Driving in Morocco: Everything You Need to Know (+ Our Experiences)

Is Driving in Morocco Dangerous?

No, from personal experience we can tell you that driving in Morocco is not dangerous. You can absolutely plan a road trip through Morocco as a self-driver.

Throughout the country, traffic flows on the right side of the road, and the roads that take you to the most important and best highlights in Morocco are all paved and well-maintained. This includes most roads in the Atlas Mountains.

Only in larger cities like Marrakech, Fès, Rabat, or Casablanca does traffic get a bit more chaotic than what you might be used to back home.

Other challenges include unpaved roads outside of cities — though you won’t need to tackle those on a classic road trip route. And when it comes to the switchbacks in the Dades Gorge, some driving experience is definitely helpful.

Other than that, there’s very little traffic in rural areas, and you’ll often have an entire road to yourself. We’ve also almost never come across potholes or anything similar.

That said, always drive defensively and cautiously on your trip through Morocco. You never know how other drivers will behave.

Renting a Car in Morocco – Here's How

If you’re not planning a long-term trip through Morocco in your own car or van, you’ll need to rent one. With the right approach, it’s super easy and usually hassle-free.

Where to book a rental car in Morocco?

No matter what country we’re planning a road trip in, we love booking our rental car through Discovercars — our go-to comparison platform for rental cars.

Here you can compare many offers side by side, cancel the rental car free of charge up to 24 hours before pickup, and we’ve had great experiences with their customer service too.

What do you need to look out for when booking?

To make sure your trip through Morocco with a rental car doesn’t become stressful or cause problems with the car rental company on location, pay attention to the following criteria when booking.

• Book with a provider that has a strong customer rating of at least 8 — you can filter for this on Discovercars.
• Book a rental car with the following insurance coverage: no deductible and with premium protection.
• Book a rental car where all miles are included.
• Book a rental car with a fair fuel policy.
• For a classic road trip route, a compact car is sufficient.

What you need to bring when picking up the rental car in Morocco

When you pick up your Morocco rental car, make sure you have the following documents with you — without them, you won’t be able to collect the car.

• The passports of all registered drivers.
• The driver’s licenses of all registered drivers. In Morocco, no international driver’s license is required.
• The primary driver’s credit card with sufficient credit limit for the deposit. We recommend always having a buffer of at least 2,000 euros in available credit — the deposit is usually less than that.
• The PIN for your credit card.

More tips for renting a car in Morocco without any hassle

• Don’t let them talk you into any additional insurance at the counter — you’re already covered through your booking.
• Double-check which type of fuel you need to use.
• Before getting in, take photos and videos of everything — both inside and outside. If there are any issues at return, you’ll have proof.
• When returning the car, get a signature confirming that everything is in order.
• If the return happens without a staff member present, take photos and videos again.
• Pack a phone mount in your luggage. That way you can use Google Maps comfortably while driving in Morocco without having to stuff your phone into a cup holder.
• Be patient at pickup — it took us a while in Morocco.

The Most Important Traffic Rules in Morocco

Good news: the traffic rules in Morocco are similar to what you’ll find across most of Europe. Still, here’s a quick overview of the most important rules on Moroccan roads.

• The minimum age for driving in Morocco is 18 years old.
• Road signs follow international standards, so you shouldn’t have any problems reading them.
• Traffic drives on the right and you pass on the left.
• At roundabouts, the rule is yield to traffic already in the circle.
• Wearing a seatbelt is mandatory.
• The blood alcohol limit is 0.0. If you’re caught drinking and driving, you could face a fine or even a prison sentence.
• Using your phone while driving is prohibited.

Speed Limits in Morocco

The following speed limits apply in Morocco:

• Within built-up areas: 40 to 60 km/h, depending on signage
• Rural roads: 100 km/h
• Highways: 120 km/h

Highway Tolls in Morocco

To use the highways in Morocco, you have to pay a toll. The amount depends on the distance you travel.

At most toll stations there are price boards where you can check the rates. The rates are also available on the website of Autoroutes du Maroc. For a standard car, tariff class 1 applies.

For the 60-kilometer stretch between Fès and Meknès, you’ll pay 19 dirhams (about 2 euros). There are two ways to pay.

At some highway on-ramps, you pull a ticket at the toll station. At the end of the highway section or at your exit, you hand in the ticket and pay for the distance traveled.

For some highway stretches, you pay a flat rate after driving through. In that case, you don’t pull a ticket.

For paying the toll, we recommend always having enough cash on hand. Card payment isn’t always possible. Use the lane with the cash symbol above it.

Note: Most highways run through northern Morocco. Heading south, there’s really only the route that goes from Casablanca through Marrakech to Agadir. In the future, there are plans for a highway between Marrakech and Essaouira as well.

Parking in Morocco

Parking in Morocco is relatively easy. On our road trip outside of major cities, we always parked overnight in the private, free parking lots at our accommodations. Our desert tour in the Erg Chebbi desert also included parking.

During the day, at sights like Ait-Ben-Haddou or the Todra Gorge, there are attended, often paid parking lots. Sometimes there’s a small fixed fee; otherwise you give the parking attendant a tip of about 10 dirhams (approx. 1 euro).

In large and medium-sized cities, there are also parking spots with meters where you can park for about one to two hours. These usually cost 2–5 dirhams (approx. 20 to 50 cents). Sometimes you can park longer.

On Sundays, parking there is usually free. However, parking at red-and-white striped curbs is always prohibited.

Outside the old towns, larger cities now also have modern parking garages or underground lots, which are safer but often more expensive at 10–30 dirhams (1–3 euros) per hour.

