Car and motorbike insurance

What the law requires

Every motor vehicle that goes on the road must be insured for the harm it may cause to other people. This is liability cover, written responsabilité civile or RC on contracts. The duty applies to cars, vans, lorries, motorbikes, mopeds and trailers, and it applies as soon as the vehicle is on a public road, moving or parked.

Minimum cover

50 million MADper vehicle and per event; 25 million MAD for two-wheelers of up to 2 fiscal horsepower

Driving uninsured

1,200 to 6,000 MADfine, with one to six months in prison, or one of the two; the maximum doubles on a repeat offence

Insured but no certificate to show

200 to 400 MADfine

No insurer licensed for motor liability may refuse to cover you. If one does, you can refer the refusal to ACAPS, which sets the premium the insurer must apply.

What your liability cover pays, and what it does not

Liability cover pays the people you harm. It never pays you.

• It pays for injuries to pedestrians, cyclists, the occupants of other vehicles and your own passengers, family included, and for damage to other people's vehicles and property.
• It does not pay for the driver's own injuries, for damage to the insured vehicle, or for harm suffered by the policyholder or the owner of the vehicle.

The contract excludes some situations altogether, such as driving without a valid licence or damage caused on purpose. In others, such as driving under the influence of alcohol, the insurer compensates the victims and then claims the money back from the driver. Either way you can end up paying personally.

Optional guarantees

These are the guarantees you can add. The French name is the one printed on your contract.

All-risks and collision damage are alternatives: you choose one or the other. A guarantee against catastrophic events is added by law to every motor policy: see Catastrophic events.

Which formula fits your car

Driver protection is the option most people skip and most regret. It costs little and it is the only cover that pays when the injured person is you.

Questions to ask before you sign

• What is the deductible for each guarantee, in dirhams or as a percentage?
• Is the car insured for its market value or for a value agreed in the contract?
• Who may drive: anyone with a licence, or named drivers only? Is there a higher deductible for young drivers?
• Does theft cover include accessories and attempted theft?
• How much does driver protection pay for death, disability and medical costs?
• Does assistance work from your home, outside towns and at night?
• Can you choose the garage, or must you use the insurer's approved garages?

What it costs

Each insurer sets its own tariff. The main factors are the fiscal horsepower and fuel of the vehicle, its use, the guarantees and deductibles you choose, and your claims record. Several additions are then applied to the premium.

Indicative yearly prices in 2026, all taxes included, for a private car with a clean record:

These are orders of magnitude drawn from published quotes and drivers' reports. Diesel engines, high horsepower and professional use cost more. Only a written quote commits the insurer, so ask for two or three.

Get and compare quotes

Ways to pay less without losing protection

• Accept a higher deductible on damage guarantees and keep small repairs for yourself.
• Drop all-risks when the premium becomes large compared with the value of the car, and keep theft, fire and glass.
• Keep your record clean: one accident at fault costs you the 10% reduction and adds a surcharge.
• Insure your vehicles and your home with the same insurer and ask for a discount.

Reduction and surcharge: the CRM

Insurers share one claims record for each policyholder, the coefficient de réduction-majoration or CRM. It is applied to the liability part of the premium and it follows you when you change insurer.

• Reduction. After 24 months in a row insured without an accident at fault, the liability premium is reduced by 10%.
• Surcharge. Each accident at fault in the last 12 months adds 20% when there is only material damage and 30% when someone is injured. For public passenger transport and garage liability the steps are 15% and 20%.
• Limit. The premium cannot exceed 250% of the base premium.

Some websites describe a sliding yearly scale borrowed from other countries. That is not how the Moroccan convention works.

Estimate your premium after an accident

Buying, the certificate and checks

To take out a contract you need the registration certificate of the vehicle, your driving licence and your identity card. Buy only from a licensed agent or broker, an insurer's branch or its official website: forged certificates circulate, and a forged certificate leaves you uninsured. See how to check an intermediary.

• What you receive. The contract, with its general and special conditions, and the certificate. Keep the certificate in the vehicle.
• Duration. Usually one year, renewed automatically. Shorter contracts of one, three or six months exist and cost more per month.
• Payment. The premium is due in advance. If it is not paid, cover can be suspended: see what happens when a premium is unpaid.
• Selling the vehicle. The contract ends automatically when the vehicle is registered in the buyer's name, and the insurer refunds the premium for the period that is left. Tell your insurer the date of sale, or ask to move the contract to your next vehicle.
• Changing insurer. After the first year you can cancel with the notice written in your contract, between 30 and 90 days: see ending a contract.

An insurer may not cancel compulsory motor liability cover because you had an accident.

Motorbikes, mopeds and electric scooters

Motorbikes, scooters and mopeds are motor vehicles. Liability cover is compulsory for all of them, including 49 cc mopeds, and the police check it.

• Price. Liability for a 49 cc moped costs roughly 500 to 800 MAD a year. Larger machines are priced by engine size.
• The rider. Compulsory cover protects other people and your passenger, never the rider. Rider protection costs little and is strongly recommended.
• Theft. Worth adding for a recent machine. Insurers often require an approved lock or a locked parking place.
• Electric scooters and other small electric machines. The rules for these machines are recent and depend on their power and speed. Ask the insurer in writing whether your model must be registered and insured like a moped. Do not rely on the liability cover of a home policy: it normally excludes motorised vehicles.

Foreign plates and driving abroad

• Entering Morocco with a foreign-registered vehicle. You need a green card that lists Morocco, or frontier insurance bought at the border. The details are in coming to Morocco by car.
• Leaving Morocco with a Moroccan vehicle. Ask your insurer for a green card before you go. It has been issued electronically since 1 January 2024 and lists the countries where your liability cover is valid. Your optional guarantees and your assistance may stop at the border, so ask.
• Renting a car in Morocco. Liability cover is included in the rental. Check the deductible that stays with you for damage and theft, and what the rental company's optional waivers really remove.

Step by stepA car accident abroad: what to do

After an accident

1. Stop, switch on your hazard lights and protect the scene. Help anyone who is injured.
2. If someone is injured, call the police on 19 in town (190 from a mobile) or the Gendarmerie royale on 177 outside towns, and an ambulance on 15 (150 from a mobile). Do not move the vehicles. The officers draw up a report: note its number.
3. If there is only material damage, fill in the accident report form (constat amiable) with the other driver. Both of you sign it and each keeps a copy. Signing records the facts; it does not admit fault.
4. Photograph the vehicles, the plates, the road and the other driver's certificate. Take the names and phone numbers of witnesses.
5. Declare the accident to your own insurer within 5 days and hand in the form.
6. Wait for the insurer's adjuster before any repair.

Full steps, deadlines and what to do if you disagree

Step by stepFill in the constat amiable, box by box

Questions people ask