Le Maroc au Volant pour les Français — Barrages, Médinas et 0,02

For a French driver, Morocco is unusually familiar on paper: you drive on the right, road signs use the same European conventions (in Arabic and French), and your licence is valid for a tourist stay of up to a year with no International Driving Permit required. The adjustment is cultural, not bureaucratic — and it starts with how the road is policed and shared.

The most constant feature of Moroccan driving is the gendarmerie checkpoint. You’ll meet them on the edges of towns and along main routes, frequently paired with radar. They’re entirely routine — slow to the posted limit on approach, keep your licence and the car’s papers to hand, and be courteous. Radar enforcement is real and a typical speeding fine runs MAD 300–700 (≈€28–65), usually settled on the spot, so carry some cash. Check the maths beforehand on our speeding fine calculator.

Then there’s what the road shares. Away from the toll motorways — which are genuinely good — you drive among pedestrians, cyclists, mopeds, donkey carts and the occasional flock of sheep, often with no separation and little warning. Night driving is the real hazard: unlit carts, animals and people in dark clothing make rural roads after dark something to avoid where you can. And the old-city medinas of Marrakech, Fès and Chefchaouen are impassable by car — the lanes are too narrow and you’ll simply wedge yourself in. Park outside the walls and walk in.

The alcohol rule is a hard one to internalise. Morocco sets a near-dry 0.02 limit, stricter than France’s 0.05, in a society where alcohol is far less visible day to day. There is no margin here; if you’re driving, don’t drink at all.

On the numbers, the network splits sharply: motorways at 120 km/h and well maintained, but free secondary roads can be rough, with sudden potholes and edges that drop away. Towns are 60, rural roads up to 100. Fuel sits around €1.38 a litre. The emergency number differs from home — 19 for police, 15 for ambulance and fire — so save them before you set off. For the full picture, read our Morocco driving guide, and if you’re touring on from Spain, the country comparisons help with the contrast.