Buying a Car

Hello Protoge,

For large trucks, I don't think you will have a wide option of choice.

However, many cars companies/agencies throughout the island offer car rental facilities and the cost will obviously depends on your preferred choice!

Thats funny,

One aspect I'm really looking forward about moving to Mauritius from where I currently am is that I will definitely NOT get to drive a car...which I am fed up with doing lol...

You can lease a new car in Mauritius, but you typically have to make an initial payment of at least 25%.  I have heard that some require a 40% payment upfront.  Even "buying" a car (new or used) has the same upfront payment requirements as well assuming you aren't going to pay for it outright.

The "lease" is not your typical lease either in that you monthly payments are just as high as buying and when the lease is over, you have essential paid off the entire value of the car.  There is no "trade in" option for another lease vehicle after a couple years as is common in other countries.

Insurance will cost you typically anywhere from 3-5% or more of the purchase price annually and fuel is another big cost.  You will spend at least 5,000 - 6,000 rupees per month on fuel at a minimum.  This figure is assuming just a short daily commute (10-15 minutes each way), a small size car and only a small amount of driving in the evenings or on the weekends. 

This figure has been my average for the past 3 years for my small Toyota Vitz.  Obviously, you're mileage may very and it goes with out saying, but I'll mention it anyway, the bigger the car / engine, longer your commute and the more you drive the vehicle, the more you will spend on fuel. 

Despite what Yud said, I actually think there is a decent selection of trucks, SUVs and cars in Mauritius.  Toyota, Mazda, Ford, VW, Nissan, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Suzuki all have dealerships and offer trucks and/or SUVs as well as various sized cars.  Isuzu, Chevy, Jaguar, Mini Cooper, Renault, Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Proton, and Subaru are all represented on the island as well.

You can even go for a Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne or BMW X6 or something by Mercedes or Audi if you really have money to burn.  Great Wall Motors on the other hand also offers a decent truck from China that is reasonably priced and supposedly has decent reviews from the people I know that have one. 

You won't necessarily have an endless choice of colors or options to choose from when you go to any dealership in Mauritius so you may have to be flexible to some degree unless you are not picky.  Otherwise, you may have a long wait in store to get the exact model, color and option combination you want.

Personally, unless you actually need the extra cargo space or are planning on doing a lot of driving off the paved roads or have a large family and are looking to get one because of safety concerns, a large vehicle in Mauritius can be a slight disadvantage at times given the difficulty to find suitable parking options as well as Mauritius having narrower roads than what you may be use to as well as the extra cost to run and maintain them.

Thank you Bunkoma. I really appreciate all the detail and I'm glad to know that there is a decent amount of selection available.

There was a comment above of someone saying that they are looking forward not to drive when they go to mauritius. Surely it a personal choice, but can you really just rely on public transportation without it being a major inconvenience? I just assumed that everyone needs to drive there.

Besides, my office will probably be located in Port Louis and I am interested in living in Black River area so it would just seem reasonable to drive, no?

My last question is about traffic. On other forums I've heard that PL traffic is INSANE...some people tend to exaggerate. Bunkoma, you seem very objective so I'm curious to know you opinion. BTW, do you drive?

Thanks again!

Strawb wrote:

Thats funny,

One aspect I'm really looking forward about moving to Mauritius from where I currently am is that I will definitely NOT get to drive a car...which I am fed up with doing lol...

Interesting point! It was always my dream to buy a car once I got my first job;-) But ended up in big cities with good public transportation, plus ridiculously high costs...I'd like to debut in Mauritius;)

I do drive and it took a few months to get use to the complete lack of adherence to most of the road rules by many drivers in Mauritius.  The general rule that seems to be followed is "survival of the fittest/bravest" and "have blind faith in god's will that just because I can't see around that 90 degree curve or on the other side of the hill I'm sure there isn't another vehicle approaching and it's okay to overtake the vehicle in front of me anyhow because even if there is another car approaching it is their duty to get out of my way because this road belongs to me in my own delusional world and warped sense of entitlement"

Tailgating seems to be a national sport and even though you may be driving on a single lane, turn signals do not seem to register with people on motor bikes and scooters so be sure to check your side view mirrors and blind spots prior to turning on to a side street because they will pass you on either side of your vehicle.

Parking in the middle of the road regardless of the fact that there very well may be somewhere to pull off the road and park seems to be too big of an inconvenience for many people as well even if it is just on the other side of a hill or around a blind corner.


I really feel for you for your commute, the traffic in to and out of Port Louis is very bad, especially if you will be coming from the south during rush hour.

Public transportation is okay and used by many people, but the bus drivers tend to be some of the worst drivers on the island so safety should always be a concern when riding on the buses or when you see one approaching while driving your vehicle as well.

The other potential issue you may find for buses is that they stop running early in the evening so if you are going to take public transportation and miss the last bus at 5, 6 or 7pm depending on the route and where you want to go then you are screwed and will have to rely on a taxi which will come at an exorbitant price since you are an expat.

The "local" taxi fares are basically the same as the bus fare, but the taxi driver will cram in to the car as many other fares as they can ala clowns at the circus and more often than not an expat will not be welcome to cram in and pay the local fare even if you wanted to.

But worry not, you will adapt to the craziness that is Mauritius driving and you too will soon be flying down the imaginary middle lane on the road flashing your headlights at the oncoming traffic to get out of your way with the best of them!

....maybe I am still not use to it come to think of it.....