Car hire in Fes from $22/day

Car rental in Fes at a glance

Rent a car in Fes for Meknes, Volubilis, the Middle Atlas and the long road south to the Sahara; the medina itself is explored on foot. Compare 203 cars from local and international rental companies, from $21.64 a day, handed over at Fes-Saïss airport or delivered to your hotel.

In the week starting 11 Oct, the lowest price is the same whichever day you pick up the car ($21.64 a day for a 7-day rental), so choose the day that suits your trip.

Renting without a deposit in Fes

149 of 203 cars can be rented with no deposit at all, starting at $28.47 a day. Nothing is blocked on your card, which is why many travellers choose these offers. Use the “No deposit” button above the search; for offers with a deposit, the amount is shown on each car before you book.

Key facts: car rental in Fes

• 203 cars are listed in Fes today: from $21.64 a day for a 7-day rental, a typical car about $82.98.
• 73% of cars need no deposit; the rest of the price is paid at pick-up, in cash for 98% of cars.
• In the week starting 11 Oct, the lowest price is the same whichever day you pick up the car ($21.64 a day for a 7-day rental), so choose the day that suits your trip.
• Last-minute choice: 180 cars for pick-up in 3 days, 203 when you book two weeks ahead.
• For a 30-day rental the lowest price is $21.64 a day.

Is it worth hiring a car in Fes?

Inside the city, mostly no. Fes el-Bali, the old medina, is a car-free maze of alleys that no vehicle can enter, and the Ville Nouvelle is a short petit-taxi ride from most hotels, so a rental car sits idle while you're staying in Fes itself. Where it pays off is the day you leave: Meknes and Volubilis, the towns of the Middle Atlas, and the long road south toward the Sahara are all things you reach far more easily with your own car than by tour or shared transport. Most visitors are better off starting the rental on the day they leave the city, either with delivery to the hotel that morning or a pick-up on the way out through Fes-Saïss airport, rather than paying for a car parked outside the medina walls for several days first.

Picking up at Fes-Saïss Airport (FEZ)

Fes-Saïss is a small airport, and pick-up is simple: either a desk in the arrivals hall or a meet-and-greet with a name sign just after customs, drawing on the same 203 cars and the same starting price of $21.64 a day as anywhere else in the city. Give your flight number when you book so a late or delayed arrival is covered, and check the offer for whether an out-of-hours hand-over carries an extra fee. The airport sits a short drive south of the city, about 20 minutes to the Ville Nouvelle and the medina gates, which makes it a convenient place to start a trip that heads straight for Ifrane and the south without a detour through central Fes. Returning is the same in reverse: fill the tank and agree the return point before your flight.

Parking at the medina: the car stays outside the walls

No car enters Fes el-Bali. You park at a gate, such as Bab Boujloud, and walk in, often with a porter and cart carrying your bags the rest of the way if your riad arranges one. Guarded car parks sit at several of the main gates; ask your riad in advance which one is closest and whether someone will meet you there, since the alleys inside are not signposted the way a driver would expect. On the approach roads it's common for unofficial guides to wave cars down and offer to lead you in for a fee: it's simplest to decline politely and follow your riad's own directions instead. The Ville Nouvelle is ordinary city driving, with paid street parking usually watched by an attendant. Around 198% of cars here can be delivered straight to a hotel outside the medina walls, which avoids the gate-and-porter step entirely for a first or last night.

Day trips from Fes: Meknes, Volubilis and the Middle Atlas

Meknes, the smaller of Morocco's imperial cities, is about an hour away by motorway, and the Roman ruins at Volubilis with the hillside town of Moulay Idriss sit a little further on, making a natural loop for one day. Into the Middle Atlas, Ifrane, the cedar and stone town often compared to an Alpine resort, and Azrou, with its cedar forest and resident Barbary macaques, are both a manageable drive from Fes; Sefrou, a smaller and quieter hill town, is closer still. All of these are comfortable there-and-back trips with your own car and awkward without one. Chefchaouen, the blue-washed town in the Rif, is a long day from Fes rather than a short one, so it works better as an overnight stop on the way toward Tangier than as a day trip. In winter, snow can affect the higher roads through Ifrane and Azrou, so check conditions before you set out.

The road south from Fes to Merzouga and the Sahara

This is the drive that makes a car worth having in Fes: south through Ifrane and Azrou, over the Middle Atlas, and down through Midelt toward the Ziz valley and the edge of the Sahara at Merzouga. It's a long drive south, best treated as two days rather than one, with an overnight stop partway rather than trying to push straight through. The road itself is paved all the way to Merzouga; it's the tracks beyond it, out to the dunes and the desert camps, that call for a 4x4 or the camp's own transfer rather than an ordinary car — see our guide to 4x4 hire in Morocco for that stretch. Fuel up in the towns along the way rather than relying on finding a station later, and aim to do the driving in daylight. Some visitors leave the car in Marrakech or further south after the loop rather than driving all the way back to Fes; check the one-way drop-off fee before you book if that's the plan.

Which car for Fes and the road south

For day trips and the paved run down to Merzouga, a compact car from $21.64 a day is enough. For the full loop over the Middle Atlas passes, a compact SUV from $65.08 rides more comfortably, and families travelling together often prefer a 7-seater from $95.99. A 4x4 only matters once you leave the paved road for the desert tracks beyond Merzouga. Automatics make up 67% of the fleet here, so they're easy to find if you'd rather not shift gears on the mountain passes. Popular models booked in Fes right now include Renault Clio, Dacia Logan, Dacia Sandero, Peugeot 208, Opel Corsa. Morocco drives on the right, the same as most of mainland Europe. For licence requirements and other country-wide advice, see the Morocco car hire page.

Rental companies in Fes and at the airport

Both international desks and local firms operate in Fes and at Fes-Saïss airport, and this page compares their offers side by side on price, deposit and cancellation terms rather than by brand. 73% of cars need no deposit at all, with some available from $28.47 a day, and 72% of bookings can be cancelled free of charge if your plans change. A share of offers also come with unlimited mileage (95%), worth checking if the drive south to Merzouga is on your itinerary. When comparing reviews, the details that matter most are how promptly deposits are returned, the condition of the car at hand-over, and whether pick-up ran on time.

Where these numbers come from

By the Autalo editorial team. Prices and car counts updated 28 September 2026.

Prices, car counts and conditions on this page come from live offers of local rental companies in the Localrent network and are refreshed daily by Autalo (Alto Media Limited). Prices are for a 7-day rental starting 2026-10-12 unless stated otherwise; your final price depends on dates, season and extras and is always shown in the search before you pay. Last checked 28 September 2026.

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