Trinidad and Tobago

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

YOUR COUNTRY #

General

Pls Enter

Last updated

Date

17-Nov-98

-

Steering wheel Position

"LHD" (eg USA) or "RHD"

RHD

-

Speedometer

"KPH" or "MPH"

KPH

-

Pump Price Leaded Gas

"US$/Litre" or "N/A"

$0.38

-

Pump Price Unleaded Gas

"US$/Litre" or "N/A"

$0.41

-

Pump Price Diesel

"US$/Litre" or "N/A"

$0.18

-

Airconditioning recommended ?

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Manual transmission preferred ?

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

4x4 vehicle recommended ?

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Anti-theft devices essential ?

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Risk of car hijacking ?

"High" "Some" "None"

Some

-

Risk of 4x4 hijacking ?

"High" "Some" "None"

Some

-

General condition of road surfaces

"Bad" "Poor" "OK" "Good"

Poor

-

Car colour(s) to avoid - if any

"Colour" or "None"

None

-

Foreign Service Officer (FSO) Privileges

Fuel discount - With Diplomatic status

Percentage

15

-

Fuel discount - Without Diplomatic status

Percentage

0

-

Tax-free car import - FSO+Diplomat status

Quantity

2 per family

-

Tax-free car import - FSO No Dip. status

Quantity

2 per family

-

Resale restrictions FSO + Diplomat status

"None" or "See Below"

See Below **

-

Resale restrictions FSO No Dip. status

"None" or "See Below"

See Below **

-

Car Hire Costs

2.0L Sedan - cost per day

US$

$40

-

4x4 vehicle - cost per day

US$

N/A

-

Car Importation

Recommended type of car to import

"New", "Used", "Either",

Either

-

Local car prices vs imports are generally

"Higher", "Same" "Lower"

Higher

-

Car imported must be correct hand drive

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Catalytic converter compulsory

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Car colour(s) to avoid - if any

"Colour" or "None"

None

-

Active Dealers

Alfa Romeo

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Asia

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Audi

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

BMW

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Chrysler

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Citroen

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Daewoo

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Daihatsu

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Dodge

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Fiat

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Ford Germany

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Ford UK

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Ford US

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

GM Europe - Vauxhall-Opel

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

GM N.America - Chev-GMC

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Honda

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Hyundai

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Isuzu

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Jaguar

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Kia

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Lada

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Land Rover

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Lexus

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Mahindra

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Maruti

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Mazda

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Mercedes-Benz

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Mitsubishi

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Nissan Japan

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Nissan Spain

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Peugeot

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Proton

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Renault

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Rover

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Saab

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Seat

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Skoda

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Ssangyong

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Subaru

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Suzuki

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Tata

"Yes" or "No"

No

-

Toyota

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Volkswagen

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Volvo

"Yes" or "No"

Yes

-

Other - pls specify

"Yes" or "No"

-

Other - pls specify

"Yes" or "No"

-

USEFUL WEBSITES ABOUT CARS AND MOTORING AT POST

-

http://www.nisc.gov.tt/

-

RESALE ON LOCAL MARKET

Trinidad & Tobago

Other Relevant Advice / Information on Trinidad & Tobago

• The roads (size and condition) in Trinidad and Tobago are suited for 4x4. Many passengers cars are available but terrain (mountainous) and high speed bumps dictate a high road clearance.
• There is no question that 4 x 4's are the solution given the poor state of the roads and the huge speed bumps. I have a Camry which drags on them constantly. However the roads are also narrow which makes large 4x4's like Hilux, 4Runner and RAV4's a bit of a challenge. For safety, a 4x4 is also a good measure of increased protection since the mechanical state of many cars on the roads is poor. One can not drive far on such a small Island but everyone would do well if they are importing a vehicle to include consumables such as batteries, belts, bulbs, brake pads/shoes etc. Parts can be difficult to find for both new and used cars. Do not consider purchase of a used car in T&T - they are often poorly maintained.
• The question on whether to purchase a new or used is tricky to answer with a yes or no. It is simply a question of choice. As T & T have no restrictions on whether auto is LHD or RHD, some bring used or new vehicles from N. America, others order used RHD vehicles from Japan with good success and others purchase new locally. However, no one would purchase a used vehicle here; not recommended.
• I drive and purchased a 4WD KIA Sportage when I entered Trinidad from the U.K. (after selling a VW GOLF ). I am satisfied with it. Although fit and finish are not up to JPN standards it has proved to be a sturdy and reliable vehicle for the roads in this country. My biggest complaint was the puny battery initially supplied with it which I quickly replaced. There have been a number of complaints about the reliability of the KIA in TT but it appears that a lack of preventive maintenance and abuse of the vehicle by the owner is at the root. It is a vehicle that needs attention and in a country where many 3 year old vehicles look 10 years old it was often abused. They have a habit of immediately putting leaded gas in these vehicles. A propos, the number of stations in TT selling unleaded gas was limited (but they were not hard to find) when we arrived in '95.  Now they are far more plentiful including one on the island of Tobago.