Your accommodation in Marrakech or your hotel in Fès will likely be in the old city (Medina). In and around the Medinas there are smaller parking lots where you can park for a fee. Here too, you pay the fee to a parking attendant.

These smaller attended parking lots are common throughout the rest of the country as well — for example at the most beautiful beaches in Morocco, at the surfer’s paradise Taghazout, or at the Blue City of Chefchaouen.

Our tip: Ask in advance — for example at your riad in Marrakech, your riad in Fès, or your riad in Essaouira — about the best nearby parking. Many riads also offer to pick you and your luggage up from the parking lot so you don’t get lost in the narrow alleyways. This is especially helpful in Fès, as the entire Medina is car-free and the walk from the parking lots to the riads can be quite a distance.

Note: At parking lots with attendants, ask for a receipt whenever possible.

Getting Gas in Morocco

Filling up while driving in Morocco shouldn’t cause you any major problems either. Along the main stretches of your road trip, there are plenty of gas stations.

In large cities and along main roads, you’ll find many well-known chains like Shell, Total, or Petromin. In more rural regions, there tend to be smaller, independent stations. They’re less modern, but work just as well.

In Morocco, you usually don’t pump your own gas. At almost all stations, there’s an attendant who fills up your tank. You can tip them a small amount — about 5 dirhams (approx. 50 cents) — but it’s not required.

You can usually pay by credit card. In rural areas, though, it’s sometimes cash only. So always have enough cash on hand.

Many larger gas stations also have car washes — again, not self-service. A staff member washes your car, which you might appreciate if you’re traveling through Morocco in your own vehicle.

Important: Even though there are generally plenty of gas stations, don’t wait until you’re running on empty. Mark a few stations along your route and always keep an eye on your fuel gauge. If you’re planning to drive off the main roads, make sure you have enough fuel in the tank before you head out!

Police Checkpoints While Driving in Morocco – Our Experiences

While driving through Morocco, you’ll regularly encounter police checkpoints. These are very common, especially on routes between cities and in tourist areas.

What you need to know about police checkpoints in Morocco:

• Checkpoints often take place at roadblocks at the entrances and exits of cities or on major connecting roads.
• Many checkpoints are purely routine and serve for traffic monitoring and safety purposes.
• Most often, officers use radar guns to check speed. Sometimes they also stop cars to check documents or look for technical issues.

How does a checkpoint go? Our experiences:

We were stopped several times while driving in Morocco — officers do like to wave tourists over. Here’s what to do:

• First, stay in the car and roll down the window when the officers approach.
• Usually you’ll then need to show your documents — your driver’s license and, for a rental car in Morocco, the rental agreement.
• If everything checks out, you’re free to go.
• If something is off, the driver in our experience always had to step out and go over to the police vehicle.

Now there are two possible situations. First: you were actually speeding. In that case, you’ll need to pay the fine on the spot in cash. It’s usually 150 to 300 dirhams (approx. 15 to 30 euros). Always ask for a receipt.

We’ve also noticed that if you don’t ask for a receipt, you may end up paying less. Whether that’s entirely official and above board is, of course, another question.

Second: you weren’t actually speeding. We’ve been in this situation several times. Despite that, we were accused of speeding at one stop — without any proof, of course.

Still, the officers wanted a fine, at a similar amount as above. They wouldn’t have been able to give us a receipt either, but the amount did come down. Pretty strange, honestly.

The following tip did not come from us: We told the officer we wanted to pay by card — which of course wasn’t possible. We then said we didn’t have that much cash on us.

Beforehand, we had split up our cash and only put a small amount in our pocket or wallet — a kind of “bribe wallet”, if you will. We took out that money and showed it to them.

And, who would have thought, the cash we apparently had on us was enough for the officer. This approach worked every single time at a police checkpoint.

Important: Always stay polite and respectful, and never raise your voice. We also don’t recommend getting into a lengthy back-and-forth argument. If our tip doesn’t work, you’ll probably just have to bite the bullet and pay up.

General Tips and Info for Driving in Morocco

To make sure you stay safe while driving in Morocco, here are a few general pointers and things to know.

• It’s best to avoid driving straight through major cities — it’ll save you a lot of stress on your Morocco road trip.
• Avoid driving through Morocco after dark.
• Don’t drink any alcohol at all if you plan to drive in Morocco.
• Google Maps works great in Morocco. If you don’t buy a local SIM card, make sure you download an offline map beforehand.
• Many Moroccans honk a lot on the roads. It doesn’t just mean watch out — it can mean all kinds of things.
• Drive especially carefully in rural areas, as animals can suddenly run out onto the road.

Our Verdict on Driving in Morocco

If you follow a few simple rules while driving in Morocco, you should have no major problems on Moroccan roads.

The main roads are paved and genuinely well-maintained. Even if you’re planning a desert tour in Morocco’s Sahara, you can get there without any issues. Only on lightly traveled roads away from the main highlights will you still encounter potholes.

In larger cities, stay alert and drive defensively. Traffic is noticeably more chaotic than what most visitors are used to. Pedestrians, cyclists, and the occasional donkey also like to wander right across the road.

If you feel uncomfortable driving in Morocco, we’d suggest switching to public transportation. That works really well within cities using taxis, and between major cities by bus and train.

There are also great day trips from Marrakech that include transportation — for example for desert tours to the Erg Chebbi, Erg Chegaga, or Agafay Desert, to Essaouira, or to impressive waterfalls.

For many of our 14 coolest activities in Morocco, you can also add a transfer from Marrakech or Fès — for example if you want to go hiking or quad biking.

Otherwise, a rental car in Morocco is the perfect way to get around on your road trip.

Frequently Asked Questions About Driving in Morocco