Large vehicles banned for expat families with less than 5 members in Saudi Arabia

Comments

1. 
   what will south east asians do without the prado/pajero/fortuner? :O

2. 
   I earn my money by working hard in Saudi, i pay my rents, my traffic fines, I pay double petrol price, i pay high schooling fees, i pay exit re- entry visa i even pay zakaa, they decide how to dress, how and when to pray and now they want us not to have freedome to choose or cars!!

• 
  Then, leave the country ! haha 🙂

• 
  You need to respect the rules…

• 
  @Aboodi you are right.

3. 
   What’s the source for this news?

• 
  Arab News, for one.

4. 
   I think the reason why they are doing this is because people get bigger vehicles and then start transportation between cities. this is hapenning in UAE also, many people giving pick and drop from sharja to dubai and abudhabi in toyota Hiace and other vehicle of similar size. In saudi, this transportation is being done by locals and they dont want them to lose their work.

• 
  The people I have seen they cant afford to own SUV cars for illegal transportation as a Taxi. They mostly own small sized sedans camry corolla or sunny touse as a illegal taxis. But I don’t know about Saudi arabia

5. 
   What about joint families where there are more than two people who are on a job visa.

6. 
   All I can say is it is a SAD news…and very poor thinking……now I am banned to buy Nissan Patrol LE for which I am saving money for 2 years…..I don’t know why there is so hatred in KSA for expats and especially for non-Arabic expats….well ALLAH is there to judge.

• 
  So they are helping you ti save your money!

7. 
   On contrary of most people here, I totally agree with the decision, if you have a family of 4 (including yourself), what do you need the Patrol or Taho or Yukon for? it is just for creating more pollution and harm environment. I totally dont understand how people buy cars in GCC, you see a young single guy who is driving GMC Seirra 2500 ??!!! what the hell? its just for showing off

• 
  But why is the rule applicable only for expats?? If the aim is it reduce traffic congestion and emission control, it should be a common rule for all.

• 
  So will you buy Suzuki Alto to do offroading if you have small family or you are single.

  Similarly someone who has money will buy Patrol, enjoy dune bashing, towing a boat, has he to wait till getting married, having kids and that also count matches the seats.

  Its like if you are bachelor stay in studio even if you are ceo of a company, when you have 7 children, then think of villa.

• 
  ^^^ That last line was epic!!! (Y)

• 
  @ ghanib … Let me explain to you …. If i’m single, I have tens of options according to my requirements …. no one will force me to buy alto, dont speak like you know nothing about cars because that will weaken your argument …. Single and like sand bashing? go buy a wrangler or FJ etc etc etc, like sports cars, you can buy any …. also it seems you know nothing about culture and how life is going in KSA ….. people there drive for really long distances, it is normal there to find someone who works 300 kms away from his home, fuel wasting in KSA is the worst in the world, people waste fuel for nothing there, a single guy there buys Taho just because it is comfortable on the highway ??!! what the hell?? if you work far and drive on highway you can find tens of big and comfortable sedans that get triple the milage in fuel (Eg, Avalon, Camry, Accord, Maxima, Caprice, Impala, Taurus, etc etc) besides, even with the last increase in fuel prices, it is still the cheapest on earth in KSA, so wasting fuel for nothing is putting much strain on government budget, if you and (me) like to buy big cars that we dont need LET US ALL go back to our home countries and buy big cars there, also, we are not living alone in planet, I’m not saying I’m green person bla bla bla, but pollution rates are increasing rapidly, and according to recent report by UN, temperatures in some Middle East countries will reach a degree that majority of cities will be inhabitable within near future, and when I say near,it is 5-10 next years, not after 50-100 years, have some vision man, you need to see little farther than yourself

• 
  Single…go buy a Wrangler / FJ … They also have poor consumption. Why buy camry / Avalon, we can also buy smaller sedan like Focus, Mazda 3 they also come with high safety ratings and array of air bags. Buying a car is personal choice, a person have worked hard all life thinking he will some day buy a big suv, you can’t suggest people to buy alternate 4×4’s which you like, people will buy what they want. Of course we will buy what we like back in our countries as well as in those countries where we work and contribute to their economy. The above argument was not to justify the sales of big vehicles but to have the freedom of buying things, or making decision. Like you said think further… today its vehicles. Tomorrow it will be house, schools.. vehicle may not hurt you, but sooner or later some restrictions will be placed that may hurt you and you will also speak up. If you want to continue the argument you can, but I don’t want to waste any more time on discussion. I expressed my opinion like others did, and you can judge by the responses in entire form. You will realize what I am pointing to you, when further restrictions are put in future.

