fleur_de_lys

anecdotally, I was in Cancun last year with several friends and we rented 2 cars. I was browbeat into getting insurance coverage which added an additonal $150 dollar coverage to a $100 car rental charge. My friend refused any coverage on his car due to his belief that his credit card covered this. He paid a $100 and had absolutely no issue when he returned the car. I am going to Puerto Vallarta this weekend and will refuse the coverage this time.

El Cochinito

Most credit card rental car insurance only covers damage to the rental car. It does not cover your personal liability for property damage or personal injury/death you may cause to others. And if you are involved in an accident on a federal or state highway you may also be charged with damaging the infrastructure (i.e. damage to pavement, roadbed, signage, fencing, etc.) which is also not covered by your credit card insurance.

If you cause injury, death or significant damage to others as a result of an accident you will likely be held until blame is sorted out and the ability to pay damages is confirmed.

Yeah, you could go without insurance in Mexico and rely on your credit card. But know before you go - contact your credit card company and understand completely what is covered and what is not covered.

scubadu

Ummm... just to be sure I'm clear, your friend refused insurance, had no accident that would demonstrate the value of said insurance, and you've drawn the conclusion that insurance in Mexico is not necessary?

Regards

DJGMaster1

I believe that all he was stating that his friend did not get scammed by the rental agency for not getting insurance, and that was as much a concern for him has the actual risk of having an accident while uninsured. He was willing to incur the risk of the latter, but felt that the possibility of the former would have been more out of his own control.

For what it's worth, I have often rented cars out of San Jose del Cabo with nothing but my Diners Club coverage, and have never been scammed either. But admittedly, it's an acceptance of risk - but I'm at least familiar with the area and the roads there, and don't feel any more likely to have an accident there than I do elsewhere.

fleur_de_lys

Well, just got back from PV last night. Had a 3 day car rental, booked through expedia. The statement that if it looks too good to be true, it probably isn't true, is correct in this case The rate was a little over $7/day and with taxes included, the rental was just about $28. Well, as mentioned here in other posts, liability insurance is mandatory and bumped up the rental to a little over $90. A still steep for the insurance but no choice in the matter. I refused additional coverage (additional $37/day). The original $28 would now be $201 for the 3 days. I was required to put a $3000 deposit on the card. We did do a thorough walk around of the vehicle and noted every tiny scratch, ding, etc. In the US, they tell you not to bother with stuff like this if you refuse coverage. Anyways, returned the car without problem, but was not such a good deal as I originally thought it was.

fleur_de_lys

[QUOTE=scubadu;16959288]Ummm... just to be sure I'm clear, your friend refused insurance, had no accident that would demonstrate the value of said insurance, and you've drawn the conclusion that insurance in Mexico is not necessary?

Regards[/QUOTE

I stated "anecdotally" as the first word. This does not mean that I concluded that insurance is unnecessary. It is obviously your decision to take a risk or not regarding CDW. I guess that he had more confidence than I did initially after listening to some frightening spiel about not getting coverage in mexico. I chose to get the insurance last time and he did not. Ordinarily in the US, I always decline the insurance. I know that I am taking a risk but I choose to do that. I know this is different from personal liability insurance in Mexico, which is mandatory.

troyb

I am still confused about renting a car in SJD. I have a quote from Avis for $105 for four days - $75 for the base rate and $30 for surcharges/taxes. Is any insurance included in that? How do I find out what the additional charges for insurance might be in SJD? How does AMEX's premium rental insurance play into all this (the one that you pay an extra $20-30 per rental for)?

Appreciate any advice - never rented a car in Mexico before.

aleksir

For that price I would expect that you only have limited liability insurance, nothing dealing with the car itself.

Mexico is the only country I buy full insurance in and I've rented cars in approximately 10 foreign countries. Driving in Mexico itself is not a problem - I just want to make sure I'm covered and have someone on my side.

troyb

I've received a rate of approx. USD 160 all in (inc. the third party required insurance only) from a smaller rental agency that is apparently well respected on Trip Advisor. Car will be 1-2 years old, max.

Does this sound like a decent deal? I am thinking of going this route along with my United Chase card (primary insurance). Normally I would go right to Avis, but I haven't heard great things about them in SJD.

troyb

As an update - I received written confirmation via email from Avis that their location does not require the purchase of any insurance. Guess I will go with them, considering the price, but would still appreciate any feedback if you guys have it. Thanks.

Section 107

it is true that mexico does not require insurance (although the car rental company might), but if you do not get insurance, you better hope and pray that you dont get in an accident because the $40 a day you saved will be the most expensive money you never spent.

you probably wont be involved in an incident. But understand that you can be detained by police until you prove you can pay for any damages (property damage, medical, loss of use).

how much time do you want to spend in a mexican jail until you can prove you can pay those property and medical bills and all the paperwork gets sorted out? exactly.

you are probably planning to pay $100-$200 a day for a place to sleep in a hotel; why wouldnt you pay $30 a day to ensure you have no problems or personal financial disaster if an accident should happen?

JDiver

Mexico's laws are based on Napoleonic code, not English common law (like the USA's) - you are generally presumed at fault (not innocent) until - well, until you pay or various other options. Your insurance company acts as your bailor if you are involved in an accident. Your credit card insurance will most likely not cover you for liability (seguro de responsabilidad / daños a terceros - and that is crucial.

If you wish to risk finding out intimate details about "la carcel" (Mexican jail), don't worry about buying pesky insurance.

Also - go over the vehicle with a fine tooth comb and detail any missing items (including tire-changing tools), dings, etc. Then take your camera (or cell phone camera), switch on the date function, and photograph the vehicle from every angle, highlighting any defects. Get them to sign off on the form detailing missing / damaged items, and keep it like it's your passport - make a copy even.

(Nope, not only a Mexican thing - I was slapped with a huge, $1,600 iirc, bill by Hertz in Fort Lauderdale for pre-existing damage I did not cause and was documented - the date-stamped photos saved me anguish and money.)

Boraxo

On the original question, the answer as always is "it depends." Are you staying within walking distance of Cabo? If yes, no car needed. Are you staying at a resort on the corridor and want to go into to town to party every night? If yes, car needed. If you just want to go in once or twice for dinner, no car needed.

This will be our 5th annual trip and we never get a car but our resort is only 15m walk from Cabo or a US $5 taxi ride. Walmart is slightly more $. So we simply take taxis when we feel like it, avoid high-priced car rental and don't have to worry about drinking another margarita. I might feel differently if we were halfway up the coastal road and went into town every night. It's a pretty easy calculation - email the resort and ask how much a taxi costs into town. Multiply by the # of trips and compare to the rental car price. But Cabo is kind of the opposite of Hawaii (and LA and San Diego) - where you NEED a car and cars are usually cheap. It's more like a destination resort.

As for the insurance question, you'd be a huge fool not to purchase liability insurance - it's well worth the price to avoid a Mexican jail. The CDW is a different story - check with your card issuer to see if Mexico is covered - which is usually NOT the case for most cards.

JDiver

As of this year (2012) a driver is required to carry proof of liability insurance. The driver can be required to provide such proof at any time - traffic stops, checkpoints, etc. Not having such proof of insurance is now in and of itself a status offense. (AAA Traveler, Jul-Aug 2012)

mwarrior

I've seen different numbers mentioned on various car rental sites for a credit card hold to rent a car. I don't recall a hold last time I rented a vehicle (Jeep for a day or two while local), but could be wrong.
In any case, anybody have any idea what the approximate hold is, or if there's any rental agencies that don't put a huge hold on?