Car rental in Cancun
 

My husband & I are flying into Cancun in January, 2014, for a 10 day stay at a condo on the beach in Akumal. We plan on visiting various beaches and ruins along Riviera Maya so obviously we need a rental car for the duration.

I have been researching car rentals at various sites on the web and am overwhelmed with questions and concerns about rental agency reliability and what insurance I need. Most information is more than a year old and contradictory. I understand that even the best rental companies have their problems. That said, what car rental is recommended? Also I checked and our car insurance and credit card covers us in Mexico but say we should get the mandatory Mexico insurance - so what does THAT cover and what should I expect to pay? I have read that agencies include it in their fees, but then try and charge you for it anyway.

We have rented cars in Europe, Puerto Rico and the U.S. but I've never been so befuddled. Help!

I have rented a number of times from Easyway, they will include all insurance, including EPC (Zero deductible) if you ask them for a quote. Tires and glass are an extra $5/day. I also have credit card insurance but do not use it in Mexico as my limit is $20k, so maybe not enough to cover rental car replacement if I totaled it. Have never had an accident or gotten a ticket. Just watch the speed limit signs, they change often in PDC. I think most folks got caught "going with the flow" because so many people down there do speed.
Have a wonderful stay, love Akumal and was there in May at Vista del Mar for six nights.

We booked our car rental for Cancun thru AutoEurope, it was much easier that trying to add all the extras to the base rental price. They give an all inclusive price, ie includes CDW, theft protection, local taxes etc. The rental car will be from one of the main companies eg Hertz or Avis. We're not from the US so our credit card does not provide car rental insurance. If you believe that yours does cover Mexico, I would read the small print to make sure your cover is adequate. CDW is rather expensive but absolutely necessary. Check the deductible and whether AE will refund that in the even of a claim or if there are any options with zero deductible. Some of their options include this.

When you pick up your car, check it over very carefully for any existing damage and get it documented on the rental agreement.

When using the coverage provided by a credit card, my understanding is that you must pay all damages up front and then apply to your credit card for reimbursement. I have heard of people having a really hard time with this, even if their coverage through their credit card is supposed to cover them in Mexico - lots hoops to jump through, difficulty in getting the correct paperwork, etc. So generally the advice is to get full coverage through the rental insurance company so that should anything happen, you can walk away free and clear and the rental car company and their insurance will deal with everything.

I have rented several times in Cancun, and I agree the insurance situation is befuddling, rediculous, and probably costs the Mexican tourism considerably in traveller anger and frustration. So this thread is definitely timely!!
Ergo, I have watched this forum for advice and compared that to my own experience. I have noted lots of good suggestions for AE, and if they have a transparent ins offering, that seems to be worth a look.
However, since the insurance costs are PER DAY, and since you will spend many days right in Akumal NOT needing the vehicle, is an option to get a van service to your condo and then rent day-by-day from a local agency? This is a good option for folks in the HZ in Cancun and close to the larger cities; admittedly may not be such a good option in Akumal.

We rented from Easyway also (to drive to Tulum), based on other reviews, and had a very good experience with them. They offer a package including all of the insurance for a pretty good deal. Though our credit card also covered CDW, we just decided to go with the all-inclusive plan offered by Easyway so we wouldn't have to think about it. Would definitely rent from them again.

You definitely want to get all the insurance coverage you can. Small rental agencies like Easyway and America are far cheaper when you include insurance. The only small drawback is that their offices are a few miles from the airport, and they shuttle you back and forth. I've used them both with no problem. When staying in Akumal, its great to have a car to drive to Ya-Kul, to the supemarket, to Tulum, etc.

I don't know who is writing these glowing things about Easyway... I can't recommend them at all.

