Hertz - Mexican insurance?

I'm travelling to Cabo San Lucas in April for a week and will be renting a car. I'm confused, though, by the insurance situation.

I've heard through web site postings, etc. that Mexican insurance is required, but most of those posts are referring to people who drive over the border from the U.S.

I'll be renting a car at the airport. I'm sure there is some level of insurance that is included with the standard rental contract, but do I need to purchase even more insurance than that to avoid problems with the authorities in the event of a fender bender or worse?

In all but the worst case scenario (deaths, etc.), I'd be able to cover the liability damage from funds in the U.S. via credit card or whatever. However, I don't want to be thrown in a Mexican jail for not having the "correct" type of insurance.

Can anybody out there explain what a casual visitor such as myself should do as far as Mexican insurance?

Thanks.

If you're going to use a Visa Platinum card or an American Express card for the rental, there might be some insurance that comes with your cardmember agreement. You might want to review it and possibly ask the issuing bank what the policies are.

Also, if you own a car, your auto insurance might apply to rentals in Mexico. You'll want to review your policy and inquire with your agent.

Furthermore, Hertz might offer some insurance at the counter in Mexico. If the credit card or auto insurance above isn't sufficient, you might just want to buy what Hertz offers.

If I'd rented in Mexico before, I'd share my experience with you. My company might get a job there next year, in which case I'll probably be renting and driving around, and doing some research before the journey. But I haven't done it yet.

Good luck and happy travels.

Whenever I have rented cars in Mexico or Costa Rica I have bought all the insurance they would sell me. Those sparkling nice rental cars might as well have a bulls eye painted on the side. Better to be safe than sorry. IMHO

I agree with cabolew, buy all the insurance you can when renting a car in Mexico. We have friends who spend 3 months out of the year in Cabo. They rent cars with maximum insurance and advised us to do the same.

A mexican friend once told me he was in a Mexican jail for wrecking a car. I asked him why they would through him into jail for wrecking a car and his answer was that he didn't have time to flee. Their policy is to through you into jail until your insurance company settles. My policy is never drive in Mexico. Cabs are cheap.

I flew into Cancun airport a few years back. I remember the agent telling me that my AMEX didn't cover "everything" and he recommended more. I declined, no accidents, no hassle. Put several hundred Kilometers on it too...

First thing you should do is find out what your credit card covers. I can assure you that your credit card does not cover liability. Visa platinum and most premium cards cover damage to your own vehicle or collision. There are however a few exceptions on cars and countries. I do not believe that mexico was on the visa list of exceptions. Also these cards will not work if you buy CDW. Often it is worse to pay for CDW as that will have a deductible and your credit card wont.

Liability on the other hand is a different issue. Credit cards do not cover this. In US and Canada your regular auto insurance will cover this. I have state farm and they do not give coverage in mexico. In US cars are required to have coverage but it is minimal. 10K will not cover much if you mame or kill someone. In Europe the included liability is in the millions. In mexico, i do not know but I would guess it is low. An umbrella policy may cover you but you should ask your insurance company.

In short, read your credit card coverage carefully. If it is complete than decline CDW. Find out if you have an umbrella policy that covers liability and if you do not then purchase it from hertz. Credit card info is probably available in the forum for the relevant card.

I reccommend taking extra insurance to cover your butt from theft and accidents.

For example when you travel in Italy, no matter what city and you rent a car, you WILL have to take the extra insurance coverage whether you want to or not. You will be thankful that you did, since Italy has the greatest car theft rate of any where in the world.

People will steal a car so fast in Mexico that you could park it for dinner just outside a restaraunte go in eat and come back out and the car be gone. Most insurance companies will NOT cover you for theft in many countries in the world.



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Travel! Travel! Who wants to Travel?

Thanks for all the replies.

I will definitely call my credit card company and car insurance company to see what they provide (and what they suggest).

My big concern is that such coverage may not qualify as "Mexican" insurance. I have heard that Mexican insurance is required or you can end up in jail until the damages are paid for by your American insurer. That obviously can take a long time.

When I rent the car in Cabo, it will come with some basic level of liability insurance. I assume that coverage arranged for by Hertz is "Mexican" insurance since the rental car presumably is registered in Mexico.

I guess I should pony up the extra $15 a day or so to buy more "Mexican" liability insurance just to be on the safe side, but I don't know if buying extra insurance through Hertz is really buying extra "Mexican" insurance.

I also was hoping that someone would tell me that the extra expense wouldn't be necessary. I'll spend $100 a night for drinks without batting an eye, but spending for extra insurance bothers me for some reason. Especially after working so hard to get a good car rental deal in the first place.

Also you may call the International department for Hertz res. center. They have several different options for insurance to chose from when you get to the counter.

[This message has been edited by pokes (edited Dec 26, 2003).]

Insurance is one of those things that is a highly personal choice. As others have suggested, you need to find out what your options are: using the insurance included with your cc or buying the outrageously-priced insurance from the rental company. Then you have to make a decision that you are comfortable with. It is highly unlikely that your US insurance will cover you in Mexico. As for what qualifies for "Mexican insurance", if you buy it from the rental company it most certainly is. I believe using your CC insurance also qualifies--but ask your CC company. The law in Mexico is quite clear: insurance isn't required, but if you get into an accident and you don't have it, you go to jail until the matter is resolved. Another interesting fact, approximately 80% of Mexicans don't have insurance. Usually accidents are handled informally between the two parties.

In my own personal experience, I have rented a lot of cars abroad, and unless it is required by the country I am in I always opt to decline any additional coverage from the rental company and use my Amex or Diner's Club which includes insurance. The only country I can remember where I had to buy extra insurance was Brazil (probably money well-spent). I had an accident in Costa Rica once (somebody hit me) and Amex handled the matter quickly and easily.

As for some of the comments about crime in Mexico, I can only say that I've been driving my own car here for the past 4 months (with insurance purchased at the border) with no problems whatsoever. I'm careful where I leave my car but not obsessively so. As in the US, use common sense. There certainly is crime in Mexico but most stories are highly exaggerated.