Morocco’s Car Ownership Paradox: 70% of Households Without Vehicles Despite Booming Auto Industry

According to the results of this survey, which reveals important aspects of the automotive sector in Morocco, by exploring the motorization, maintenance and purchase intentions of households, 70% of Moroccan households do not own a car. Among the remaining 30% who own one, 25% have only one vehicle, 4% have two, and only a very small minority, 1%, own three vehicles or more.

The study mainly shows gaps between those living in the city and those in the countryside. Among people aged 25 to 44 who are likely to own a car, nearly 30% of them drive their own vehicle. Conversely, 86% of rural residents do not own a car: seniors over 65 (80%) and households in the lowest socio-economic categories D and E (90%) are not very motorized.

The technical maintenance of cars varies according to their age: less than 5 years, between 5 and 10 years, and more than 10 years. For cars between five and ten years old, 33% of owners plan annual maintenance, the survey specifies. 23% opt for quarterly checks, while 6% admit to never maintaining their car, a trend observed mainly among owners of more recent vehicles. According to 66% of the car owners surveyed, the cost of technical maintenance is high. 34% of them consider this cost to be high, while 32% consider it excessively high. 45% of women consider it "very high".

What about households’ purchase intentions? Nearly 23% of Moroccans express their intention to buy a car in the next twelve months. Among them, 12% plan to buy it for their personal use, while 4% want to buy it for a member of their family. These future buyers have their preferences: 77% of them want to buy a new car, especially young people aged 25 to 34, where this figure rises to 87%. Only 10% of potential buyers are interested in used vehicles. How do they plan to carry out this project? 45% of future buyers plan to use their savings. 11% opt for a bank loan, while 10% bet on a family loan.