Nigeria Driving Advice and Car Hire Info
Driving In Nigeria
You should check advice on your Governments website before planning on driving abroad in Nigeria as there are travel advisories in place for many areas of Nigeria and curfews in force in some parts of the country. Most Governments also recommend against self driving in Nigeria.
Traffic in many of Nigeria’s major cities can be chaotic and slow moving , though main roads themselves are generally in satisfactory condition.Smaller roads will be in poor condition and will deteriorate after rain. Serious traffic jams in Lagos, where the whole city is gridlocked for hours are not uncommon
There are vehicle checkpoints throughout Nigeria. Some are for security checks, others are ‘unofficial’ check points used to extort small payments of money (dash). You should slow down at any type of checkpoint and use common sense at all times.
There are frequent reports of robberies and car-jackings, some involving armed gunmen, on Nigeria’s urban and rural road network. If you are involved in a car-jacking, don’t attempt to resist- hand over your keys and make it clear you pose no threat.
You should always be on guard whilst driving in Nigeria and avoid travel at night if you can. If you must travel at night try and stay on busy roads.If you’re sat in traffic at any time, keep doors and windows locked. Try and leave enough room between yourself and the vehicle in front to be able to manoeuvre out of danger if needed. If you feel you are being followed, head to the nearest police station or large International class hotel. Nigerian driving style is usually fast and aggressive. Also unpredictable driving habits plus the lack of basic maintenance and safety equipment on many vehicles, mean you must be on guard at all times and always expect the unexpected.Since October 2019, there has been an increasing trend of illegal vehicle checkpoints on major supply and commercial routes in Northern Nigeria. This includes attacks on major roads into Maiduguri, Borno State, including the A3 Maiduguri-Damaturu road.
You can drive in Nigeria on most EU Countries licences for up to 3 months. If you’re staying longer, you will need to get a Nigerian Driver’s Licence. You can contact the Federal Road Safety Corp on their website.
Although I try and keep the information in the site updated as much as possible, in a rapidly moving world, situations can change daily. Therefore please use the site as an approximate guide, and in conjunction with other resources in order to form your view on driving conditions, roads, safety etc.
Nigeria Car Rental –
Europcar, Sixt, Hertz and Avis have branches throughout Nigeria. The situation regarding self drive seems to change regularly depending on the safety situation in the country. In April 2020, both Sixt and Europcar seem to be offering self drive. Hertz have branches in Lagos and Port Harcourt but none are bookable online so I can’t check if these are self drive. Avis website allowed me to book a car from Port Harcourt and didn’t mention taking a driver but also didn’t allow you to select CDW or theft and personal protection so I’m not sure they allow self drive.
We currently have no local car rental partners in Nigeria. If you are a local car rental company who would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com.
