Buying or hiring a car

Hi Chantal.

Answers will highly depend on your budget.

For second-hand vehicles, better go for a Toyota or other Japanese make. European cars tend to give you more maintenance hassles than japanese models. Unless you opt to buy a brand new european one, within the first 7 or 10 years, they are totally fine.

Else, you will get a good second hand toyota car for a budget of Rs 350,000.

In case you wish to go for long-term rental, I can talk to a friend. He`s reliable and this is his business. If need be.

On a side note, please do not forget to bring lots of sun cream!

Hi,

Depends on how long you will be in Mauritius.

For a few months, rental will be a better option.
Buying a car means lots of hassles, paperwork and spending.

However, if you will be here for a few years, then buying one will be more advantageous.
Lots of options for second hand cars but such type of cars normally don't have good reputation.
Reconditioned cars are much better and lots of dealerships to choose from.
Japanese cars are more popular whether new, second hand or reconditioned.

Hi Chantal I usually rent a car when I go to Mauritius. If you are interested I can give you the contact details Whasapp of the guy I usually go for and you can discuss with him. He is a very nice guy who the company. He can arrange to take you from the airport as well. His price is quite competitive.

I've recently moved to Mauritius and before buying I'm renting at *** for long term (2 months) and the suv I'm renting is costing me 25 eur a day all inclusive (except petrol). It gives you time to look and find the car you are looking for.

We rented when we first moved but then looked at buying.
Looked at some used cars but always found faults and ended up buying a new small Hyundai car from a dealer. Great car and never a problem with it.

Looking at the posts above, it sounds like the island also makes use of the second hand Japanese car market.  Are these a good option there?  Over simply the normal second hand market?  We make use of the Japanese cars here in Botswana but you never know what you are getting.... but prices are good.    So on arrival, it sounds like first hiring a car for a few weeks to allow time to buy is a good plan?  Any idea of costs on this "longer term" rental can be like?

unfortunately it is not exactly like Botswana/Namibia/Zambia where you can basically import any used car from Japan online.

Mauritius is a lot more restrictive with a 100% import duty imposed on new cars, imported used cars, and even when you import your own car. On top of this add expensive shipping costs, inspection costs, and commissions for the import/export agents that have to be used on both sides.

There is another restriction on imported used cars (your own or one that you buy) having to be less than 3 years old.

There used to be an exception if you bought a double cab bakkie (pickup truck) less than 3 years old and imported it, there would be no import duty, or at the very least a lot Less than the 100% import duty applicable on such a vehicle - (apparently this was because there was a shortage of such commercial utility vehicles on the island)
can anyone clarify whether this is still the case ?

Thanks, no will certainly not be importing a vehicle.  Just intetested to know if the second hand market is a good one, trusted dealers?  Better to buy second hand grey jap cars or your standard second hand?  Being an unknown expat I can't see bank loans for new vehicles being an option..

for a better understanding here are sone examples to show that both used and new cars are exorbitantly expensive in Mauritius - the 100% import duty make these cars DOUBLE the price that they are in Botswana and South Africa:



2020/2021 BRAND NEW base-model Entry-level passenger cars upto 1 Million Rupees:

(divide MUR by 3.6 to get BWP;
divide by 2.6 to get ZAR)


Suzuki Alto.  Rs 360000
Suzuki S-Presso.  Rs 425000
Renault Kwid.  Rs 452000
Perodua Axia.  Rs 475000
Suzuki Celerio.  Rs 475000
Suzuki Ignis.   Rs 515000
Suzuki Swift.   Rs 545000
Suzuki Dzire.  Rs 560000
Kia Picanto.  Rs 569000
Mitsubishi Mirage.  Rs 589000
Renault Triber.  Rs 592000
Suzuki Baleno.  Rs 600000
Proton Saga.  Rs 625000
Perodua Bezza.  Rs 630000
Nissan Micra.  Rs 632000
Toyota Agya.  Rs 645000
Suzuki Ciaz.  Rs 655000
Suzuki Ertiga.  Rs 665000
Proton Iriz.  Rs 675909
Renault Sandero Stepway.  Rs 699000
GWM Steed 5.  Rs 720000
Proton Persona.  Rs 775000
Renault Kangoo.  Rs 780000
Toyota Starlet.  Rs 790000
Kia Pegas.  Rs 799000
Perodua Alza.  Rs 825000
Kia Rio.  Rs 825000
Nissan Almera.  Rs 848000
Skoda Rapid.  Rs 859000
Citroën Berlingo.  Rs 870000
Peugeot Partner. Rs 880000
MG 3.  Rs 890000
Mitsubishi L200.  Rs 895000
Nissan NV200.  Rs 898000
Toyota Avanza.  Rs 921000
Renault Duster.  Rs 928000
Nissan Hardbody.  Rs 931000
Toyota Yaris.  Rs 957000
Renault Clio. Rs 968000
Mitsubishi Xpander.  Rs 980000
Mazda BY-50.  Rs 985000
SsangYong Musso.  Rs 990000
MG ZS.  Rs 990000
Haval H2.  Rs 995000
Suzuki Jimny   Rs 999000



