Bennani began his career in karting, winning the Moroccan national karting championship in 2001 and finishing runner-up in the European Karting Championship in the 100 ICA class the same year. He also won the Moroccan Fiat Palio Trophy in 2001. He moved into single-seaters, finishing runner-up in Formula BMW Asia in 2004. He then competed in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series from 2005 with the Avalon Formula team, racing against future Formula 1 drivers including Robert Kubica and Will Power. He continued in the series with EuroInternational in 2006 before moving to Euroseries 3000 in 2007, where he finished 14th. In 2008, he competed in the Pau Historical Grand Prix, finishing second.
In May 2009, Bennani made his WTCC debut at his home round, the Race of Morocco at the Marrakech Street Circuit, driving a SEAT León prepared by Exagon Engineering with backing from Morocco's Tourism Office. He became the first North African to race in the WTCC on the series' inaugural visit to the African continent. He qualified 14th for Race 1, finished ninth, and won the Independents' category. He competed at four further race weekends with Exagon that season.
In 2010, Bennani drove a BMW 320si for Wiechers-Sport, scoring three points and finishing 20th in the drivers' standings.
Bennani joined Proteam Racing for 2011, driving a BMW 320 TC. His 2012 season was particularly strong: he took his maiden podium with a third-place finish in Race 2 at Hungary, and had further opportunities at the Race of the United States where he inherited the lead before spinning off. He finished the season tenth in the championship. He remained with Proteam for 2013, finishing 12th and fourth among the independents.
In 2014, Bennani made history by winning Race 1 of the WTCC's Shanghai round — the first Moroccan driver to win an FIA-sanctioned world championship race. He completed the season 11th in the drivers' standings.
From 2015, Bennani joined Sébastien Loeb Racing, switching to a Citroën C-Elysée WTCC. He remained with the French squad through the WTCC era and into the successor World Touring Car Cup, partnering drivers including Tom Chilton and Grégoire Demoustier during various seasons.
Bennani subsequently moved to the TCR Europe series. He won the TCR Europe Championship title in 2020 with the Belgian team Comtoyou Racing, adding a national-level series title to his world championship race victory. He later competed in TCR Europe with Sébastien Loeb Racing.
Bennani is a pioneering figure in Moroccan and North African motorsport. His 2009 WTCC appearance at Marrakech opened up the series to the African continent, and his 2014 Shanghai victory placed him in the history books as the first Moroccan FIA world championship race winner. His longevity in international touring car competition — spanning more than a decade from WTCC through WTCUP and TCR Europe — reflects consistent competitiveness across shifting technical regulations.