At first glance, a car meet can look like an intimidating boys’ club as they huddle in circles around revving engines and conversing in acronyms. For Tala, the founder of Car Girls of UAE, those spaces once felt unwelcoming. “As a teenager, I always felt out of place when I went to car events with my brother and my dad because I didn’t see any other girls,” she recalls. Rather than retreat, she built what she had always longed for. The first event drew just 10 women. Fast forward 2 years later, Car Girls of UAE has more than 100 active members.
When asked how her passion for cars emerged, her face lights up instantly. At 13, while visiting her uncle in the States, her father rented a convertible Camaro. That moment was the spark.“I wanted to know everything about how this car works,” she says. YouTube tutorials soon replaced Netflix, and books on mechanical engineering found their way onto her desk. Her father encouraged the obsession, spending hours working on cars alongside her. “I would spend three hours cleaning my engine,” she says, laughing. “It was fun for me to learn how to do it by myself.” Her first car was an Audi S7, but soon she bought the Camaro she’d dreamed of since childhood. As a law student, her double identity earned her a nickname: the Chevy lawyer.
Although she’s extremely passionate about cars, the journey into the UAE’s automotive scene wasn’t easy. In 2018, she tried to join a Dubai car club. When the admin discovered she was female, his response was a condescending test: “Do you even know the difference between a V6 and a V8?” She admits that one experience discouraged her from attending events for a long time. “The second these men know you’re a girl into cars, they start quizzing you. ‘Name every car that ever existed. Explain what a turbocharger is. What’s the difference between a twin turbo and a turbo?’ Do they ask their male friends these questions?” Another time, after she designed a poster featuring the iconic Toyota AE86, a male admin sneered in the comments: ‘LOL, do you even know what this car is?’ Her reply was sharp: ‘As an admin of another club, your comment says a lot about the environment you’ve created and shows how unwelcoming it is for female members.’
Tala created the very community she wished had existed for her younger self. The club hosts a wide range of events such as drifting sessions in partnership with DX Drift, where women could get behind the wheel or ride shotgun; collaborations with garages; even spa and beach days to nurture friendships beyond the track. “We don’t care what car you drive or even if you own one. We just want you to have a place to grow your interest and meet like-minded people,” she says. From Eid lunches after meetups to laughter spilling through garages, the club thrives on shared experiences. “Girls learning to change a tire together, celebrating their first drift, or just showing up to support…that’s what makes me proud,” she says.
Still, being taken seriously as a woman in the male-dominated car community isn’t easy. “I struggle with having businesses see us the same way they would men’s clubs,” she admits. A big achievement for the club was when almost 100 women showed up for a collaboration with Flat 12. “I was scared I was going to embarrass myself in front of the owner,” she says. “But it turned into one of our biggest events. Seeing the girls so happy during and after, that’s what makes it worth it.”
For Tala and her girls, the next chapter isn’t about catching up. It’s about overtaking. Her plans for the club include hosting a private track day at Dubai Autodrome, bringing back hands-on workshops to teach women how to change tires and oil, and even curating alpine driving experiences in places like the Swiss Alps. “It gives you a sense of fulfillment when you’re not waiting for someone else to fix things for you,” she says. Her advice to every young woman who’s hesitant to get into cars? “Everyone starts from zero. Even your favorite car enthusiast didn’t know anything at one point. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you don’t belong. If it’s your passion, go for it.”
At its core, Car Girls of UAE isn’t just about cars. It’s about rewriting the script for women who want to claim space in male-dominated arenas. “UAE is always evolving and giving women opportunities,” she says. “I hope our club will always be a safe place for girls, even those who are just slightly interested in cars, to feel like they belong to a family.”
The future of UAE car culture isn’t just fast, it’s female.