2-year-old, low-mileage dealership SECOND HAND passenger cars upto 1 Million Rupees:

Perodua Axia.  Rs 325000
Skoda Fabia.  Rs 395000
Kia Picanto.  Rs 410000
Renault Duster.  Rs 545000
Nissan Note.  Rs 580000
Nissan NV200.  Rs 600000
Renault Clio.  Rs 635000
Toyota Vitz.  Rs 650000
Kia Cerato.  Rs 670000
Toyota Aqua.  Rs 675000
Toyota Premio.  Rs 686000
Honda Fit.  Rs 705000
Honda Shuttle.  Rs 705000
Toyota Axio.  Rs 750000
Honda Ballade.  Rs 775000
Toyota Yaris.  Rs 775000
Toyota Allion.  Rs 899000
Toyota Corolla.  Rs 900000




Older USED passenger cars (5-15 yrs old; upto 100 000km):

Suzuki Alto.  Rs 140000
Suzuki Wagon.  Rs 160000
Volkswagen Polo.  Rs 190000
Renault Kwid.  Rs 240000
Fiat 500.  Rs 265000
Perodua Axia.  Rs 265000
Nissan March.  Rs 265000
Peugeot 208.  Rs 280000
Mercedes-Benz E320.  Rs 285000
Hyundai Grand i10.  Rs 295000
Nissan Micra.  Rs 310000
Kia Rio.  Rs 315000
Peugeot 508.  Rs 324000
Toyota Fielder.  Rs 325000
Peugeot 207.  Rs 325000
Volkswagen Tiguan.  Rs 345000
Honda Fit.  Rs 365000
Peugeot 3008.  Rs 370000
Toyota Aqua.  Rs 385000
Suzuki Ignis.  Rs 400000
Hyundai i20.  Rs 420000
Citroën C4.  Rs 425000
Toyota Vitz.  Rs 440000
Citroën Berlingo.  Rs 450000
Toyota Axio.  Rs 465000
Suzuki Swift.  Rs 470000
Opel Insignia.  Rs 475000
Mercedes-Benz C180.  Rs 495000
Peugeot 508.  Rs 495000
Renault Clio.  Rs 500000
BMW 316i.  Rs 510000
Suzuki Ertiga.  Rs 520000
Renault Captur.  Rs 525000
Nissan Qashqai.  Rs 535000
Jeep Compass.  Rs 540000
Toyota HiAce.  Rs 560000
Peugeot 308.  Rs 565000
Nissan Note.  Rs 575000
Mini Cooper.  Rs 575000
Honda Ballade.  Rs 590000
Mazda 323.  Rs 600000
Nissan Juke.  Rs 650000
BMW 116i.  Rs 650000
Honda Shuttle.  Rs 670000
Toyota Hilux.  Rs 675000
Toyota Yaris.  Rs 695000
Honda HR-V.  Rs 715000
Jaguar XF.  Rs 735000
Toyota Rush.  Rs 740000
Honda Vezel.  Rs 750000
Kia Carnival.  Rs 795000
Honda Civic.  Rs 830000
BMW 2-series.  Rs 850000
Mercedes-Benz A180.  Rs 850000
Audi A3.  Rs 925000
Mercedes-Benz CLA-class.  Rs 995000
Mercedes-Benz E250.  Rs 995000



total 895 cars for sale in Mauritius
(= 176 new + 382 dealership second hand
+ 337 second hand from owner)


popularity by marque:

Toyota (176 cars)
Nissan (133 cars)
Honda (115 cars)
BMW (71 cars)
Mercedes-Benz (56 cars)
Suzuki (38 cars)
Renault (27 cars)
Kia (27 cars)
Mitsubishi (26 cars)
Peugeot (21 cars)
Mazda (20 cars)
Citroën (19 cars)
Volkswagen (17 cars)
Land Rover / Range Rover (13 cars)
Audi (11 cars)
Jaguar (11 cars)
Ford (10 cars)
Proton (9 cars)
Mini (9 cars)
Hyundai (8 cars)
Perodua (8 cars)
Chevrolet (7 cars)
Skoda (5 cars)
Infiniti (4 cars)
Jeep (3 cars)
Fiat (3 cars)
Isuzu (3 cars)
MG (3 cars)
Opel (2 cars)
Porsche (2 cars)
Haval (2 cars)
GWM (2 cars)
SsangYong (2 cars)
Lotus (1 car)
Maserati (1 car)
Yangzi (1 car)



————————————
source:
https://www.lexpresscars.mu/search-vehicles

Thank you again, I hope others on this forum can also make use of all this information!  Very usefull and gives one a good idea of costs.

Expensive yes, but not double compared to Bots. I'd say from a quick calc its 40 to 50% more. Maybe, and I stand to be corrected, buying of cars is discouraged due to congestion and environmental concerns? Btw, is there a good public transportation system in Mauritius?

