far hotter inside than the air outside it, and parcels that sit there through the middle of the day suffer for it: chocolate, cosmetics, candles, printer ink and many medicines are all damaged by a few hours of that. Deliver the heat-sensitive items first, park in shade at long stops, and put anything that genuinely must stay cool into a refrigerated vehicle rather than hoping the morning round finishes early.
Plan the route around the city rather than the map. Salik gates add a charge on every pass, and the charge is higher at peak times, so a route that crosses the same gate four times costs more than one that crosses it once. Stopping outside a marked loading bay or on a no-stopping line risks a fine that lands on the driver, and a van that is ticketed twice a day turns a cheap rental into an expensive one.
Honest comparison
When the Hiace is the wrong van
It is the van most customers take, which is exactly why it is worth saying where it falls short.
If the load is tall and light, the Nissan Urvan gives you 1.7 m of height against the Hiace’s 1.6 m, which matters for upright furniture and stacked display units. If the longest item is over about 3 m, or the weight is over 1,200 kg, the Ford Transit is the step up, with 3.4 m of load length and 1,400 kg of payload.
If the load will not go through a door at all, such as long timber, a water tank or a garden’s worth of waste, an open 1-tonne pickup does the job a van cannot. And if the goods need to stay cold, a dry Hiace with the air conditioning on is not a cold chain; the 1-ton chiller van is the same Hiace body fitted with an insulated box and a refrigeration unit.
When none of those questions has an obvious answer, start from the load rather than the van. The van size guide works through it room by room and item by item.
Hiace questions
Do I need a special licence to drive a Hiace?
No. A standard UAE light vehicle licence covers it — the same one you would use for a car. Bring your Emirates ID and licence and you can drive away.
Will a double bed fit?
Yes. A king mattress lies flat with room to spare, and a disassembled bed frame goes in alongside it. A fully assembled wardrobe over 1.6 m tall will need to go on its side.
Is the Hiace available with a driver?
Yes, by the hour or the day. This is the usual choice for visitors without a UAE licence, and for businesses that would rather not put staff behind the wheel.
Can I keep it longer than the booked period?
Usually yes, subject to the van not being booked out after you. Tell us as early as you can and we will extend at the same rate rather than a penalty rate.
Is a Hiace van for rent the same as this page?
Yes. Hiace van for rent, Hiace van rental and Toyota Hiace hire all point at this vehicle — the high-roof panel van with 9.8 m³ of load space and a 1,200 kg payload.
Is the load area separated from the seats?
Yes. The Hiace has a full-height bulkhead behind the seats, with a small window, so a load that shifts under braking stays in the back and the cab stays cool and quiet.
Can passengers ride in the back of the van?
No. The Hiace seats three in the cab and nobody travels in the load area. Carrying people in the cargo space is not permitted on UAE roads and would not be covered by the insurance. If you need to move a team as well as goods, tell us and we will suggest a way to split it.
Can I take the Hiace to Abu Dhabi or Sharjah?
Yes. The same hire covers driving in any emirate. Watch the mileage: a Dubai to Abu Dhabi round trip is well past the 150 km included in a daily hire, so tell us the route and we will suggest a weekly rate if it repeats. Salik and Darb tolls are charged separately. See van rental in Abu Dhabi for the details of that run.
Other vans in the fleet
Reserve a Hiace
Send us the dates and the pickup point. We will confirm availability and the documents you need to bring.