8. 
   A lot of expats buy big SUVs to feel safe. Serious traffic accidents happen here and some of them are fatal. Its not about showing off.

9. 
   woh woh woh.. relax guys, its only a rule for the expats… who cares what they feel or need

• 
  or alternatively have more babies and then go for a seven seater… 🙂

10. 
    Instead of going in to the pros and cons of this dictat, suffice to say that it is not a very thought out decision. Howmany expatriates use their cars as taxis?, just a few hundreds maybe and millions are being punished.

11. 
    All I can say is laugh out loud LoooL

12. 
    LOL indeed.
    Justification does not make common sense.
    Did they classify the “Expats”?

13. 
    In short, right reason wrong way.

14. 
    What a Pathetic Mentality !

15. 
    sad to hear this, im sure they could have done it in a better way like asking people with big suv to pay more for annual registration or some sort of congestion taxes for using it inside crowded cities etc rather than forcing them to buy a smaller car.

16. 
    Friends i found that it’s also a mentality that riding an SUV in Saudi is a matter of superiority.
    now all the current polices are to slowly limitize and discourage expats which is very clear from the coming rules to increase saudization .
    further even if some one is not riding an SUV surley he will be having some car so we can’t say this will reduce the pollution.
    And lastly when u bring someone home even for work then u should respect him as well Which is the basic principle of humanity and we as Muslims can understand that very well, so in my openion if some one is given visa to work in Saudi then he should be at least respected even if he is earning from private taxi, u cannot stop his earning because u have given him work visa.
    And many jobs are too odd that Saudi will never like to do them so restricting expats will not encourage saudies,
    Sales and market of SUVs, maintenance work shops will also suffer if this rule really get implemented.

17. 
    So buy the car under a Saudi’s name and he can make a few extra bucks renting it out to you and jointly run the “car pool” service. very nice.

18. 
    what a stupid non-thought-through rule

19. 
    This rule is implemented to stop the expats who are illegally transporting passengers and school students from one place to another place without legal permission. As of now it is only for 5 or less than expat families.

20. 
    Actually the translation to the wording of the person who said it was wrong, it isnt SUV ban its any car that can carry 7+ people. That goes to certain vehicles that are used for illegal taxis and pickups.
    The rules it self is stupid, as there are ways to go around it.

21. 
    I think this is only for Van like MPVs and not for SUVs.I own a SUV here in Saudi Arabia.

22. 
    if you intend to make your car a taxi , you don’t need to have a seven-seater , even a yaris can do the job.

23. 
    This will lead to lower energy consumption in KSA

24. 
    News flash:Marriages banned in Saudi Arabia.
    Ministry of interior has shown concern over rising rates of divorce in the kingdom which has reached epidemic proportions. In light of this ministry of interior has decided to ban marriages in Saudi Arabia. Period. No marriages will lead to zero divorce. Problem fixed.

25. 
    Currently I am in situation when full payment is done for leased with installment SUV car. Only pending is agreement letter from Traffic Police to transfer the registration from Bank to my name.
    I am not able to get that letter. Family Members are four. SUV is 7 Seat. Please share your experience/advises if anyone of you have the same problem.

26. 
    I think the ruling is rediculous. I like to go offroading, but will be forbidden to purchase a 4X4 because of my family size.
    As for the pollution: are there emission laws in the KSA? If so are they enforced?
    This law should also be for Saudis as well. To be fair and equitable.
    Also, the driving in the KSA. An SUV/4X4 will afford better protection on collisions.

27. 
    If I can afford to buy an expensive SUV then why the heck I need it for illegal transportation. Like someone buy new GMC or BMW to transport illegally. The rule should be simple, allow SUVs based on profession, salary, etc. And it should be for all.

• 
  Yes. your point makes sense. But these government people lack sense and understanding. They just cant see expats driving big cars…. the height of jealously and discrimination.

28. 
    Restrictions should be only for family status not the number of family members.

29. 
    Does this include cars with foldable 7 seats like a Fortuner? or Ford Explorer?

• 
  Supposedly the ban was revoked long ago.