1. Before arriving we reserved a new VW, what we got was a junker and an excuse and a canned joke ("the VW registration expired yesterday" "don't worry, it's a good car, you just need to push it a little!" Oh, he was so charming then!) They gave us a Nissan Tsuru standard shift with 105,000 KM on it, no radio, no power anything, including locks, trim parts in the door panels popping out each time you close the door, misaligned doors that don't close unless you slam them, dents, scratches all over, a real junker. It had 4 wheels and AC though and I don't like to whine (I just got back from 2 weeks volunteering in Haiti-seeing the Haitian's reality leads me to never whine again!) However...to help others avoid a disappointment and being scammed, I'll continue...
2. My son and I took the car to Isla Blanca, a quiet beach area 30 minutes out of downtown Cancun, and lost the key someplace between our room and the car. (The key was just that, a key, no chain, no remote entry button, just a key, which must have fallen into the sand and was lost forever...)
3. We called the friendly Easy Way guy on his personal cell number that he gave us-said we could call him anytime, night or day. It wasn't his number though, that, or he refused to understand English all of a sudden. The guy who answered was very unhelpful. $600 USD for a new key. Not Peso, $600 USD. Needless to say we spent the entire day looking for the key, chasing down a local with a metal detector (this guy's machine never materialized), then I got the idea to have the kind local lady at the hotel call a locksmith. She did, 1 hour later the car was running, cost was 800 Pesos (about $64)
4. Returning the car: Waited 35 minutes in the office for one guy to finish with a customer while the other guy, our best friend from before...ignored us while doing menial paperwork at the counter.
5. $20 USD deposit that our friend assured us up an down would be returned when we brought the car back was not returned-he said we misunderstood him...
6. Do yourself a favor. If you want a nice car and don't want to deal with nickel and dime scammers, don't rent from these guys. Their opportunism and greed ruined a day of our vacation.

Hello nannyvee,
I also have been surfing the different websites about car rentals and feeling quite overwhelmed. You've posted your article a bit more than a year ago now. Hoping you'll get to read this and let me know which car rental agency you ended up using and if you were satisfied.
If there is anyone here who could suggest reliable car rental agency, I'd much appreciate it. I will for sure need a car while in Mexico but with all that I'm reading, I'm about to cancel my trip.

Yikes! Don't cancel your trip because of car rental issues. We used Easyway in March, it was fine. True, they didn't offer us a beer at the office like they used to, and the car wasn't exactly the one we wanted, but overall they were courteous and helpful. We have used either America or Easyway for the past 8 years, with no mishaps.

Yeah, don't cancel your trip. The thing is, hardly anyone posts reviews about car rentals when everything goes well, so when you read company reviews, it seems as though everybody is horrible.

We rented from Hertz and it was completely fine.

I have a condo, actually i now have two condos, in Playa del Carmen. I go down 3 to 4 times a yr., for the past 5 years. I stay at least one week, and often 2 or 3 wks., and three times i have stayed for a month. I have a rent car on 3 out of 4 of the trips.

I always rent from America Car Rental. Their rates quoted on the website include all insurance options. Nothing is extra. Two wks ago I got a Fiat Panda 4 door with room for 5 big suitcases. Standard ( manuel shift), good AC, radio/ CD, power windows but not power doors.

Total cost with all insurance you can get in Mexico, was $290 total for a week.

We went with easyway for our trip in February. Car rental in mexico gave me major anxiety prior to our vacation as this was our first time as well. I really think that if you present yourself as vulnerable you're more likely to run into trouble. You are doing the right thing by researching and educating yourself on the insurances and possible things that could go wrong. There is a good chance that you may not get the exact car you necessarily reserved. This did happen to us and we ended up with a SUV instead of a minivan. We fit comfortably though and were able to squeeze all of our luggage in as well. The car ran great and had everything we needed. Easyway sent me an email confirmation asking for my reply to confirm my reservation a few days before our trip. I actually responded and sent a message with my concerns about recent reviews I had read about their company. I felt like that may have made my experience better when I arrived as I let them know up front that I was expecting outstanding service with no hassling or I would have no problem giving my business to their competitors.

I have always gotten the exact car type I have reserved through America Car Rental.

That's not an update vikkitraveller posts, that's her thread bewaring everyone about how hard it is to rent a car in Mexico. When it's actually not.

Again, set up your reservation with the mandatory insurance pre-arranged, and carry with you the documentation of the reservation, and you should be OK. I think a lot of the conflicts come when US travelers say, "My reservations in the computer" without any documentation. That's an invite for the Local guys to give you grief. My last two rentals in Mexico went more smoothly as I had the printout in my hand in the agency. Just seeing this Gringo with the printout kept everyone in line, and there were no surprises.