Motion Sickness: Dubai to Abu Dhabi Drive
The Dubai to Abu Dhabi trip covers about 95 miles (153 km) and takes around 1.5 hours. The terrain is desert highway, which makes it a low motion sickness risk route.
The E11 (Sheikh Zayed Road) between Dubai and Abu Dhabi is flat, straight, and well-maintained - among the smoothest highways in the world. Motion sickness on this route is primarily caused by backseat phone use rather than road characteristics. Summer heat (May to September) can amplify nausea independent of motion.
Key facts
- The Dubai to Abu Dhabi trip covers about 95 miles, which is 153 km.
- It takes about 1.5 hours.
- The terrain is desert highway, which puts the route in the low band for motion sickness.
- 2 sections are flagged as motion sickness pressure points, starting with Interchange 8 traffic backups.
- Steadiest place to sit: Front passenger seat.
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Where Motion Sickness Hits Hardest
The sections most likely to trigger motion sickness are: Interchange 8 traffic backups, Yas Island exit complex. UAE summer temperatures regularly exceed 45°C / 113°F. Heat-induced nausea is often misidentified as motion sickness. Strong AC and hydration are essential year-round but critical in summer.
Measured bends
We counted every bend on this route from OpenStreetMap data: 139.9 km, ranked 19 of 26 road trips for bends per km.
- Bends
- 10
- Bends per km
- 0.07
- Hairpins
- 1
- Busiest 10 km
- 6 bends
Best Seat for Motion Sickness on This Drive
Front passenger seat.
Going on the Dubai to Abu Dhabi drive? Set it up first
Set it up before you pull out, not at the first lay-by. Dizzout is a drug-free app that plays precisely calibrated audio through any headphones you already own, wired or Bluetooth, with relief in about 90 seconds. Free to try.
Before you need it: find out how prone you are
Take the free 2-minute testTwo minutes, no sign-up, and it ends with a drug-free plan to prepare.
Put it on your phone before you go
Free to try, no card needed. Or go straight to the App Store or Google Play.
Scan to open on your phoneOn a computer? Dizzout installs on your phone. Scan the code, or open dizzout.com/get on your phone and it'll take you straight to the right store.
Know someone who gets motion sick?
Send them the app that helps stop it, drug-free, in about 90 seconds, works with any headphones. Free to try.
Prevention Tips for the Dubai to Abu Dhabi Drive
- Have Dizzout downloaded before you start, so it is ready the moment symptoms begin
- If you plan to take an over-the-counter tablet such as Bonine or Dramamine, those need 30 to 60 minutes before departure to do anything. Ask a pharmacist first
- Eat lightly before the drive; a heavy meal makes symptoms worse for most people
- Take breaks every 90 minutes minimum on long stretches
- Keep the car cool and well-ventilated
- Avoid reading or phone use in the back seat
Which of those actually hold up when they are tested is a separate question, and we keep the answers in one place: the remedy verdicts, ranked by evidence.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Dubai to Abu Dhabi drive?
About 95 miles on the E11, roughly an hour and a half in normal traffic. It is flat, straight and smooth the whole way; the variable is congestion at either end of the day.
Why do kids get carsick on such a straight road?
Screens. The E11 gives the eyes almost nothing to track, so kids look down, and a still phone in a moving car is the classic trigger. Seat the queasiest child where they can see out the front, swap the phone for window games, and symptoms usually fade within minutes of eyes coming up.
When is traffic worst between Dubai and Abu Dhabi?
Weekday commute windows, mornings toward one city and evenings toward the other, are when the E11 slows. Exact patterns shift, so check a live traffic map before leaving; the stop and go of a jammed motorway is a stronger nausea trigger than anything the road itself does.
Does the heat make motion sickness worse on this drive?
Heat is its own nausea source, and in UAE summers it is often the real culprit rather than motion. A hot, stuffy cabin plus mild motion tips people over. Run the AC properly cold, keep water within reach, and shade the back seat windows; if symptoms vanish once the cabin cools, it was the heat.
Where can you stop on the E11?
Service stations run along the corridor, so fuel and a break are never far. For a queasy passenger, choose a stop with somewhere to stand in shade and look at a distant fixed point for a few minutes before driving on.
What's the fastest way to stop car sickness mid-drive?
Once symptoms have started, pills won't work fast enough - they take 30+ minutes to kick in. The fastest options mid-drive are sound therapy via headphones (Dizzout states relief in about 90 seconds), pulling over for fresh air, and looking at the distant horizon.
Other drives we have looked at
Route facts last checked September 2026. Roads, rules and seasons change; the linked official pages are the live word.