Tunis - Post Report Question and Answers
What kind of car do you recommend bringing to post, given the terrain, availability of parts, burglary/carjacking risks, etc.? What kind of car do you advise not to bring?
Something with a bit of clearance and that you don't mind getting scratched. Ideally french or German brands; Japanese and American cars may struggle for parts. Car-related crime is very low, we have often forgotten to lock ours. Driving however is awful and will take a while to get used to (although thankfully not too fast). Drive defensively and go with the flow. Main roads and trunk roads are in good condition, even rurally; toll highways excellent. - Jun 2022
Bring something you don't mind dinging! Driving can be a bit chaotic and most people have gotten into minor accidents/scrapes. - May 2022
It's like driving in a swarm of bees. Bring something you don't mind denting. - Nov 2020
Leave your BMW home. Bring a sturdy, used vehicle. - May 2020
A small SUV or something with enough clearance to mount curbs every once in a while. The parts of Tunis that expats frequent are fairly well-paved, but venturing outside of those areas or road tripping to sites in the south or west of the country will call for good suspension and clearance. - Nov 2017
You might want to bring a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. - Nov 2015
I would advise a smaller car, we had a 4 door sedan and it could be difficult driving sometimes (parking). - Nov 2014
Smaller car is better for city driving/maneouvering and parking, larger SUV might be better if you plan to go out to the desert. - Jul 2013
Small cars are best; lots of narrow streets. - Jun 2013
A French model car is best. (Peugoet, Citroen, etc). Volvo, Jeep, Mercedes have dealerships. Bring oil filters. - Feb 2012
If you're coming from Europe, it's advisable to bring a car over on the ferry. It makes things a lot easier, both for getting around Tunis and for doing vacations and weekend breaks. A lot of tourists and expense-account expats seem to lug over big 4x4s, but in all of our travels, we saw perhaps one road where 4WD would have come in handy. Any old car will get you on 99.9% of the roads here. The 4x4 is only necessary if you want to go frolic in the dunes. Driving is somewhat chaotic, but far from the worse I've seen. After a little practice, you'll be fine. We had several visitors who rented cars and had no problems driving. - Oct 2011
Tunisian drivers are atrocious, so bring your beater. An SUV is not necessary but couldn't hurt on pot-holed streets (of which there are many) or if you head down south to the desert. - Jul 2010
Anything is really fine. The roads are good. It's the driving that's the issue. Recently there have been issues registering vehicles with tinted windows. - May 2010
Any sort. All the cars in Tunisia appear to be small four-cylinder cars. Insurance is based on horse-power so the smaller, the cheaper. - Jan 2010
