The national company Naftal cleared a major milestone yesterday in modernizing its distribution network. With the launch of the “e-mahata” portal, the state-owned firm aims to regulate light-vehicle tire purchases through a digital reservation system, directly responding to firm directives from the Presidency of the Republic.
The end of opacity in tire distribution appears final. Naftal has officially deployed a dedicated platform enabling motorists to order equipment online, check prices with full transparency, and select their pickup location. While this initiative primarily aims to streamline service, it serves especially as a barrier against intermediaries and informal channels that have long destabilized the market.
To ensure every tire benefits the end consumer directly, Naftal has implemented an exceptionally rigorous pickup protocol, breaking with past practices. The company now mandates mandatory electronic payment: only interbank cards (CIB) or Algeria Poste’s Edahabia card are accepted. This radical measure eliminates cash transactions, often sources of hard-to-trace financial flows, and ensures precise accounting for each sale.
Beyond the financial aspect, tire pickup is subject to systematic vehicle identity verification. Each client must present themselves at authorized tire centers with their confirmation receipt, but most critically, the original vehicle registration card (carte grise) for the concerned vehicle. This pairing between order and vehicle creates an additional barrier against speculative stocking or illicit resale on the black market.
Finally, the system’s effectiveness hinges on a non-negotiable strict deadline. Once order availability is notified, the buyer has a three-day window to collect their item. Beyond this deadline, the reservation is automatically canceled and stock is returned for sale, ensuring smooth product rotation and preventing unjustified stock immobilization.
This Naftal crackdown aligns directly with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s strategy. The head of state has made regulation of the spare parts market a matter of sovereignty and national security. During previous Council of Ministers meetings, he firmly instructed the government to combat the “tire mafia” and end artificial shortages weighing on Algerians’ purchasing power.
By favoring the digital route, Naftal implements the presidential roadmap to clean up the sector: operation traceability, elimination of chaotic imports, and citizen protection. This is no longer just about selling a product, but ensuring equitable distribution across the entire territory while guaranteeing road safety through access to new, certified products, far from the dangers of used or counterfeit tires.
It’s worth noting that Naftal signed an important contract in November 2025 for the import of nearly six million German-brand “Continental” tires, an agreement expected to fill the tire deficit on the Algerian market.
The company had explained that the agreement with German brand Continental representatives provides, in a first phase, for the acquisition of one million tires for tourist vehicles. A second phase will subsequently bring the total imported volume to 4.5 million units.
A quantity of 150,000 tires was received in December 2025, while 350,000 other units were received before the end of the first half of 2026.
Meanwhile, Naftal announced preparation of a new contract for importing an additional 500,000 tires, this time for heavy trucks and buses, in partnership with Italian brand Prometeon. The company further anticipates a significant tire price decrease on the market, estimated between 35% and 55%.
Tire distribution will occur through Naftal’s commercial network, which includes more than 2,000 points of sale spread across the national territory after registration on the platform.