New ADAS Features Becoming Standard in UAE SUVs

Abu Dhabi: One thing humanity has been blessed with all over the world is technology. Today’s modern life is unimaginable compared to five decades ago in so many ways. The same goes for the automotive industry, which has always been known for its technological advancement. 

Cars on the road today, vis-à-vis a few decades ago, have completely changed, and the same is true in the UAE car market. You'll notice that features which used to cost extra, or weren't available at all, now come standard on most SUVs. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have moved from luxury options to basic equipment. Even budget SUVs under AED 80,000 now get what once was the domain of the premium models just a few years ago.

This shift matters for buyers, and quite frankly, ADAS isn't just about tech specs or marketing buzzwords anymore. They have become quite essential today and help prevent accidents, reduce driver fatigue on long highways, and make daily driving less stressful. And in a place like the UAE, where summer heat, long distances, and mixed traffic conditions are a way of life, these features actually make a lot of sense from a practicality point of view. 

But, just like any technology, the devil is in the details because not all ADAS systems are equal. Some work better than others. Some are genuinely useful, and others may appear as unnecessary or unreliable. So, if you're buying an SUV in 2025, knowing the ADAS features well and understanding what you're getting is important. We deep dive in this article to help you. 

What ADAS Actually Means

In simple terms, ADAS is nothing but a bunch of technologies that help drivers prevent accidents or reduce as much as possible in their severity. And these technologies combine cameras, radar sensors, and sometimes lidar to monitor the road around your vehicle. They process this information in real time and either warn you about potential hazards or take action themselves.

You may already have heard some of them, but not all. These include the basic ones like automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and blind spot monitoring. The more sophisticated features are adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and traffic jam assist. The newest systems, like Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 or Nissan ProPILOT, can handle much of the highway driving on their own, but drivers need to focus on possible intervention, if necessary.

However, it is worth noting that these aren't self-driving features. They're assistance systems. The car can help, but you're still responsible for everything that happens. That's important to remember, especially when marketing materials make these features sound more capable than they really are.

What's Standard Now in UAE 

The ADAS technologies have been evolving, and so has their availability across various SUVs. Let's say, five years ago, you'd find basic ADAS features only on SUVs costing over AED 150,000. But that has changed considerably, because even models under AED 80,000 come with several safety systems as standard equipment.

The basic features include anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control, traction control, and tyre pressure monitoring. They are quite useful in day-to-day driving conditions, and become an absolute minimum on any new SUV sold in the UAE. This also includes at least two front airbags, though better models offer six or more.

However, the breakthrough is in the active safety areas. This comprises Automatic emergency braking becoming standard across most price ranges. This system observes the road ahead and applies the brakes if it detects an imminent collision. Lane departure warning is common too; it alerts the driver if they drift out of the lane without signalling. Rear cameras are now standard on almost everything, with many models adding front and rear parking sensors.

Standard and Advanced safety features for new cars in the UAE by price segment

Price Range	Standard Safety & ADAS Features
Under AED 80,000	Anti-lock Brakes (ABS),  Electronic Stability Control (ESC),  Traction Control, 2+ Airbags,  Rear Camera,  Tire Pressure Monitoring
AED 80,000 - 120,000	All features from lower tier,  Automatic Emergency Braking,  Lane Departure Warning,  Blind Spot Monitoring,  Rear Cross-Traffic Alert,  Adaptive Cruise Control,  Front/Rear Parking Sensors,  6+ Airbags
Above AED 120,000	All features from lower tiers plus   Lane-Keeping Assist,  Traffic Sign Recognition,  Driver Attention Monitoring,  360-Degree Camera,  Traffic Jam Assist,  Automatic High Beams,  Semi-Automatic Parking

Move up to SUVs in the AED 90,000-120,000 range, and you typically get blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. Some also get 360-degree cameras and automatic high beams.  Likewise, models above AED 120,000 often include lane-keeping assist, traffic sign recognition, and driver attention monitoring.

The arrivals of Chinese brands have pushed this trend even further, just like the way they are ahead in software and electronics. In the UAE, models like the Changan CS35 Plus, Haval Jolion, and MG ZS offer enticing comprehensive ADAS packages at prices well below established Japanese and Korean competitors. This has forced everyone else to add more features as standard just to stay competitive.

