Benin Driving Advice and Car Hire Info
Driving In Benin
Main Roads are in a surprisingly ‘not too bad’ condition for West Africa. When you leave the main roads, conditions become more difficult, particularly in the rainy season of March-July and September-November when some of the smaller unpaved roads become impassable. The main road running parallel to the coast is in pretty good condition though with the occasional pot hole.
Driving standards in Benin are generally poor.You should also avoid driving out of the main towns at night as roads are poorly lit. Take care after dark within cities, avoiding small roads and areas where other traffic is light. Traffic is generally light away from Contonou, which limits the need /opportunity for drivers to demonstrate their dubious over taking skills! Expect plenty of army/police road blocks which may involve a vehicle search. Beninese traffic calming measures may be ill defined speed bumps or two metal barriers at staggered intervals on either side of the road, which taxi drivers like to speed through to demonstrate their slalom skills- approach with caution to avoid a game of chicken!
The UK Government currently advises against all travel to the Parc du W National Park and the Meêkrou and Djona zones. Also the area between the Parc du W and the border with Niger , Pendjari National Parkand all aread within 5km of the border with Burkina Faso.
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.
Benin Car Rental-
Europcar ,National,Avis, have outlets here.Benin also features on some Car Rental broker sites.
We currently have no local car rental partners in Benin. 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.
Benin Self Driving Rules–
Europcar seem to allow the vehicle to be taken over international borders but no international one way rentals are allowed. Europcar will only rent to people who have held a full licence for 4 years.