Thanks Ramelak, but school runs twice a day, shopping, exploring,  better to have even a small hatchback

Public transport:

Mauritius hs the brand new Metro Express light rail system that started commercial service in Jan 2020 (using world class Spanish CAF Urbos 100-3 trams - the same that are used extensively in Budapest, Oslo, Amsterdam, Antwerp (also in England, Scotland, Spain, France, Germany, Sweden, Serbia, Brazil, Australia and USA))

However, phase 1 only covers the highly populated Port Louis-Beau Bassin-Rose Hill section for a maximum adult fare of Rs 30 (one direction).

Phase 2 was planned to extend from Rose Hill-Quatre Bornes-Trianon-Phoenix-Vacoas-Trianon-Floreal-Curepipe by Sept 2021, but will probably be delayed due to the lockdown.

The Metro Express was therefore planned to firstly get people from the most-congested central part of the island to and from work each day and not yet cover the more touristy or expat areas like Grand Baie and Tamarin.



more info here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Express_(Mauritius)?wprov=sfti1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAF_Urbos?wprov=sfti1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_o … prov=sfti1https://www.lexpress.mu/amp/359949https://www.lexpress.mu/amp/383334


Mauritius is extensively covered by inexpensive bus routes, but also expect the buses to be crowded, in various states of disrepair, and slow depending on how many stops there are en-route.


If you're looking for a fun, cheap way to explore Mauritius, then bus transportation is the answer for you. The bus routes criss-cross the entire island and you'll also have the chance to meet the chatty local people.

There are two types of buses in Mauritius, standard and express. Use the express ones if you can. They are airconned and much faster since they don't stop every few meters like the standard ones do. Buses operate from 5.30 am - 8.00 pm in built up areas and 6.30 am - 6.30 pm in the countryside, however there's also a late service between Port Louis and Curepipe until 11:00 pm. To give you an idea about the journey times: a trip from the airport to Port Louis might take up to 80 minutes.

Usually, there are buses every fifteen minutes or so on the major routes. Express buses are less frequent. In country areas, buses can be few and far between.

Keep in mind that there is no direct bus from one end of the island to another so you might need to transfer. To make things even more complicated, there are 2 main bus stations in Port Louis: one for buses going to the south of the island (Victoria square), and another one for buses going to the north (Imigration square). There is a bus shuttle between the two stations, but the distance can also be walked.

In terms of price, a bus ticket is very cheap, from 15 Rs (~ 40 eurocents) for a short trip to 30 Rs (~ 70 eurocents) for a long one, so you might want to to keep some change in your pockets. The express buses have an air-conditioning system, but you will be charged extra for that little cold breeze. Also, if you travel with a large bag, you might have to pay for an extra seat.

You can buy the tickets from the conductors and you will need to keep the ticket as there are inspectors that often get on board. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as an operator independent ticket which could be used across the island, so you will need to buy a ticket each time you get on a bus. When you want to get off, you're expected to press the buzzer beforehand. Even though the buses are in different states of disrepair, the fleet is gradually being upgraded.

There are two main companies that operate throughout the island: the United Bus Service (UBS) and the National Transport Corporation (NTC), known also as the "blue bus". These companies, along with Mauritius Bus Transport, are run by the National Transport Authority from Mauritius. There are also other smaller companies running fleet of buses on the same routes where demand is high. You may encounter for example RHT, Rose-Hill Transport, on routes to and from the town of Rose-Hill and TBS, Triolet Bus Service in Triolet, a village in the north.

The only downside to the bus is that your trip will take longer than with a car/taxi, as every time someone needs to get on or off, it means another stop.

source:
https://www.mauritius-buses.com/

Thank you Cereist.  The commute between home and school every day twice a day.  Would this be something one would have a teenager do on their own saftley?   As an idea to make use of the island busses.  Between the likes of Grand Bay and Northfields school?

Hi Ceresiet

Still working on costings, so if one then bought a 5 year old car, what would one expect to pay for insurance?  Presume the island has the usual third party versus fully comprehensive?  Just an estimate for ideas?  Thank you  Natasha

Hi Tash, maybe take a look at this video about Insurance in Mauritius:

https://youtu.be/4otAPiZh_js

In this video, their spreadsheet gives Rs 3800 / month to insure a house & 2 cars:

https://youtu.be/JLrSSP1qxh8

Tash, to give you an idea of what is currently available in Used 5 year old cars - the estimated monthly payment is also shown in RED below each car's asking price:

https://www.lexpresscars.mu/search-vehi … ileage_low

Thank you, now watched a few of their videos.  Very helpfull.  What insurance must a person have rather than choose to have?  Say for car, I think you need third party there but can choose to have say fully comprehensive?  If one is renting a house, can you simply choose to have your personal belongings insured?  Which won't be much if one is letting a fully furnished house.  So it is only car that one has to have covered?  Medical, we all have our Botswana medical aid cover which covers us for aroudn the world.  I also have a hospital plan cover from South Africa.  I presume one can simply use this while living there?    Do I understand that the government medical is free on the island but private you pay for?  Is that correct?

Many thanks  Natasha