Do we need special insurance or driver's license for rental car in Mexico
 

We will be renting a car In Cabos. All the insurance information on this forum is very old and I wonder if we need to have additional insurance in Mexico other than our private insurance. Thank you.

I have not rented in Cabo but have many times at Cancun airport. There is a mandatory Mexican liability insurance that you must buy. I also buy the CDW. In most instances, your US car insurance will not cover you in Mexico. You may be able to get collission coverage through your credit card especially if you are gold or platinum, check with the company. HOWEVER if you get in an accident, all damages have to be paid before you leave Mexico, your credit card insurance only reimburses you upon your return when you submit a claim and receipts. For this reason, I always buy a full insurance package from the rental car place including zero deductible. Also avoid using someplace like Hotwire as the proper insurance is never included. Never had a problem.

Mexico is one country that you want to get all the insurances you can, auto accidents are a criminal offense. Your own insurance may not be valid in Mexico. We have driven in Mexico many times and never had a problem. We usually go with a local company that offers all the necessary insurances as a package deal - much cheaper than going with major rental company.

We rented last time from Antonio at Cactus car. He will give you a quote with the mandatory Mexican liability. If you want to add CDW, you can. We usually decline this as it is covered thru our credit card.

Here is Antonio's e mail,. Ask for the "Tripadvisor Rate":

[email protected]

I have also gotten "tripadvisor rates" from Dominic's (cash only, but no hassle, easy pick up and great service) and Alamo.

[email protected]

[email protected]

These three have great reputations and give great service.

You only need your home state drivers license.

Sanborns Best Mexican company insurance is mandatory if you choose to drive down there risky expensive I usually do not.
travel.state.gov Mexico for heads up on risks.

Yes you need Mexican insurance coverage, in addition to your own. Your US drivers license is OK.

I, agree, take all the mandatory insurance -- especially the liability.

Your CDW from US credit card companies is most likely not good in Mexico. Have you phoned your credit card company to check? At best, you will have to pay all expenses in cash in Mexico and collect from your cc compnay once you get home.

If you rent with all the insurance in Cabo, make absolutely sure that you:

-ask how much coverage you are getting.
-what is the deductable?
-get it in writing.
-get a copy of the policy.
-use your phone or camera to take photos of the entire car when you rent it. Do this right in front of the rental agent. (see scam below)

There are many reports of rental companies that "say" you are covered, take your money, and have no (or little) actual coverage. They pocket the premium and gamble that you won't every need the coverage that you "think" you bought.

You also want to be careful of the "you damaged the car" scam that can happen. Dents and scratches that were most likely on the car when you took it, will be assessed when you return the car <u>in cash</u>. Most tourists pay, because they are headed to the airport, the amount assessed is only a hundred dollars or so and they don't want to miss the plane. More cash in a rental agents pocket.

The best protection is to rent from a <u>very</u> reputable company.

You must pay for mexican insurance. Most rental companies include it in their quote. Those that apppear to offer a cut rate service will add it when you get to the rental office. So read the fine print.

We have just returned from a trip to Mexico and in spite of considerable research and utilization of recommendations via Fodors I would still say the entire car rental experience was a nightmare; worst we have ever experienced in our entire considerable travels.
We purchased third party liability insurance via Sanborn's as recommended by Fodor's Guide, only to find the rental agencies would not honour the insurance. To the credit of Sanborn's they offered to refund us the policy but honestly why sell insurance that no one will honour? I specifically asked the Sanborn agent prior to purchasing the insurance to tell us which car rental companies in Cabos honoured their policies and her reply was " we have no problems at all".
We had a confirmed rental from Eurocar that turned out to be via Nu Car and what a nightmare that was. We had to pay a bribe to the rental car driver to even be taken to Nu Car as the Eurocar agent claimed no agency existed! This entire process and fight took over 2.5 hours to conclude and at the end we still had to buy additional insurance.
My question is this: why does anyone travel to Mexico? Everything is a scam and the entire airport/customs procedure was a nightmare as well. We will never go back.

Wow Caesar! Too bad your car rental experience was so lousy. As I recall, you drove to Loreto- will you be posting a trip report? I would like to hear about the rest of your trip.

Yes, we did travel to Loreto and a trip report will be coming.
The trip to Loreto was actually just fine, it is just the general feeling of unease that we felt right from the moment we stepped off the plane.
The report should be ready in a few days.

Caesar....try another area of Mexico. Western Mexico is so different than the Caribbean side, such as Cozumel. To answer your question.....we travel to Mexico because we love it.

Caesar, sorry to hear about your bad experience. Don't let this turn you off to Mexico. This is not the first time I've heard negative things about Eurocar. We have traveled to the Caribbean side of Mexico about 8 times, and never had a problem. Most times we rent a car from the small local companies since they are so much cheaper, and they treat us well (last time we were given beers).

Short answer to all the questions ... I wouldn't drive in Mexico, never mind renting.

Short answer; we've rented in Mexico (Riviera Maya, out of the Cancun airport) many times, and never had a problem anywhere, from Chichen Itza to Coba to the northern tip of Sian Ka'an biosphere.
Check with your own insurer and cc provider, get whatever additional insurance that you NEED, bring the paperwork with you, follow traffic laws, and enjoy.

As above liability insurance required. You are guilty until proven inocent and can do time before trial for an accidents. License not an issue.

Worth considering, instead of buying the rental company's supplementary Mexican Liability coverage, look into buying a Mexican Driver's License policy which is simply a standard Mexican Auto Insurance policy where you only buy the liability portion. Don't buy physical damage insurance on these policies as it only covers US plated vehicles. A good site to learn more about this type of insurance is www.DriveMex.com . The site has been around since 2001 and it provides lots of valuable information about driving in Mexico.

Unless you want to experience a Mexican jail get full coverage. You US/CC policies will not prevent this NO MATTER who's fault a accident is!

Guys this thread is two years old!