Vehicles in Doha
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Vehicles in Doha
I wonder if you know about the cost of having a car in Doha. What about road and driving conditions? What about the driver’s license? Do they accept international driving license or you need to get the local license? 
All information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
All information will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Join Date: Jul 2000
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Vehicles in Doha
Hi!
Doha vehicles:
Annual registration and insurance fees are structured based on the age of the vehicle, so whilst a geriatric Honda could cost you 400 QR to insure a year, a new Grand jeep Cherokee V8 might cost you QR2000 + ; - insurance is set by the monopoly companies here and they will only insure new vehicles 'comprehensively' normally all insurance is 3rd party due to the massive accident rate in Doha (40%= of deaths per year in Doha are by road accidents!!!) and you then leect to add passenger liability coverage if you want to pay extra. Road tax is pretty cheap by comparison - again normally min QR300 max 800, with a small transfer fee payable on swapping ownership.
The paperwork is getting easier (huh!) but much easier for UK Driving License holders - other international licence holders might have to do a test. recently one Ozzie lady was told during her driving test that she was using her mirrors far too much and must "look outside more" - which is very sensible as you need 220 degree peripheral vision to see the traffic dropping out of the sky on you here.
Doha trafiic is, in my experience of the middle east, worse than anywhere else in the region (and I include Iran here - where you give way to traffic coming onto roundabouts) - so best to drive an SUV with muchos poke for getting through the danger zones - which are roundablouts. No-one signals except expats, no locals are ever ticketed by the police, so it's more like a computer driving game (Grand Theft Auto etc) every day in sunny Doha.
If you select your brain back to 22 years of age/aggressive/road racer/adefensive driving skills you will get on fine with the mad mothers on the roads here - and unfortunately the mad ones are primarily from the subcontinent, not the localsm who just display great 'verve' rather than the brain-death offered by our brothers and sisters from across the Indian Ocean!
Car prices are much the same as everywhere else in the rigion - good time to buy now as everyone is bailing out for the summer hols. % year old Jeep Classic for about 40-50,000QR, 3 year old VW Passat 1.8/2.0 for about 36,000. New cars easily financed through HSBC and other banks - they never tell you the APR, but its about 20%+! Still easy to get if you have Perm Residency.
Can drive here on an international licence only whilst a visitor - if you live/work here you must get a tenmorary licence based on your overseas one, then wait for the permanent issue two weeks later. Temps only last the duration of your business/work visa stamp!
Anything else - let me know and I will try and advise as best. Meanwhile, get your crashhat out of the cupboard and start practicing fast roundabout racing (no hand signals allowed)!
Doha vehicles:
Annual registration and insurance fees are structured based on the age of the vehicle, so whilst a geriatric Honda could cost you 400 QR to insure a year, a new Grand jeep Cherokee V8 might cost you QR2000 + ; - insurance is set by the monopoly companies here and they will only insure new vehicles 'comprehensively' normally all insurance is 3rd party due to the massive accident rate in Doha (40%= of deaths per year in Doha are by road accidents!!!) and you then leect to add passenger liability coverage if you want to pay extra. Road tax is pretty cheap by comparison - again normally min QR300 max 800, with a small transfer fee payable on swapping ownership.
The paperwork is getting easier (huh!) but much easier for UK Driving License holders - other international licence holders might have to do a test. recently one Ozzie lady was told during her driving test that she was using her mirrors far too much and must "look outside more" - which is very sensible as you need 220 degree peripheral vision to see the traffic dropping out of the sky on you here.
Doha trafiic is, in my experience of the middle east, worse than anywhere else in the region (and I include Iran here - where you give way to traffic coming onto roundabouts) - so best to drive an SUV with muchos poke for getting through the danger zones - which are roundablouts. No-one signals except expats, no locals are ever ticketed by the police, so it's more like a computer driving game (Grand Theft Auto etc) every day in sunny Doha.
If you select your brain back to 22 years of age/aggressive/road racer/adefensive driving skills you will get on fine with the mad mothers on the roads here - and unfortunately the mad ones are primarily from the subcontinent, not the localsm who just display great 'verve' rather than the brain-death offered by our brothers and sisters from across the Indian Ocean!
Car prices are much the same as everywhere else in the rigion - good time to buy now as everyone is bailing out for the summer hols. % year old Jeep Classic for about 40-50,000QR, 3 year old VW Passat 1.8/2.0 for about 36,000. New cars easily financed through HSBC and other banks - they never tell you the APR, but its about 20%+! Still easy to get if you have Perm Residency.
Can drive here on an international licence only whilst a visitor - if you live/work here you must get a tenmorary licence based on your overseas one, then wait for the permanent issue two weeks later. Temps only last the duration of your business/work visa stamp!
Anything else - let me know and I will try and advise as best. Meanwhile, get your crashhat out of the cupboard and start practicing fast roundabout racing (no hand signals allowed)!
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thank you
Hi Oracle,
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated. BTW, any comments on working for QR? I'm waiting for a reply from them for an interview, but the negative comments are scaring me off. Do you have any positive comments? thank you.
Best regards,
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated. BTW, any comments on working for QR? I'm waiting for a reply from them for an interview, but the negative comments are scaring me off. Do you have any positive comments? thank you.
Best regards,
