Car rental
Rent a car in Morocco: check the deposit first
Compare cars at Marrakech airport, with or without a deposit. Check the hold on your card, the coverage and the supplier's conditions before booking.
The car search is on our Hebrew page. You book through a partner, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, deposit options and terms depend on the supplier.Read it in Hebrew
Check what gets blocked on your card
A regular rental blocks 930 to 1,400 euros on your credit card for the whole rental. It's not a charge, but that money is tied up.
You can also find cars without a deposit in Marrakech. Check each offer before booking: the rental price alone doesn't tell you how much of your card limit will be tied up.
- Compare the final price, deposit, accepted cards and mileage conditions for the car you choose.
- Free cancellation depends on the offer. Check its deadline before you book.
- Two weeks in a big car? The hold can eat much of your card limit. Ask your card company to raise it first.
How the deposit and insurance work
The deposit holds money on your card until the car's back and checked. If there's damage, the company can charge it. The card must be in the main driver's name.
Two kinds of insurance deal with the deductible, the amount you pay if there's damage:
Check whether the supplier requires an embossed credit card, rather than a debit card, in the main driver's name. 'Full Coverage' doesn't cover every kind of damage: read who provides it, the exclusions and the deductible.
- Deductible waiver: sold by the rental company. The hold drops or disappears, because the company lets you off.
- Deductible refund: an outside policy, usually cheaper. The hold stays in full. You pay at the desk, then get refunded.
- Extra coverage is usually an add-on. Check its price and exclusions before agreeing. Coverage bought through a comparison site doesn't necessarily remove the rental company's deposit.
Before you sign
- Rental contracts in Morocco allow driving on paved roads only. A four-digit road number is usually gravel. Before leaving the asphalt, check whether your contract allows it and what it means for your coverage. A car's ability to handle the road isn't enough.
- Stay in Morocco. Many contracts ban leaving the country. One Marrakech company spells it out: no Algeria, Mauritania or Western Sahara territory.
- Check whether the coverage includes tires, glass, mirrors, the chassis and the interior, along with exclusions and conditions about the driver's behavior. The coverage name doesn't tell you all its terms.
- After an accident or damage, follow the supplier's and insurer's instructions. Check in advance who to contact, how soon and whether you need a police report. Keep photos, confirmations and a record of your contact with the supplier.
- Photograph all four sides, wheels and rims, windows and mirrors, the roof, the interior, fuel level and mileage. Make sure every defect is recorded on the signed condition report.
- The contract is in French. Know four words: caution (deposit), franchise (deductible), état des lieux (condition report), aucun dommage (no damage, so check it's marked).
Drive yourself or take a driver
You don't need a car in Marrakech. The medina is mostly closed to traffic, parking is pricey and driving is hectic. Same in Fes, Casablanca, Rabat and Tangier.
Rent if you're comfortable on mountain roads and want to stop anywhere. Take a driver for long distances, groups, big families, or to skip the deposit and the French contract.