Mexican Insurance For Rental Cars

OK so you’re heading to Mexico, you plan to drive in Mexico and you’re renting a car. Obviously you need Mexican Insurance for the Rental Car, so what do you do? First, let’s clarify:

Mexican Insurance on a Rental Car in the U.S.

If you rent the car in the United States, then it is registered in the United States and therefore needs Mexican insurance. To purchase this insurance you have several options:

1. Purchase the insurance from the Rental Car Company.
2. Purchase MexInsurance.com® for your U.S. Rental car
3. Use a credit card that covers you for damage, and third party liability (not many do this in Mexico).

Option 1 – Rental Company Insurance

It is important to remember that when you rent a car, they own that car. And if you read the fine print in the rental agreement it states somewhere that you will not take that car out of the country without their written consent or permission. The fact is, many of these rental car agencies throughout the southwest align themselves with a broker like MexInsurance.com® and mark up the prices. So if we charge $10/day, they will charge you $15. This is a nice little profit center. After all, the goal of a business is to make more money (so they can hire more people, and give them better benefits and pay!)

Option 2 – MexInsurance.com®

If you choose option 2, to cover the U.S. rental car with MexInsurance.com®, notify the company in advance that you are a client of MexInsurance.com® and that you plan to take the car to Mexico. You will need to provide them a copy of the policy with their corporate name listed as the loss payee (lien holder). Sometimes you have to get the vehicle details in advance but other times, just enter generic details for year make and model, purchase the policy with the only real data being the Lienholder and the dates/times of coverage. Of course you’ll enter your personal details as well. Present the Declaration page to the Rental Car agent and they will present you with a car. At that point, log into your MexInsurance.com® account and update the vehicle details. Then you can email them the revised copy, or print it out and present it by hand.

Mexican Insurance on Mexican Rental Cars

OK, unfortunately there is nothing we can do for you here. If the vehicle is registered in Mexico then you are at the mercy of the Mexican rental agency and their insurance. 95% of the time you will have to purchase their damage coverage – UNLESS, you have a credit card that offers the rental car insurance benefit. Even then, it would be wise for you to ask your domestic agent about some sort of liability insurance for damage you cause to a third party worldwide. Many umbrella policies offer this sort of coverage.

It might just be too much trouble, and easier to put it on the credit card and be done with it.

MexInsurance.com® – providing quality Mexico Insurance online since 2003.