There is a vehicle inspection that needs to be held prior to registering the vehicle. This can be done at an approved testing centre in your area. Cars in Panama that are reasonably new are generally in good repair but those that have older vehicles tend not to pay too much attention to theme and bumps and scrapes on the car are often left.

The Asociación Automovilística de Touring y Deportes de Panamá is a motoring organisation in Panama but appears not to have a website. Breakdown services tend to be offered by local garages rather than dedicated organisations.