What Matters for UAE Driving

Now taking a look at more practical features in everyday driving conditions, you will notice that not all ADAS features are equally useful here. That is what we feel when test-driving a car across brands. Some make real differences to safety and comfort. Others are nice to have but not essential, and so it comes to your own choice if they increase the price of your car or you will never use them. And a few are more annoying than helpful in local conditions.

This list starts with automatic emergency braking, which, we believe, is the single most important feature. Just look, it can prevent rear-end collisions when someone brakes suddenly or a car pulls out without warning. Given how aggressive traffic can be in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, this feature has probably prevented thousands of accidents already since its introduction across cars in the Emirates. 

Second, equally vital is blind spot monitoring, which matters more on highways than in the city. The wide lanes and fast-moving traffic make lane changes risky. Having sensors that warn you when someone's in your blind spot reduces stress and improves safety. Then comes the adaptive cruise control that transforms long drives, allowing you to relax and drive longer hours without a break. If you regularly travel between emirates, having the car maintain speed and following distance makes highway driving far less tiring. The difference is noticeable on trips to Al Ain or Abu Dhabi.

Rear cameras and parking sensors are essential. Parking lots here can be tight, and SUVs are large. 

Features like lane departure and traffic sign recognition, the automatic high beams Less useful or problematic features are considered moderately useful. 

And, lane-keeping assist, driver attention monitoring, parking assistance and Semi-automatic systems that assist but don't fully automate are more practical.

ADAS Benefits

Feature	Usefulness	Reason/Comment
Automatic Emergency Braking	Very High	Prevents rear-end collisions in traffic
Blind Spot Monitoring	Very High	Critical for busy highway lane changes
Rear Camera + Parking Sensors	Very High	Essential for tight UAE parking lots
Adaptive Cruise Control	Very High	Transforms long inter-emirate drives
Lane Departure Warning	Medium	Helpful, but false alerts with poor markings
Traffic Sign Recognition	Medium	Aids speed awareness, not vital
Automatic High Beams	Medium	Good on empty roads, slow response in traffic
360-Degree Camera	Medium	Nice for parking, but not essential
Lane-Keeping Assist	Low	Often intrusive, frequently disabled by drivers
Driver Attention Monitoring	Low	Lots of false warnings, sometimes annoying
Full Automatic Parking	Very Low	Rarely works seamlessly as advertised
Off-Road ADAS	Very Low	Not functional in local desert/sand conditions

Don’t Pay Extra 

Most buyers don’t really need to pay extra. Because the key features that matter like automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise, are now standard on most SUVs above AED 90,000. You get them whether you want them or not.

The question is whether to choose a higher trim or different model to get additional features. Is it worth paying AED 10,000-15,000 more to upgrade from basic ADAS to a full suite with lane-keeping, traffic jam assist, and 360-degree cameras?

For most buyers, probably not. The core safety features provide the bulk of the benefit. The advanced stuff is nice but not essential unless you do a lot of highway driving or regularly deal with heavy traffic.

Exceptions exist. If you commute daily on E11 during rush hour, traffic jam assist and stop-and-go adaptive cruise are worth having. If you frequently drive at night on long stretches, lane-keeping can reduce fatigue. If you park in tight spots constantly, a 360-camera system pays for itself in reduced stress. But if your driving is mostly around town with occasional highway trips, the basic ADAS package that comes standard on most SUVs is sufficient. Save the money for something else.

Here is a table rating ADAS performance by driving condition for the UAE:

Driving Condition	ADAS Effectiveness	Comments
Major Highways	Excellent	Ideal conditions for all ADAS systems
City Traffic	Good	Most ADAS work; lane-keeping often disabled
Construction Zones	Fair	False alerts, recommend manual control
Older Neighborhoods	Poor	Lane-keeping struggles, AEB still works
Desert/Off-Road	Not Functional	Systems not designed; must disable manually

Conclusion

The ADAS features are now part of buying any new SUV in the UAE. You don't have to seek them out or pay extra. They're just there, increasingly standard across all price ranges. And this is good progress as far as ease of driving and safety of car, pedestrians and roads.