How to rent a car in Essaouira and essential driving tips

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Everything you need to know to rent a car in Essaouira, including where to hire a car, where to park your hire car, and tips for driving around Essaouira and further afield.

When you’re walking through the narrow cobbled streets of Essaouira’s medina, the last thing on your mind might be hiring a car. Although it’s true that the medina isn’t suited to cars, the surrounding countryside is, and many visitors decide to rent a car during their stay to take advantage of the lovely Essaouira day trips (although many places such as Had Draa market and Sidi Kaouki are accessible by bus or Grand Taxi) or perhaps a longer road trip to Agadir and beyond. .

If you do hire a car in Essaouira, there are some things to be aware of, both when hiring the car, and then when driving around the city and beyond. We’ve put together a guide to the whole process to help you know what to expect.

Do you actually need to rent a car in Essaouira?

Essaouira has a small, compact medina that’s made for walking. If you’re only intending to focus on the medina, beach and fishing port (with perhaps one or two side trips out to the countryside), then you don’t really need to hire a car. The stress of parking and driving around will outweigh the benefits, and taxis are always there to take you around the town when you don’t feel like walking.

However, some visitors prefer the freedom of their own vehicle, and it does make visiting the countryside and even further afield a great deal easier, especially if you have secure parking at or near your accommodation.

How to rent a car in Essaouira and where from

The vast majority of car rental offices are at the airport, where you’ll find the usual international car hire companies, including Budget, Hertz, Europcar, and Avis.

Some of them (including Avis) also have an office in the city centre, that saves you a trip out to the airport at the beginning and end of the rental. You may pay a slight premium for using the city centre offices, although it’s often less than a return taxi fare to the airport.

There are other small, local operators in Essaouira but we’d advise sticking to the international brands, which are more established, used to dealing with tourists, and there’s less chance of problems on return.

Always book online first, the walk-up prices at the airport are usually double the online fare. We recommend using kayak or booking.com.

To hire a car in Essaouira, you’ll need your driving license (an international driving licence isn’t required), passport and a credit card for the deposit. Remember that a large block will be placed on your card (often hundreds of Euros), so don’t use a card that’s close to its limit.

How much does it cost and what about extras?

Prices vary depending on how busy Essaouira is, but you can usually get a seven day rental for around MAD1300 (£100 or €120). The lower end of the price range will get you a small compact car (e.g. a Hyundai i10), with the price steadily increasing as the car gets bigger and more powerful.

We’d suggest hiring the smallest car your group can comfortably fit in, for both fuel economy and parking ease.

Prepare yourself for a hard-sell regarding excess insurance, which is often massively over-priced and over-hyped. It’s best to buy a policy before you leave home (as low as £50 for a whole year) and show them your receipt.

Ignore offers of satnav, Google Maps does a better job for free.

If you’re travelling with young children, car seats are either unavailable or very expensive. Bring your own from home if they’re essential, ideally the smaller, fold-up variety for convenience, if your child is the right size (we love Bubble Bum).

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Road rules and the police

Road rules are strictly enforced in Morocco, and it’s common to be stopped at police roadside checks fairly frequently. There’s always one on the way into Essaouira at this location coming from Sidi Kaouki, and also at this location coming from Marrakech. Others can spring up without warning.

Police are relatively uninterested in tourists, especially if you don’t speak any French, but they’ll still happily pull you over for speeding or other minor infringements. They’re often obscured by trees or buildings, so it can be hard to spot them in advance. Always pass through the roadside checks slowly, ideally waiting at the stop point before you are waved through. An open window and polite smile make the whole process a lot easier.

Don’t even consider driving after drinking alcohol, the limit is extremely low and strongly enforced.

Click here for more information on road rules and driving in Morocco in general.

Cars in Morocco have the steering wheel on the left (i.e. left-hand drive) and they travel on the right-hand side of the road.

Parking and the medina

There are several large car parks directly outside the medina that are ideal for short and long-term parking. The best one is at Bab Marrakech.

If you just need to park up for a few minutes near the beach, there are plenty of places to park on the road, often with parking attendant who will watch your car in exchange for a few dirham when you return.

Unlike in some other Moroccan medinas, it’s not possible to drive a car into the medina itself, which is very good news. In case you find yourself in other medinas around the country, don’t even consider driving into them, always park outside instead.

One-way hire and continuing your travels

If you’re visiting other places in Morocco during your visit, it can be cost-effective and fun to drive to/from Essaouira by booking a one-way rental.

The road to Marrakech is quiet and easy to navigate (at least until you approach Marrakech), although do be wary of speed cameras (you’ll pass at least four on your journey). Driving your own car can be a good alternative to taking the bus from Essaouira to Marrakech, although there are other options too.

It’s also very popular to drive along the coast road south to Agadir, which is a beautiful journey and not one especially well-served by public transport, especially if you want to stop off along the way.

One-way hire is usually more expensive than returning the car to the same location, and your options might be more limited in terms of vehicles, but it’s worth checking out when you make your booking.

Tips for hiring a car in Essaouira

• Check the condition of the car before setting off, ideally filming a video on your phone and/or taking lots of photos. If it’s a reputable firm, they should be quite happy for you to do this. Don’t let them rush you.
  
• As you leave the rental area (either the city or airport), be on the lookout for ‘friendly’ locals on motorbikes asking you where you’re from and where you’re going. They’re harmless, but they might try and ‘help’ you reach the medina or your hotel, and then expect/demand payment for their time. It’s best to decline their help and explain you know where you’re going. Having Google Maps running is often a help with this.
  
• Rental cars sometimes have the rental companies sticker in the window (or other less subtle signs that make it obvious it’s a hire car), which can attract unwanted attention. Avoid leaving valuables in the car overnight and hide them in the boot or glove box when you’re in the car during the day.
  
• Always park in a secure parking area at night and ideally during the day as well.
  
• Check before you set off which fuel the car uses and how to ask for it in French (and ideally Arabic).
  
• Smaller cars are better in Essaouira as they’re easier to park and more fuel-efficient.
  
• Stick to the reputable and well-known rental companies. There are plenty of smaller outfits in Essaouira but the extra few dirhams you’ll save usually aren’t worth the potential hassle.
  
• Buy excess insurance in advance from your home country before arriving in Essaouira.
  
• Queues can be long at the rental desks at the airport. If you’re travelling in a group, it’s a good idea to leave one person to collect luggage and the other go ahead to start the rental process.

Final thoughts on renting a car in Essaouira

If you’re like most people visiting Essaouira, and you only plan to sample the medina and beach, there’s no need to hire a car. The city is very walkable, plus petits taxis are always on hand for short trips around town and grand taxis for trips into the countryside for day trips. Click here for our guide to getting taxis around Essaouira.

However, if you prefer more freedom, you’re planning to do longer excursions, or are driving onwards to another place in Morocco, hiring a car in Essaouira can make good sense.

There are several easy to find car parks on the edge of the medina, and some hotels also have their own parking areas. Coupled with the usually quiet roads that are kept in good condition, driving in Essaouira is straightforward and fairly stress-free.

Finally, with the number of well-known car rental companies at the airport or city centre, you’ll have the comfort of knowing you’re in safe hands should anything go wrong, leaving you free to enjoy your time behind the wheel.

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