Morocco Road Trip: Planning a Self-Drive Route That Works
Guides agree on the basics, but several details differ between sources and some change often. Check the rules and prices with your rental company before you book.
Documents
Bring your passport, your driving licence and proof of insurance. For UK drivers, gov.uk says you need the 1968 International Driving Permit (IDP) together with your UK licence, and that you cannot buy an IDP outside the UK, so get it before you fly. Another gov.uk page says a valid UK licence works for up to one year, so the two pages do not fully agree. Check the current gov.uk page, and ask your rental company what it asks for at the desk.
You also need a green card from your insurer to prove minimum cover in Morocco. If your own policy does not extend there, you must buy temporary insurance on arrival. Hire firms often add their own rules, such as a year of driving experience and a higher minimum age than the legal 18.
Rules
Drive on the right. Seatbelts are mandatory, phone use while driving is banned and the alcohol limit is 0.0. Gov.uk warns that any alcohol in your system can mean a fine and possible imprisonment. Official Canadian advice adds that you should carry a constat à l’amiable (accident report form, sold at newsstands) and your ID and vehicle papers, because checkpoints are frequent.
Speed limits are the one thing sources disagree on. Most give 120 km/h on motorways (some say 100 to 120), 80 to 100 km/h on open roads and 40 to 60 km/h in towns. We found no official text, so follow the signs. Mobile radars often sit on stretches limited to 60 km/h, and one traveller forum reports a fine of about 300 MAD (about 28 EUR). Fines are issued on the spot.
Tolls
Motorways charge tolls and you pay in cash at the barrier or with the Jawaz electronic tag. The official ADM grid (adm.co.ma, checked 24 October 2026) gives these car (class 1) prices: Casablanca to Rabat 25 MAD, and Casablanca to Marrakech 83 to 89 MAD depending on the exit. Rabat to Tangier and Marrakech to Agadir are charged in sections, and adding them up gives roughly 82 to 92 MAD and 78 to 100 MAD (our sums, not a published single price). Class 2 and 3 vehicles pay more. Keep small dirham notes in the car.
Fuel
An older guide put fuel at 6 to 10 MAD a litre, which is wrong today. News reports on the 16 October 2026 price revision put diesel at around 15.6 MAD and super petrol at around 15.3 MAD a litre, with variation between stations. Prices move on the 1st and 16th of the month, so check current price at the pump. Work out your budget from the per-litre price and your car’s consumption, then set it against the bus fares below.
A fuel and toll budget you can copy
We have no official consumption figure for rental cars, so this uses a made-up example, not a real car: 7 litres per 100 km. Replace it with the figure from your rental company.
| Trip (one way) | Distance | Fuel at 7 L/100 km (15.3 to 15.6 MAD/L) | Tolls (class 1 car) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casablanca to Rabat | not given | check with your app | 25 MAD | 25 MAD + fuel |
| Casablanca to Marrakech | not given | check with your app | 83 to 89 MAD | 83 to 89 MAD + fuel |
| Marrakech to Merzouga (listed 550 to 560 km) | 550 to 560 km | about 38.5 to 39.2 L, so about 590 to 610 MAD | not listed in the ADM grid we read | about 590 to 610 MAD |
The Merzouga row is our own arithmetic (550 to 560 km at 7 L per 100 km is 38.5 to 39.2 L, times 15.3 to 15.6 MAD). Compare it with the Supratours coach to Merzouga at 450 MAD for one passenger, and divide the car cost by the number of people in it.
Rental
Use the rental company’s own price sheet rather than a comparison site’s headline rate, and ask what the deposit is and how it is returned. Compare the pickup point too: airport desks are convenient, but a return to a different city usually costs extra, so ask before you plan a one-way route.
Take full insurance, photograph the car before you leave, and ask about the fuel policy, the mileage limit and the deposit. If you plan to leave the paved roads, ask whether the contract allows it, because official Canadian advice says to use only 4WD for off-road driving in mountains and desert.
The downside: gov.uk notes that poor lighting makes night driving dangerous, and secondary and mountain roads can be hazardous in bad weather. Animals and unlit vehicles on roads outside cities are the usual reason to end your day before dark.
At the rental desk: questions to ask
- What is the deposit, and how and when is it returned?
- What does the insurance exclude, and is there an excess?
- Is the fuel policy full to full?
- Is there a mileage limit?
- Can I return the car in another city, and what does it cost?
- Am I allowed on unpaved tracks?
- What is the number to call after an accident, and where do I get the constat à l’amiable?
If you skip the car
Official fares for 4 November 2026: Marrakech to Agadir by Supratours is 135 MAD (150 MAD on the 16:00) in about 3 h 30, with 11 coaches a day, and by CTM 135 to 170 MAD in 2 h 50 to 3 h 30 with 9 departures. Marrakech to Essaouira is 100 to 125 MAD on Supratours and 105 MAD on CTM, about 3 h. Cheaper listings exist on markoub.ma (Marrakech to Ouarzazate 50 MAD, 4 h; Marrakech to Agadir from 60 MAD; Agadir to Essaouira 50 MAD, 3 h, against 105 to 110 MAD on CTM), which does not name the operator per trip.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an International Driving Permit?
For UK drivers gov.uk says yes (1968 version), though another gov.uk page suggests a UK licence alone works for up to a year. Check the current page and ask the rental company.
What is the alcohol limit?
0.0, per gov.uk, which warns that any alcohol can mean a fine and possible imprisonment.
How much are the tolls?
The official ADM grid gives 25 MAD from Casablanca to Rabat and 83 to 89 MAD from Casablanca to Marrakech for a car.
How much is fuel?
News reports on the 16 October 2026 revision put diesel at about 15.6 MAD and super petrol at about 15.3 MAD a litre. Prices move on the 1st and 16th of the month.
What are the speed limits?
Sources disagree. Most give 120 km/h on motorways and 40 to 60 km/h in towns, so follow the signs.
Is it safe to drive at night?
Gov.uk warns that poor lighting makes night driving dangerous, so plan to end your day before dark.
Sources checked
Checked on 27 October 2026.
- gov.uk Morocco travel advice (IDP, licence, alcohol, night driving)
- Government of Canada travel advice for Morocco (checkpoints, constat, 4WD)
- ADM motorway toll grid (adm.co.ma), checked 24 October 2026
- News reports on the 16 October 2026 fuel price revision
- Supratours and CTM fares for 4 November 2026
- Speed limits and fines: secondary sources that disagree; the example consumption is ours
