The rental: how the price is made up
The price shown is an all-inclusive price, expressed per day. You pay only one thing online: our introduction fee, which represents 20% of the order total. The rest, the remaining 80%, is paid on the spot, directly to the owner, when you collect the vehicle — along with any extras.
Two often-misunderstood points deserve to be stated clearly:
The security deposit is optional. When an owner asks for one, it is the owner who sets the amount, collects it and returns it; it never passes through us and is not part of what you pay online. It is not a lost sum: it is a guarantee returned at the end of the rental.
The resident rate exists and has to be asked for. If you live in Senegal, open a resident account: with the owners who offer one, the resident rate then shows on its own, once your status has been verified by telephone. Our resident rate page details the conditions.
Finally, long durations cost proportionally less: the tiered discount is expressed as a percentage, a reduction that applies from a certain number of rental days. We publish no price grid; it is the owner who sets the rate and the tiered discount.
Cancellation, because it has a cost
An honest budget factors in the risk of cancellation. The rule is simple: more than 7 days before departure, the introduction fee is refunded to you; between 7 days and 48 hours, it is retained; at less than 48 hours, a fee of 30% of the rental is owed to the owner. The full workings are described on our how it works page.
Fuel: the method, not a total
We will not give you a ready-made fuel budget, because it depends entirely on the vehicle. What we give you is the method and the current prices, so that you do the sum with the right figures.
| Data | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Consumption (litres per 100 km) | Stated by the owner for the vehicle |
| Total distance (round trip + local trips) | Your itinerary |
| Price of petrol | 990 FCFA a litre since 15 August 2026 |
| Price of diesel | 755 FCFA a litre since 15 August 2026 |
The calculation fits on one line: distance ÷ 100 × consumption × price per litre. Gather your three figures, apply the formula, and you have a reliable estimate — without depending on a total someone would have invented for a vehicle that is not yours. These prices were still in force at the end of September 2026; they had risen by 70 to 75 FCFA a litre on 15 August. Our fuel page details where to fill up on the road and how to manage your range far from the cities.
The tolls: official rates by section
The tolls are published and predictable. Here are the amounts for a light vehicle on the busiest routes.
| Section | Light vehicle |
|---|---|
| Dakar → AIBD (three toll gates on the route) | 2,000 FCFA |
| Dakar → Kaolack | 6,500 FCFA |
| Of which the Mbour → Kaolack section alone | 3,000 FCFA |
| Senegambia Bridge (The Gambia) | ~2,500 FCFA (about 250 dalasis) |
| Foundiougne Bridge | 1,000 FCFA — 2022 scale, to be checked at the booth |
The first three lines come from the official grids in force in 2026: the August 2026 communiqué of the Société nationale Autoroutes du Sénégal for Dakar – Kaolack, and the grid of the Dakar – AIBD expressway for the toll gates on the route. The Senegambia Bridge concerns only itineraries passing through The Gambia; the Foundiougne Bridge links the two banks of the Saloum, but its scale has not been confirmed since 2022, hence the caveat.
Parking and washing
No official grid governs street parking. In the towns, a keeper often watches over the cars in exchange for a small coin: it is the custom, and it stays modest. Accommodation and sites most often have a space to leave the vehicle; ask for it when you book rather than counting on a spot found at the last moment. As for washing, it is easily found at the entrance to towns and is open to bargaining; after a leg on a track, it is a few hundred francs well spent.
What the car budget does not cover
This page costs only the road. Everything else about the stay — the accommodation, the meals, the activities, the tourism promotion tax of a thousand francs per person per night — belongs to another budget. The accommodation site details it on its budget for a stay page, and its page dedicated to the tourism promotion tax explains that line, which people often discover on arrival. To find the vehicle that fits your envelope, run a search by destination, for example departing from Dakar or towards Saint-Louis.
Frequently asked questions
What do you pay online, and what do you pay on the spot?
Online, you pay only our introduction fee, that is 20% of the order total. The remaining 80% is paid on the spot, directly to the owner, when you collect the vehicle, along with any extras. The security deposit, when there is one, is also settled on the spot.
What is the security deposit and who sets it?
It is an optional guarantee. When an owner asks for one, it is the owner who sets the amount, collects it and returns it at the end of the rental. It never passes through us and is not part of what you pay online. It is not a lost sum.
Is there a discount for residents?
Yes, with the owners who offer one: each of them decides whether to run a resident rate, and how much it is. Once your resident account has been verified by telephone, it shows on its own, on the car as well as on the extras. Long rentals also benefit from a length-of-rental discount expressed as a percentage, set by the owner.
How do I estimate my fuel budget?
With a formula: distance ÷ 100 × consumption × price per litre. Petrol is 990 FCFA and diesel 755 FCFA a litre since 15 August 2026. Take the consumption stated for the vehicle and your total mileage: you get a reliable estimate, specific to your trip.
How much do the tolls cost?
For a light vehicle: 2,000 FCFA from Dakar to AIBD, 6,500 FCFA from Dakar to Kaolack, of which 3,000 FCFA for the Mbour – Kaolack section alone. If your route passes through The Gambia, add about 2,500 FCFA for the Senegambia Bridge. These rates were in force at the end of September 2026.
What happens in the event of cancellation?
More than 7 days before departure, the introduction fee is refunded. Between 7 days and 48 hours, it is retained. At less than 48 hours, a fee of 30% of the rental is owed to the owner. Factor this risk into your budget if your dates are uncertain.