The real cost of a week's car rental in Morocco, in euros

A Clio at €29 a day: what does that come to at the end of the week, once you have filled up, paid the motorway and tipped the parking attendant? We added it up item by item. The answer fits in a sentence: around €300 for seven days, all in, whether you are two or four. The detail is below, with the ways to get under that.

The rental itself

At tripn'Go a Clio 5 diesel or a Logan is listed at €29 a day in normal season, unlimited mileage and basic insurance included. From 7 days the 5% discount applies: the week comes to about €193. A Picanto or an i10 at €26 in low season drops to €173. A Duster at €45 rises to €299.

Nothing is added to that amount: no airport fee, no booking fee, no charge for a second driver. You pay at pick-up, in cash or by card.

Insurance and deposit

Two ways to go. The classic option blocks a deposit of 3,000 to 8,000 dirhams depending on the car, returned when you bring it back; it costs nothing but ties up the money and leaves an excess if there is damage. Full coverage at €6 a day removes both the deposit and the excess. Over a week that is €42, which most of our customers consider money well spent.

Fuel

A litre sells for 13 to 15 dirhams depending on the period, a little over €1. A city car uses around 5 litres per 100 km. A typical week in Agadir, with Taghazout, Paradise Valley and a day at Legzira, is 600 to 700 kilometres: count 35 litres, about €45. If you go up to Marrakech and back, add 500 kilometres and about thirty euros.

Tolls and parking

The Agadir to Marrakech motorway costs 80 to 100 dirhams each way for a car, under €10. Around Agadir there are no tolls. Parking in town works with attendants in vests: 5 to 10 dirhams for the day, a little more in the evening on the seafront. Hotels and most restaurants have free parking. Over a week, parking rarely exceeds €5.

The total, item by item

• •Clio 5 diesel rental, 7 days with the discount: about €193
• •Full coverage insurance, zero deposit: €42
• •Fuel for 650 kilometres: about €45
• •Parking and attendant tips: about €5
• •Total for a week around Agadir: about €285, no tolls
• •With a return trip to Marrakech by motorway: add about €50 in fuel and tolls

How to pay less

The first lever is duration: 14 days gives 10% off, a month 20%. The second is season: from November to March, outside the Christmas holidays, city cars drop to €26 a day. The third is the car: unless you need tracks or seven seats, the city car does everything the SUV does, for €16 less a day.

And to compare honestly, set it against what transfers cost. A single taxi return to Taghazout with two suitcases already represents a good part of a day's rental. Over a week with excursions the car wins easily, before you even count the freedom to leave when you want.